More war graves in the Comonwealth War Graves cemetery at St Fergus’s Church, Dyce.

Fl Sgt R C Wood, Pilot ,RAF, 16/11/1941, aged 23, Czech national Vladimir Zaoral, NPOR Let, Flying Officer RAF, 5/11/1915 – 19/11/1941, Por W Śniechowski, 310 Squadron, Polish Forces, 8/12/1941, aged 24:-

Sgt A A Catton, Observer, RAF, 27/8/1941, aged 23, Czech national Alois Dvořák, RT Sergeant, RAF, 23/5/1916 – 24/9/1941, Pilot Officer J G Dunlop, Pilot RCAF, 15/11/1941, aged 21:-

H J Cooper, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, 7/7/1941, aged 29, Sergeant J C Steeves, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, RCAF, aged 20, Corporal J G Saunders, RAF, 22/7/1941, aged 25:-

Sergeant D W Campbell, Wirless Operator/Air Gunner, RCAF, 16/6/1942, Wing Commander J A Dixon, Pilot, RAF, 13/7/1941, Sergeant J B Elder, Navigator, RAF, 7/12/1942:-

Pilot Officer J V Ensom, RCAF, 7/12/1942, aged 22, An Airman of the Second World War, RAF, Buried 30/12/1942, Flight Sergeant A R Spenser, Royal Australian Air Force, 6/6/1943, aged 22, Flying Officer E W Mitchell, Navigator, RAF, 22/9/1945:-

Pilot Officer J Winning, RAF, 27/5/1940, aged 39, Aircraftman 1st Class, H Buttery, RAF, 1/5/1940, aged 19, Aircraftman 1st Class, F Wallwork, RAF, 6/5/1940, aged 36, Flying Officer K N Gray DFC, RAF, 1/5/1940, aged 25:-

Pilot Officer W F Crockart, Obsever, RAF, 22/3/1941, aged 28, Aircraftman 1st Class J E Mangion, RAF, 3/9/1940 aged 21, Aircraftman 2nd Class D Campbell, RAF, 3/9/1940, aged 30, Aircraftman 1st Class G W Scott, RAF, 31/8/1940:-

Sergeant F A V M Drummond, RAAF, 6/5/1940, aged 19, Flying Officer A R Nivison-Smith of Australia, Pilot, RAF, 6/11/1940 aged 22,Pilot Officer H M Coombs, RAF, 24/10/1940 aged 28. Thsi photo also includes Pilot Officer W F Crockart, Obsever, RAF, as above:-

In the Commonwealth War Graves Commmission cemetery by St Fergus’s Church, Dyce, as well as the graves of Allied combatants there lie the remains of ten Germans who died in World War 2.

Paul Plischke, 5/4/1915 – 12/7/1940, Herman Zeitsch, 17/6/1920 – 5/9/1941, Walter Both, 19/9/1920 – 5/9/1941:-

Herbert Huck, 18/9/1918 – 12/7/1940, Karl Löffler, 23/12/1917 – 5/9/1941, Georg Kerkhoff, 15/7/1919 – 12/7/1940:-

Heinrich A Bieroth, 31/5/1916 – 3/7/1940, August Skokan, 21/12/1915 – 12/7/1940, Werner Drexhage, 30/1/1917 – 5/9/1941, Fritz Rabe, 15/1/1918 – 3/7/1940:-

These are some of the war graves at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery by St Fergus’s Church, Dyce. Most are from World War 2. Two are women who served in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAFs.)

Flight Lieutenant D M Poynter, RAF, 24/12/1941, aged 26, Sgt D A Farmer, Southern Rhodesia, Pilot, RAF, 1/1/1942, aged 21, Sgt H J Kelley, Air Observer Royal Canadian Air Force, buried near this spot, 19/1/1942, aged 23. Note Great War 100^th anniversary bench in background:-

Pilot Officer N Taylor, Royal Canadian Air Force, 5/12/1942, aged 25, Sgt R A Milliken, Royal Australian Air Force, 19/1/1942, aged 22, buried near this spot, Sgt B C Dickson, Royal Australian Air Force, 19/1/1942, aged 22:-

Sgt J B Riley, RAF, 19/1/1942, aged 23, A C W First Class M A Miller, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, 30/5/1943, Sgt R J Jackson, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, 19/1/1942, aged 21, Flying Officer J W Thomson, DFC, Pilot, Royal New Zealand Air Force, 19/1/1942, aged 28:-

Flight Sergeant, E J Morrow, Royal Canadian Air Force, 23/5/1942, aged 21, Pilot Officer L G D Thomas, Wireless Operator/Air Gunner, Royal Canadian Air Force, 23/5/1942, qged 19, Sgt A Walker, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, 27/4/1942, aged 19:-

Sgt D G Allen, Pilot, Royal Canadian Air Force, 28/5/1942, aged 20, Aircraftman First Class W F Dunbar, RAF, 16/6/1942, aged 20:-

Fl Sgt G Braddock, Royal New Zealand Air Force, 29/8/1943, aged 24, Sgt A F Smith, RNZAF, 29/8/1943, aged 24, Fl Lt H L Flynn, Royal Canadian Air Force, 15/12/1944, aged 23:-

The following are of post-war deaths; Corporal M N J Grose, WAAF, 9/9/1945, aged 25, Squadron Leader, A L Carrie, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 2/8/1950:-

Three more graves of post-Second World War dead are nearer the entrance. Flying Officer W S Leonard, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 3/4/1955, aged 24, Squadron Leader W M Hallam, RAF, 10/5/1952, aged 33, Pilot Officer D Robertson, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, 17/9/1951, aged 28. These gravestones have an arch missing from the usual headstones:-

In the churchyard at St Fergus’s Church (Old Dyce Parish Church) I found one war grave and a war dedication on another:-

Private J G Wilson, Gordon Highlanders, 24/9/1918, aged 19:-

Dedication to Gunner A Littlejohn, killed in action, 6/5/1917, aged 25:-

In the background to the photo above can be seen a Cross of Sacrifice. This is because over the wall from St Fergus’s Churchyard there is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery with more than enough graves (56 in this case) to be allowed one:-

On our trip up north last August we stayed in a hotel in Dyce.

We knew there were ancient symbol stones near there but had never visited them.

They are in St Fergus’s Church, the old Dyce Parish Church but now a fair bit out of town. The church sits on a hilltop beside a bend in the river Don, a lovely situation:-

The church was built in the 13^th century but the symbol stones date from the 800s.

Ruins of church:-

Symbol stones at nearer end of church ruins:-

Information Board:-

Symbols:-

In the church yard we met a man who who was a retired stonemason and had worked on the church years before, so he pointed out things of interest, including the ‘green mannie’ on the corner of the building which you can just see in the photo below, he had actually discovered it when he was repointing the church.