BJ974
Crashes > of the R.A.F.
The Wellington III, BJ974 came under heavy flak on approach to bomb Düsseldorf and crashed into the woods in the Frankenforst district, near Klasheider Weg. In this area was an ammunition depot, which was protected by strong flak. The crash site was located at the "Dicke Stock", an ancient beech tree on Klasheider Weg.
All crew members, including four New Zealand soldiers, died in the crash and were buried in Cologne's South Cemetery.
In retrospect:
In late 2025, Paul Kelcher from New Zealand contacted me regarding my research into the crash of BJ974. His great-uncle, Sgt Walter Kelcher, had lost his life in that crash. Paul Kelcher had learnt that a damaged wristwatch was reportedly found at the crash site. I knew nothing of this; I considered it an unverifiable story. However, I promised Paul that I would revisit the case and check every detail.
I then wrote to my colleague and friend Uwe Benkel from the ‘Missing Persons Research’ working group and asked him if he had ever heard of this watch. I was more than astonished when he told me that, years ago, an elderly lady had given him the fragments of a watch found at a crash site in Cologne. Her husband, who has since passed away, had found it as a teenager immediately after the crash and kept it all his life.
Based on the engraving on the back of the watch, I was quickly able to determine that the watch belonged to the pilot, Sgt. Thomas Otto Metcalfe. He had received it from his parents on his 18th birthday. Paul Kelcher quickly tracked down Thomas Metcalfe’s relatives in New Zealand, including his sister, who is now 97 years old.
The story soon made the press in New Zealand, as well as in England, and the discovery was even reported in Argentina. Uwe Benkel made a frame in which the watch fragments were embedded alongside a photograph of the Wellington III and a picture of Thomas Metcalfe. On 25 April 2026, Paul Kelcher will present the picture frame to Thomas Metcalfe’s sister as part of ANZAG Day, the New Zealanders’ day of remembrance for their fallen veterans.
A fitting end to an unusual story, which only came to a happy conclusion because several people researched the story and shared their findings.
My thanks go to Paul Kelcher from New Zealand and Uwe Benkel from the ‘Missing Persons Research’ working group for their excellent collaboration.
Top:
The fragments of the watch found at the crash site. The engraving on the back of the watch is clearly legible.
Below:
The press report in the *New Zealand Herald*.
Left:
The frame that Uwe Benkel made for Thomas Metcalfe’s sister.