208099 LAC John Bennett Crawford Royal Air Force from:Bridgeton, Glasgow I have, in my possession, a letter from The Director of Netherlands Air Force Colonel I. A. Alen. It states: "On behalf of the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I wish to convey my warm appreciation to John B Crawford for the services rendered to Nr. 320 (Dutch) Squadron during the World War 1939-1945. There is no doubt that the magnitude of your effort has contributed very greatly to the part played by this squadron in the liberation of the Netherlands. You have helped in a great cause and assisted in the establishment of true understanding and fellowship between our two nations. The Director of the Netherlands." The cover letter which came with it states, "I take this opportunity of congratulating you on this award, for it is one very sparingly given. It is unfortunate that, as you are no longer serving, it is not possible for the Certificate to be presented to you on a muster parade, in accordance with the customs of the Service. Group Captain Beaulah" We never knew about the existence of this letter until 4 weeks ago. If anybody can help explain about this, please do.
Editor's Note: Serving as an LAC Jackie Crawford would have been ground crew, from this letter and certificate, it can be presumed he was serving with 320 Squadron and had been demobbed before the certificate was issued. 320 Squadron was a Dutch squadron of the Royal Air Force, consisting of members of the Royal Netherlands Air Force flying from Britain as Holland was under German occupation.
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