GRAAFF-REINET NEWS — On 28 March 1918, the Maasdorp family of Graaff-Reinet received the dreaded telegram to say that their youngest son Charles Roland was “missing in action, presumed dead”.

Charles was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, fighting in France.

Nothing more was heard by the family for sixteen years until, in 1934, a book was written by a German pilot entitled "Mein fliegerlieben" or My Flying Life.

The author was Ernst Udet was a notable German flying ace  scoring 62 confirmed victories by the end of his life.

In the book, he describes a tough fight he had with a RFC pilot.
He says that normally he does not want to look at the men he has killed but this man he must see so that evening he drives to the crash site.

The Germans had removed the dead pilot from the wreck.

He finds in the dead man’s pocket a flying licence of Charles Roland Maasdorp, a few letters and the photograph of two old people.

It is presumed that the body was buried at this site but later cannon fire destroyed everything.

Molly Maasdorp wrote to Udet for a few years . He sent the licence to her.
In his book he says the one must remember that “for every man you kill a mother weeps”.

Last week, on Wednesday evening, 28 March 2018, the Maasdorp family gathered in Graaff-Reinet, a hundred years since the death of Charles Roland Maasdorp, at the Victory Peace Angel war memorial in front of the Graaff-Reinet Town Hall, in remembrance of this fallen hero.

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