(Apologies if in wrong place, feel free to move, although thread does refer to RAF Snaith in Pollington) Article from the Goole Times, Wednesday, 31st December 2014 A Snaith woman who has devoted years to fundraising has been named on the Queen's New Year's Honours list. Renee Ounsley, 82, has campaigned and fundraised tirelessly for the RAF Snaith Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden, and will receive a British Empire Medal (BEM) for her hard work on behalf of the Queen. Renee was initially involved in raising money for the first memorial stone at the garden, then helping to apply for a £7,000 Heritage Lottery Grant for it to be later replaced. The gardens were first set up in 1995, with Renee becoming secretary in 1998. She spoke of her reaction on receiving the letter from the Cabinet Office informing her of the award "I was completely gobsmacked when I first opened it, and I was in a state of complete shock. I got the letter a fortnight ago and it said that it must remain strictly confidential until December 31st. The details were very sparse, at the minute I know that the award will be given locally and I will be able to attend the Royal Garden Party around June. Since becoming secretary, Renee has been pivotal in the creation and maintenance of the memorial garden, in memory of the two Bomber Command Squadrons, 150 and 51, which were based at the airfield during the Second World War. She initially raised funds within the local community and from local businesses, as well as submitting bids for a number of funding grants. However, when these efforts fell short she started to write books about the air base and veterans’ memories of the war, donating all proceeds towards the garden. Despite her stellar efforts, however, Renée remains modest and thankful of all those who have raised money: “It is not just me who has raised money, I’m just a small part of it. Everyone on the Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden Committee does their bit. I’m very flattered by those who nominated me, I know that some are members of the committee and people in the RAF, maybe I will nominate some of them next year,” she joked. “I’d like to think they should have one too.” Renee has poignant memories of war time in the area, and often played with neighbours on a farm under the flight path as bombers set off on raids over the skies of Europe: “As a child I lived near the brewery, there was a farm with two kids next door, where we would often play. As the bombers flew overhead we would wave to them, thinking that the crews would be waving back.” The painstaking process of writing the four books on veterans’ memories of the squadrons involved interviewing those who served on their experiences, which proved to be an emotional experience: “When I spoke to the first veteran, he spoke about some of experiences and the struggles of not knowing if he or his friends would return home from the routine raids, it was so emotional that I was crying when I typed it up, it was very sad. “I have interviewed many of the veterans, and now I’m afraid that we are getting to the end as many of them are leaving us, but it has been hugely interesting to hear about the squadrons directly from them.” Now, thanks to Renée and the rest of the committee’s efforts, the garden currently has almost 200 plaques commemorating the crews who never returned, with more than 900 airmen dying while flying from overseas missions. Renée has also devoted thousands of hours to researching the stories of ex-servicemen and their families, as the garden has become a focal point for veterans, their families, and the local community. Renée said: “I have found some very interesting stories, in particular there was maori pilot who was shot down and captured as a prisoner of war. He was imprisoned in the PoW camp famous for the Great Escape (Stalag Luft III, now in Poland due to border changes), and he escaped. He was recaptured afterwards and executed at the side of the road by the Gestapo, having refused a blindfold. The pilot had a young brother at home, who we eventually managed to find. He called at the garden and we found that he was blind.. He brought 15 of his family to the garden the following year, and they held a short maori service around the plaque to transport his spirit back to New Zealand, we were also able to have a copy of the plaque made in braille, especially for his brother. The service was very moving and wonderful to see". Renee ended "This huge honour is dedicated to all the men from 150 and 51 squadrons who bravely gave their lives during the Second World War, they will not be forgotten and I am delighted that they will continue to be remembered through the garden. The men gave so much and I do think that we owe them a lot".
