Remembrance art exhibition to celebrate Kersey church's wartime history as guiding light for pilots returning home

A Second World War veteran from Kersey is set to open a new art exhibition in St Mary’s Church to celebrate the building’s wartime history as a guiding light for pilots returning home after bombing raids.

During the war, the church was lit up by searchlights to act as a beacon for planes.

Doug Vince, 98, was a flight engineer on board a Stirling bomber plane which was shot at on its way home in 1944.

As the pilot caught a glimpse of Kersey church, and aimed for the nearest landing strip, he had to fight a fire on board, which killed airman Mick McGovern.

Mr Vince suffered severe burns to his hand. The rest of the crew survived the landing.

“You had to be brave to fly in a Stirling,” he said. “I didn’t see the Kersey Church beacon myself.

"As a flight engineer, you were there for six hours on a flight, sitting behind the wireless operator seat. We were shot at as we were coming into land, in the funnel as we called it.

“We landed on fire. I grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the fire, but it was red hot and burned my hand.

“This art exhibition brings it all back. It is important to remember the brave men who died, but I must say I don’t wish to remember everything myself.”

The church is marking Remembrance Sunday with a month-long art exhibition, which includes 90 ceramic, copper and silver doves.

Due to the coronavirus lockdown, the official opening of the exhibition will be broadcast live on the church’s website on Sunday from 10.45am at www.kind.church.

Vicar the Rev Jackson Crompton-Battersby said: “Kersey church was a guiding light for those brave airmen coming home – the white cliffs of Dover for Suffolk.

“Thousands and thousands of pilots used the church to guide them, so much so it was known as the Thank God church. It was a beacon of hope for air crews.”