Flight Sergeant Laurence Helme

Laurence Helme was born on 24 June 1912 in Millom, Cumberland, the second son of Richard and Annie (née Taylor). ;On 30 July 1938 he married Mary Hargreaves at St Mary, Wavertree and they lived in Mollington from about 1940; Laurence joined the RAFVR and in 1942 was a Flight Sergeant in 39 Squadron which had been based in India since 1928, later moving to Egypt. ;From early 1942 a detachment was based in Malta, equipped with Bristol Beaufort torpedo bombers. ;Laurence was the wireless operator/air gunner in Beaufort DD875 which took off from RAF station, Luqa, Malta at 6.30 pm (local time) on 30 November 1942, together with two other aircraft, for an operational flight laying mines in Bizerta harbour, Tunis. ;Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take-off and it did not return to base; searches failed to reveal any trace of the missing plane or crew and in 1949 it was formally recorded that the four crew had lost their lives at sea and had no known grave; their names are commemorated on the Malta Memorial, outside the entrance to Valetta. ;His widow Mary re-married at Backford church in April 1948.