Spitfire pilot Sergeant William James Smith was shot down aged 24 on May 9, 1942 after a dogfight over the Channel as his unit, the Royal Australian Air Force 457 Squadron, returned from a bombing mission over Belgium.
His remains were found in October last year near the northern French town of Hardifort by a team of British journalists filming a documentary.
On Thursday, he was buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cassel, on a hill overlooking the Flanders plain on the Franco-Belgian border, in a moving ceremony attended by relatives from Australia and Britain.
"I remember when my mother received those two fateful letters. One said 'missing in action'. The second said 'missing in action, believed killed'," recalled Smith's younger brother Bert at the graveside.
Spitfire pilot Sergeant William James Smith was shot down aged 24 on May 9, 1942 after a dogfight over the Channel as his unit, the Royal Australian Air Force 457 Squadron, returned from a bombing mission over Belgium.
His remains were found in October last year near the northern French town of Hardifort by a team of British journalists filming a documentary.
On Thursday, he was buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cassel, on a hill overlooking the Flanders plain on the Franco-Belgian border, in a moving ceremony attended by relatives from Australia and Britain.
"I remember when my mother received those two fateful letters. One said 'missing in action'. The second said 'missing in action, believed killed'," recalled Smith's younger brother Bert at the graveside.
Historian Andy Saunders, from Hastings, East Sussex, found Sgt Smith's remains last November during the excavation of farm land.
Mr Saunders and a film crew from the Discovery History Channel were searching for a Spitfire that had been donated by the Parker Pen Company at the time.
He said: 'The pilot of the Parker Pen Spitfire bailed out and that plane came down about two weeks before or after Sgt Smith's.
'All our research pointed us to this site for the other Spitfire.
'We had removed various parts of the aircraft when we started to find human remains.
'As soon we realised that we stopped work straight away and called the MoD in England and the local mayor.
'Obviously we hadn't expected to find any remains and there were no records at all for Sgt Smith in the area because he disappeared over the English Channel.
'We found his identity disc which was on a chain along with a lucky sixpence and a St Christopher.
'We have been in contact with William Smith's family and they are delighted that we have been able to solve this mystery.'
Sgt Smith's funeral will take place on Thursday at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section of Cassel cemetery.
A documentary on the find and the funeral is due to be broadcast on Discovery History on Friday.
His remains were found in October last year near the northern French town of Hardifort by a team of British journalists filming a documentary.
On Thursday, he was buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cassel, on a hill overlooking the Flanders plain on the Franco-Belgian border, in a moving ceremony attended by relatives from Australia and Britain.
"I remember when my mother received those two fateful letters. One said 'missing in action'. The second said 'missing in action, believed killed'," recalled Smith's younger brother Bert at the graveside.
Spitfire pilot Sergeant William James Smith was shot down aged 24 on May 9, 1942 after a dogfight over the Channel as his unit, the Royal Australian Air Force 457 Squadron, returned from a bombing mission over Belgium.
His remains were found in October last year near the northern French town of Hardifort by a team of British journalists filming a documentary.
On Thursday, he was buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Cassel, on a hill overlooking the Flanders plain on the Franco-Belgian border, in a moving ceremony attended by relatives from Australia and Britain.
"I remember when my mother received those two fateful letters. One said 'missing in action'. The second said 'missing in action, believed killed'," recalled Smith's younger brother Bert at the graveside.
Historian Andy Saunders, from Hastings, East Sussex, found Sgt Smith's remains last November during the excavation of farm land.
Mr Saunders and a film crew from the Discovery History Channel were searching for a Spitfire that had been donated by the Parker Pen Company at the time.
He said: 'The pilot of the Parker Pen Spitfire bailed out and that plane came down about two weeks before or after Sgt Smith's.
'All our research pointed us to this site for the other Spitfire.
'We had removed various parts of the aircraft when we started to find human remains.
'As soon we realised that we stopped work straight away and called the MoD in England and the local mayor.
'Obviously we hadn't expected to find any remains and there were no records at all for Sgt Smith in the area because he disappeared over the English Channel.
'We found his identity disc which was on a chain along with a lucky sixpence and a St Christopher.
'We have been in contact with William Smith's family and they are delighted that we have been able to solve this mystery.'
Sgt Smith's funeral will take place on Thursday at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission section of Cassel cemetery.
A documentary on the find and the funeral is due to be broadcast on Discovery History on Friday.
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