Plea to find WWII airman's family

Sgt Hance Watt was an RAF flight engineer in the 626 squadron.

An appeal has been launched to trace relatives of a North Lanarkshire airman gunned down during World War II.

Sgt Hance Watt, from Coatbridge, was a flight engineer on the RAF Lancaster H539 which was hit during an attack on Berlin in 1944, killing all on board.

Two amateur historians, whose relatives also died in the crash, have set up a website dedicated to the 626 Squadron.

They have tracked down relatives of all the crew members except Sgt Watt, who was also known as "Jimmy".

He was last traced to a Mrs J Watt of 77 Kirk Street, Coatbridge, but no one of that name now lives at that address.

Alex Richendoller, a pensioner from London, became involved in the project when he tried to find out more about his cousin, air bomber Sgt Cecil Nathanson, who perished in the crash.

He was contacted by Tom Bint who had set up a website in memory of his father (Tom) who was also in the RAF 626 Squadron, which was based at Wickenby, Lincolnshire.

'Not just statistics'

Mr Richendoller said the pair decided to trace all the relatives of the men who flew that night.

He said: "Hopefully it will make their families feel these men aren't just statistics."

Records show the Lancaster HK539 UM-A2 crashed in the early hours of 25 March 1944 at Warendorf in Germany.

The aircraft was returning after bombing its target in what was considered to be the last major RAF attack on Berlin.