AN Australian historian and writer is trying to contact a man he believes lives in the Tavistock area, to help him with a book he is writing about RAF Bomber Command.

Andrew Macdonald, from Brisbane, is searching for Peter John Willis, who is the nephew of Frederick John Court of Exeter, bomb aimer of the crew, one of the people he is writing about in his book.

Andrew said: 'I chanced upon this remarkable tale a couple of years ago now when the log book of one of the crew came up for sale in the north of England.

'I purchased it, and decided to write about the crew. There was one survivor — the rear gunner, who bailed out with seconds to spare over Normandy and spent a few days on the run before he was picked up by the Germans and sent to a prisoner of war camp in Eastern Germany. I now correspond with the family of the gunner and the story chronicles his survival and his life thereafter.

'I am trying to trace Peter John Willis because his uncle served in RAF Bomber Command in 1944 and sadly lost his life while engaged in his duties as a bomb aimer.

'As I am writing a story about the crew, this is one last attempt to trace Peter to see if he is indeed related and if he is willing to help. I have very little time left now before the story goes to print but I still live in hope that Peter may see this and try to get in touch.'

Andrew said he knows that Peter is the son of Florence Evelyn Willis (née Court), the youngest of three children born to William and Elsie Court.

'Peter would be in his late 50s now, about 58 or 59. Through some considerable genealogical research, I've found only two men with the same name living in and around the Devonshire area.

'I do know that there was a Peter Willis living in the Tavistock area at least until the mid 2000s.'

Andrew said he is 'pretty certain' Peter has a daughter named Jasmin Willis that works in a pub in Tavistock. He has tried to leave a message at the pub but has heard nothing further.

'I might have the wrong person entirely but I want to do what I can to properly acknowledge Fred's service and sacrifice.

'If I'm knocking at the wrong door, I just want to be told so I can move on to the only other possible lead.

'This is one last ditch effort to find Fred's family and put a face to a name. I think he deserves that at the very least.'

The story is due out next year and forms part of a book dedicated to the extraordinary courage of the Bomber Boys called 'Failed to Return D-Day'.

It deals specifically with the Normandy invasion and Fred was involved almost entirely in attacking strategic targets to help the allied soldiers on the ground.

Anyone who can help Andrew in his quest to find Peter John Willis can email him on [email protected]">[email protected]