Henry Mark Bittiner

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher. Additional research by Daniel Montgomery, Robert Gordon's College Archives. Photo courtesy of Martin Carrack, FindaGrave

Henry Mark Bittiner was born at 3.30am on the 27th of April 1922 to Louis and Marie Bittiner (née Mackie) who had been married on the 28th of February 1922 at the Graham Street Synagogue, Edinburgh. He was the eldest of three children, one of whom would die at the age of 18 of Little's Disease (a form of cerebral palsy) and Marasmus in 1942.

Henry attended Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen from 3 September 1934 until 21 March 1940. His father was the owner of a well-known Aberdeen business, Baltic Boot Stores, at Aberdeen Harbour.

L-R: Best friends Alexander 'Suds' Sutherland and Henry Bittiner, whilst at school

 

Henry was a keen sportsman and the vice-captain or captain of various cricket teams as he progressed through the school. He was also awarded House or School Colours in swimming and athletics then full School Colours in cricket in his final year. He was also involved in table tennis, badminton and gymnastics and he held the position of College Prefect in his final year. He was known as ‘a very likeable, diligent and intelligent lad' and, not surprisingly, as 'a good all-round athlete'. On leaving, school records suggest that he initially intended to enter his father's business.

Henry was also a keen writer, and wrote verse and essays. A collection of his writings were published and he had a notebook in which he noted down poems and ideas but this is now sadly missing.

Henry joined the Royal Air Force straight after he left school. He trained for three years to become a Flight Sergeant Navigator, part of which he did in South Africa in 1943, before returning to the UK.

He continued writing whilst serving in the RAF. He wrote this poem in May 1943.

Henry was to find himself fighting on D-Day and laid down his life for our freedom. He was a crew member in Stirling Mk.IV EF116, 620 Squadron, Royal Air Force. They took off from RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire at 23:40 on the night of 5 June 1944 to transport parachutists of 7th Battalion, Parachute Regiment for Operation Tonga (6th Airborne Division's parachute and glider assault in the early hours of D-Day).

The aircraft was hit by flak and crashed eight miles east of its drop zone near Château de Grangues, Grangues, Calvados. All on board were killed. It was some months after the crash that the bodies were recovered as it was deemed too dangerous to approach due to the amount of explosives on board. Due to the length of time that elapsed since the crash the remains were interred in a communal grave in Ranville War Cemetery.

Four years before he died, Henry wrote his last will and testament:

"I do not write my last will and testament because I have any premonition that in the near furture I am going to die, but because of the wish that in the event of my death by any means during the war, that the few possessions I value will be distributed as I wish them to be.

I do not regret dying despite the word of Houseman. 'Life to be sure is nothing much to lose, but young men think it is and we were young'. In these past few years I have savoured every form of beauty it is possible for men to enjoy. Music, poetry, art, philosophy, religion and psychology - all have opened their arms and embraced me.

I have tried hard and that, as Mavis would say is the important thing. You my dear parents have never met Mavis. I would like you to do so sometime, because she is the girl I had hoped to be my wife. Tell her that I love her, and how sorry I am that I sometimes made her unhappy. That is the devil in me I suppose.

If remembering me gives you strength in future trials, and there will be many, then remember me. Otherwise forget me. It is better that way. I hate morbidity, and living in the dead past. On my gravestone I want nothing more but my name, age and the quotation from Chaucer's prologue 'He loved trouthe, honour and freedom'."

Henry's wish for the quotation from Chaucer to be placed on his grave was not realised but these words were chosen instead 'To live in our hearts forever is not to die'

Henry's father gifted a fund to Robert Gordon College in memory of his son. The College have the original letter in which he offered to set up the Henry Bittiner Poetry Prize. In it, he states “The gift is for behoof of Robert Gordon's Secondary School. The capital will be retained.... and the interest applied yearly in providing a prize to the scholar....who, in the judgement of the Headmaster....composes the best poem for the year. The gift will be made in my memory of my son Henry Mark Bittiner, who was a pupil of the College, as you know, and who served in the Royal Air Force as a Navigator with the rank of Flight Sergeant, and who was lost during air operations over Normandy on D-day, 6th June, 1944. The prize will be known as the Henry Bittiner Prize."

Many years later Henry's sister, Caroline Yvonne Richfield (née Bittiner), known as Yvonne, would visit the memorial to the crew and passengers of Stirling Mk.IV EF116 that had been erected by locals at Chateau de Granges.

Memorial to the crew and passengers of Stirling Mk.IV EF116, Chateau de Granges, Normandy

Yvonne Richfield (née Bittiner) at the memorial in Chateau de Granges

 

When Robert Gordon's College designed and built a new war memorial, which was unveiled on 11 November 2014, Henry's reputation as a poet led to them to select lines from one of his poems to be inscribed to it.

British Normandy Memorial - Additonal Information

Henry's best friend, Alexander 'Suds' Sutherland - pictured above - also served in the RAF as a Spitfire pilot, and was one of the first to be sent to the United States for training. He remained in the RAF after the war but was killed in March 1946 when his aircraft developed a fault and crashed into the sea off Lossiemouth. Whilst parts of his aircraft was recovered his body was never found. He is commemorated on the Runneymede Memorial to the Missing. He had an additional connection to Henry as Suds had married Henry's cousin, Florence, and they had a daughter, Carole.