Private Francis G Trainor

Private Francis Gerard Trainor, son of Ralph and Hilda Trainor, of Distington, Cumberland, served with the Defence Platoon of HQ 1st Airborne Division.

It is not known when he joined airborne forces, but may have coincided with the reinforcement of many 1st Airborne Divisional units which returned from Arnhem in late 1944. Pte Trainor was amongst the troops sent to Norway as part of Op Doomsday to keep order and disarm the German forces in the region.

On 10 May 1945 Short Stirling, LK297, l9-G took off from RAF Great Dunmow at 0355 hours, bound for Gardermoen airfield in Norway. The aircraft crashed at Andtjernâsen, ten miles north of Oslo, plowed down the hillside and exploded.  The weather conditions at the time were terrible, with thick fog and rain compounding problems created by the poor signal from the Eureka beacon at Gardermoen. The crash killed all on board, including the six crew members, Air Vice-Marshal J R Scarlett-Streatfield, and 17 members of the British 1st Airborne Division, who where being transported to Oslo as part of Operation Doomsday.

The aircraft was not found until 21 June 1945, when soon afterwards they where buried at Vestre Gravlund in Oslo. In 1995 a large memorial marker was raised at the crash site.

Private Trainor died on 10 May 1945, aged 19 years old. He is now buried in a collective grave at Vestre Gravlund, Western Civil Cemetery, Oslo, Norway.