Central England Co-op colleagues in Norfolk and Suffolk help bring joy to an American war hero - who lives over 3,500 miles away

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 24/10/2017

Two enterprising Central England Co-operative colleagues have helped an American war hero who lives over 3,500 miles away find out how his wartime heroics have been immortalised with a special memorial.

Brad Tuckfield, who works at the Society’s food store in Brundall, in Norwich, and Carl Cope, who works at Stowupland Petrol Filling Station, went out of their way to take pictures of the 34th Bomb Group Memorial, in Mendlesham, Suffolk, after learning that a friend of Society President Elaine Dean, Ray Fredette, had been based there during the war.

Former Lt Col Fredette, who now lives 3,695 miles away in Washington DC, operated out of the Mendlesham airfield in 1944 when he took part in 31 combat missions as part of efforts to win the war.

Now the last surviving member of his crew, Ray was shocked and delighted to receive a collection of photos from Brad and Carl showcasing a special memorial erected in the area to highlight the courage and efforts of his ‘Fancy Nancy’ B-17 bomber crew.

The 93-year-old said: “I was so surprised to see the photos of the 34th Bomb Group Memorial at Mendlesham.

“I arrived there in 1944 as a crew member of ‘Fancy Nancy’, a B-17 bomber. We had flown across the Atlantic with a stop in Iceland.

“Flying out of Mendlesham, I completed 31 combat missions that fall and winter and my task was to drop bombs.

“When my crew went home, I arranged to stay in England because I had met an English girl, Pamela Dorsey, of Derby. 

“After VE-Day, the eighth Air Force left England but I still managed to stay behind with the occupation forces in Germany.

“We were married in 1946. I am now widowed and I am also the last surviving member of my crew.
“I would like to thank Brad for sending the pictures - they certainly brought back old memories.”

A total of 190 airmen from the 34th Bomb Group lost their lives during the Second World War and this was the reason that people from across Mendlesham decided to honour them with a memorial.

Store Manager Brad Tuckfield said: “Our President Elaine Dean visited our store at the time in Stowupland, Suffolk, and mentioned that her close friend Ray Fredette used to be based at an airbase nearby and that there was a memorial honouring his unit.
“She told us more about his story and it was really inspiring. So Carl and I decided to head to Mendlesham and seek out the memorial.

“We took some pictures and sent them across to Ray so he knows that everyone in the area still remembers his bravery and that of his fellow airmen.”

Society President Elaine Dean said: “My connection with Ray stems from the fact that his wife was my mum’s best friend. We have been in contact my whole life and when I said I was headed near Mendlesham he told me about the memorial.

“I mentioned it to Brad and Carl and in a wonderful act of true co-operation they went out of their way to do something amazing for Ray.”

Notes to editors

Photo caption:

Ray (1) - Ray Fredette posing during his days as an airman in the 34th Bomb Group at Mendlesham.

Ray (2) – An image of the former airbase at Mendlesham.

Ray (3) - An image of the 34th Bomb Group Memorial at Mendlesham.

About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with gross sales of £927 million in 2016/17. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property investment. Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2017.

Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.

Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.

Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop

For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative

Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140

Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop