14 Thursday <strong>April</strong> 5 <strong>2018</strong> Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi <strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> News Visit to grave of brother he never knew Dutch teacher connects family with aviator killed in WW2 • By Bridget Rutherford KEVIN PIKE never met his eldest brother Trevor. Trevor was an wireless operator and gunner on a Stirling bomber shot down over Holland during World War 2, a year before Kevin was born. All seven on-board the plane, which was returning from a bombing run over Germany, were killed in the crash. This month, the 74-year-old will place poppies at Trevor Pike’s grave and the site where he died in Holland. On Tuesday, Kevin Pike will travel to Amsterdam with his son Steven, daughter-in-law Jane, and grandson Thomas. <strong>The</strong>n they will make their way to Ingen, where his brother’s Stirling bomber was shot out of the sky on October 15, 1942. <strong>The</strong> aircraft circled before crashing into a paddock near the farming village, killing all seven crew. Trevor Pike, a Royal New Zealand Air Force wireless operator and air gunner, was in a Royal Air Force aircraft with allied soldiers. <strong>The</strong>y had been on a mission to bomb Cologne when German night-gunner Bruno Eickmeier shot the aircraft down. He was later killed in action, after shooting down 10 allied bombers. <strong>The</strong> youngest of 11 children, Kevin Pike was born the year after his 22-year-old brother died. But he grew up surrounded by his memory. “Trevor was a quiet man. Mum said he was a good boy. He POIGNANT: Kevin Pike will travel to Ingen, Holland, this month to visit the grave of his brother Trevor, who was killed during World War 2. PHOTO: MARTIN HUNTER loved climbing, he climbed with Harry Ayers who was a friend of Sir Edmund Hillary. He used to work in Franz Josef. He was just a normal boy.” He had enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force in <strong>April</strong> 13, 1941, before leaving to Canada in May to continue his air training. Kevin Pike will go to the farm to visit the crash site, which has BRAVE: Trevor Pike (fourth from left) with a different Stirling bomber crew before he was killed in World War 2. a plaque commemorating the three New Zealanders, three British and Canadian men who died. <strong>The</strong>y would place poppies there. <strong>The</strong>n they would go to Amersfoort Cemetery where the crew were buried. Kevin Pike said they would place poppies on Trevor’s grave, along with a photo of their late parents. He said the visit would be “very emotional.” <strong>The</strong> trip has been eight years in the making. Kevin Pike said in 2010 he came across a notice in a newspaper titled ‘Seeking Pike family.’ It was a letter from Richard van de Velde, a Dutch history teacher who was researching all the war victims killed near his home in Buesichem. Kevin Pike said after eight years, he was finally going to meet Mr van de Velde, who would take them to the crash site and the cemetery. After the visit they would head to the French town of Le Quesnoy to attend Anzac Day commemorations. New Zealand soldiers captured Le Quesnoy from the Germans at the end of World War 1, so Kevin Pike said it would be nice to visit and remember the role they played. He said it would be the first time he had visited the United Kingdom and Europe. <strong>The</strong>y would return next month. “I just want these boys to be remembered.” 25 % off Resene Premium Paints, Wood Stains, Wallpaper, Decorating Accessories and Cleaning Products! Hurry in! Final days of Sale. 0800 737 363 www.resene.co.nz/colorshops Discounts off the normal retail price of Resene premium paints, wood stains, primers, sealers, wallpaper, decorating accessories and cleaning products until 9 <strong>April</strong> <strong>2018</strong>. Available only at Resene owned ColorShops and participating resellers. Paint offer also available at participating Mitre 10 MEGA and selected Mitre 10 stores. Valid only with cash/credit card/EFTPOS purchases. Not available in conjunction with account sales, promotional vouchers/coupons or other offers. Excludes trade, ECS, WallPrint, wall decals, Crown products and PaintWise levy.
<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Thursday <strong>April</strong> 5 <strong>2018</strong> 15