Last moments of rugby international killed in WW2 discovered in letter

HE gave his all for Scotland at Murrayfield then his life for King and country during the Second World War.

Now the final moments of William Ross, a rugby international killed on a bomber mission over Libya, have been uncovered in an old letter written by a German soldier who witnessed his death.

In moving detail the soldier explains how the RAF pilot, who a few years previously played in the Calcutta Cup match between Scotland and England, was shot down by anti-aircraft fire while launching a raid on a German fuel ship in the Libyan port of Bardia in September, 1942.

He was buried by his enemies in a local church yard and even saluted by Field Marshal Rommel, leader of the German's North African campaign, for his bravery.

The details are contained in a letter posted after the war to his fiance, whose family has now put the letter up for auction.

The witness, German military engineer Gernot Knop, saw the crash and collected the pilot's belongings from the wreckage.

In June 1946 he sent them back to Sergeant Ross's fiance, Dorothy Bird, to an address on the Isle of Bute where it is thought the couple had been on holiday.

It was then forwarded to their home town of Bridge of Weir in Renfrewshire.

In the hand-written letter, Mr Knop described the attack on the Nazi fuel ship and says he hopes the recipient wants to know what happened.

He then tells how he saw two Bristol Blenheim bombers approach and after their first attack failed he watched as they returned.

One was then shot down over the sea but Ross's plane continued, despite heavy anti-aircraft fire, until it was also shot down and crashed into a building killing several Germans.

The letter records how the British men were buried by their enemies with military honours with and the "Desert Fox" Rommel, who happened to be there at the time, saluted as the airmen were buried in the church yard.

The German correspondent includes a photograph of the place where Ross crashed, indicating the exact spot with a cross.

The letter, in English, was penned in June 1946. It begins: "The war being finished, I feel myself obliged to send you these things . . . "

It records how "projectiles smashed into the bomber, the pilot was killed and the bomber was smashed against a little house where several of our soldiers were killed too".

He adds that the airmen were buried with military honours and states: "Our highly honoured commander-in-chief Rommel and several air force officers saluted the brave RAF soldiers."

William Ross, known as Bill, was a chartered accountant who was capped twice by his country in 1937 at fly half.He was in the side defeated 3-6 by England at Murrayfield, but was on the winning side against Wales (6-13).

After that season he went to Australia for a year and on his return volunteered for the RAF. When he died he was 28.

Yesterday Sheena Cooper, daughter of Dorothy, said: "Mum never spoke much about Bill but they had grown up together. I think they were neighbours.

"I think he had quite a sense of humour because he started letters to her as 'Dear Bird'.

"She was devastated to have lost Bill; they were engaged but in those days lots of people suffered grief and she was a Quaker and got on with things.

"She treasured the letters and the possessions that the German man sent her and she kept them all her life.

"She told me that what the German did was illegal because everything should have gone through the Red Cross. I've thought about selling these things for some time because they're just sitting here doing nothing.

"It is such a wonderful story that shows the human side of the war."

Dorothy, a mother of two, died in 2001, aged 86.

The items are to be sold by Michael Bowman auctions in Newton Abbot, Devon, on Saturday, with an estimate of about 100.