Lest we forget This day the 25th of April one hundred years ago the Australian Government declared this day for ever more to be ANZAC Day That very same day one hundred years John Napier BELL John Napier BELL was born at Larges Bay a suburb of South Australia's capital Adelaide John resided at Farina in South Australia with his siblings and parents On 18 June 1940 on 'most secret" orders of Winston CHURCHILL Flight Lt BELL of the RAAF along with Sergeant Charles William HARRIS (born August 29 1908 Collarenebri NSW) flew with two UK defence members from England to Brittany in an attempt to rescue of the wife of General Charles de Gaulle and their children. There were so many others who before had given their lives whilst serving with the Royal Flying Corps and other Air Forces but none in combat with the RAAF For the RAAF these two men became the very first of many who made the supreme sacrifice in combat. The town of Ploudaniel in Brittany continues to honour those four men with an annual service near the crash site and also at the town's cemetery . They have continued every single year since 1940 to conduct those services This year the Farina Restoration Group in South Australia will honour those men with a service on the 18th of June. see http://www.farinarestoration.com/ I was honoured enough to find the families of all four men. Along with representatives of all the families my wife and I attended Ploudaniel in 2014. There each family was presented with the medallion of the town, the only formal recognition ever awarded for the mission due in part to the 'most secret' nature of the mission. The medallion for the BELL family have now been gifted to the Australian War Memorial In memory of John Napier BELL -RAAF Charles William HARRIS - RAAF Bernard Felix NOWELL- RAF Norman Edward HOPE - Special Intelligence Service UK Lest we forget Alan Hall Melbourne