Thurrock Nub News reader Mike Roch has contributed this article which tells the story of a hero who rests in the borough.

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A QUAINT English village lives in the imagination of classical novels and faintly coloured movie reels. Yet this image can be experienced today in the village of Orsett. Thatched cottages coupled with wide open spaces.

The welcoming could not be more embracing. If you ever have the opportunity to visit, a stroll around the lanes displays the history that is ever present. This can also be said for St Giles and All Saints church situated within the village. The nave dates from the mid-12th century and the walls of the rubble surround the cemetery of those that have passed away with many a story to tell.

One grave, specifically has an interesting tale to convey. The one of Flying Officer R. L. Proudfoot and his demise.

Robert Lavel Proudfoot, 24, was an Avro Lancaster pilot in World War II. He was a member of the Royal Air Force volunteer reserve of 100 squadron. His parents Charles Laval Proudfoot and Margaret Rose Proudfoot came from the area and he lived with his wife, Mary Willmott Proudfoot of Brentwood.

RAF Bomber Command crews were given the task of flying an operational tour of usually 30 missions. For Lancaster JB596, of which Robert was the senior officer and pilot, Thursday, 16 December 1943 was to be its final mission.

"Black Thursday" is the name now given to this date within RAF Bomber Command following the loss of almost 300 airmen. More than half of the victims were not victims of German guns, but succumbed to the cruel British weather.

On this day at 16:18 the squadron took off for a mission to Berlin. Aboard Lancaster JB596 Proudfoot was one of seven crew members. This specific plane was complimented by a further 482 Lancasters and 15 Mosquitos. Upon completion of the mission the squadron returned on a northerly route over Denmark. A total of 23 Lancasters were shot down over enemy territory with the loss of more than 148 men.

The raid in which Proudfoot and his colleagues participated in was considered to some degree to be an effective mission. Damage was sustained to the Berlin railway infrastructure thereby halting war supplies to the Eastern front for a number of days.

The surviving bombers returned to England only to be confronted by low cloud and thick fog. Proudfoot, among other pilots, had to rely upon what was referred to as "landing on the beam".

This was series of signals emitted to aid in navigation upon landing. Sadly the use of this was frequently ineffective. In addition this methodology created a "stack" of aircraft on this night, losing fuel with an ever increasing chance of collision.

If this was not all enough to contend with on this squadron's return, the barometric pressure had changed considerably since take off. This resulted in an incorrect altimeter reading of up to 1,000 feet. Inevitably Lancasters and airmen were lost. While some crews on this night elected to bail out of their aircraft others simply ran out of fuel. Two collided in mid-air.

The final registered total of planes lost as a result of crashes was 43. Far more than the loss experienced as a result of enemy action. Proudfoot and his airmen crashed at Hatcliff Top near Barnoldby-le-Beck, just a couple of miles from their airfield at Grimsby.

Of the total members of Lancaster JB596 three were retrieved from the burning wreckage by some off duty firemen and farmworkers, one of whom was badly burned. Fireman, Andrew Thompson Bell who joined the rescue bid as he was walking home from duty received the King's Commendation for bravery for his actions.

Two of those airmen who survived subsequently finished their "tours" within Bomber Command. The remaining airman, Sergeant Leslie Noyes never flew again. Proudfoot and four of his comrades sadly died that night.

A memorial stands at the site of the crash, erected by Roger Stephenson who lived and worked on the farm and recovered fragments of JB596 for years after the incident while working the land. He also created a small museum to 100 Squadron and JB596 in particular, in Waltham Windmill, the museum of rural life.

Members of the crew who died this night are buried in Cardiff, Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire while Robert Lavel Proudfoot lies within Saint Giles and All Saints Church, Orsett.

If passing through on Memorial Day or otherwise take a moment if you can to pay respects to Robert and his many comrades who died that night of "Black Thursday" or any other time, in any war and all sides.

The crew of JB596, four killed, three injured:

Pilot: Flg Off., Robert Laval PROUDFOOT,

Wireless Operator: Sgt., Bernard HEATON,

Flight Engineer: Sgt., Sidney David VIGGERS,

Bomb Aimer: Sgt., John BAMFORD,

Navigator: Sgt., L. NOYES, Injured,

Air Gunner: Sgt., B. PHILLIPS, Injured,

Air Gunner: Sgt., F. H. TAYLOR, Injured.