The contents of Andrea's email to Paul and some photos of the occasion follow

4 Novermber 2007

Please find attached some photos of the unveiling of the village sign. It was unveiled by a village resident, Sir Clive Rose, an ex diplomat. About 60 people were invited. As you an see we got an American service man to represent the 487. His name is Capt Michael S. Albert Executive Officer, 100th Operations Group, RAF Mildenhall. He was absolutely delighted to attend as his grandfather is Lt Colonel (Retired) Bernard Joseph Stanek who flew from Lavenham as a copilot of Lazy Lady 42-52444. The details I obtained from the 487 website so I guess he was one of the lucky ones.

We had tea and sandwiches afterwards, and took Capt Albert for a quick tour of the village. We also listened to the stories from residents who were here during the war and how much "The Americans" were taken to the heart of Lavenham. The feelings that came across was that on the fateful Christmas Eve of 1944 it wasn't just planes that were lost, but their sons too. They were Lavenham Lads.

Capt Albert hopes to return in the spring with his grandfather to have a look round. He loved the sign and these photos really still don't do it justice and I will be sourcing others.

As you can see the sign is very elaborate and we ended up with a funding shortfall. Do you know of anywhere we may be able to source a small grant that would help towards the cost? Your comments on this would be extremely appreciated.

Can you forward this email on the other 487 members? It was a great day and very moving, and be assured "The Americans" will be remembered in this village for many years to come.

With Kindest regards
Andrea Norman
Lavenham Parish Council

Article from East Anglian (Village Sign)	Capt Albert with the Village Sign	DSC00821	DSC00822
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