The 15 Group Lincoln Royal Observer Corps (ROC) Association, to which Gainsborough’s Bill Warwick is a member, is marking one year since they had installed a memorial stone for Jack Kelway ROC. The ROC, founded in 1925, was known as the eyes and ears of the RAF and came under Fighter Command up to the Nuclear age around 1970, when the organisation went underground to monitor radioactive fallout until 1995, when the Observer Corps ceased duties.
On Wednesday 11th October 2017, the culmination of Bill Warwick’s twelve months of fundraising and organisation came to fruition with the Service of Blessing for the new stone to commemorate Jack Kelway’s untimely death at the hands of four German airmen in their Nightfighter. His car was catapulted across fields when on his way to his Duty Post at Hackthorn at 1.30am, on 4th March 1945. The four airmen were buried with full military honours in Commonwealth War Graves in Scampton Churchyard. Jack was denied this honour because he was not at his duty station.
A year ago, 28 people assembled at Newport Cemetery, Lincoln at 11.30am when the Vicar of Scampton, the Reverend Sue Deacon, held a short service to bless the stone. John Kelway, nephew of Jack, gave a Bible reading, Peter Jex gave the Exhortation and Edwina Holden the Kohima. The Last Post was sounded followed by two minutes silence, Reveille, the National Anthem and the Lord’s Prayer.
Bill Warwick spent hours compiling research into Jack Kelway’s story and was instrumental in this work to ensure that Jack will be remembered.
To find out more about the ROC Association see www.rocatwentytwelve.org.