St Duthus': Other War Graves

In the section of St Duthus' graveyard reserved for Commonwealth war graves there stands a headstone commemorating a member of the WAAFs, the Women's Auxiliary Air Force. WAAFs did not see active service in the Second World War but carried out many of the essential 'back-room' jobs such as parachute-packing, aircraft maintenance, transport, and meteorological, radar, intelligence, photographic and communications duties.

Aircraftwoman 1st Class Elizabeth Violet Buttery Cramb of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force died on 7 January 1945 in Raigmore Hospital in Inverness of acute yellow atrophy of the liver. This is a serious disorder that leads to degeneration of part of the liver leading to problems such as jaundice, severe headache and delirium. The condition predominantly affects women and, in those days, was often fatal.

Three of the graves are of Canadian airmen of RCAF 415 Squadron. The squadron flew Handley Page Hampdens as a torpedo-bomber squadron within Coastal Command and were based only briefly at Tain, between 2nd and 16th March 1943 and 1st and 9th September 1942. However, none of the three men died in the intervals when the squadron was based at Tain so it isn't clear why they were buried in St Duthus'.

The squadron suffered a large number of losses, both in training and operational sorties, many of which were the result of the antiquated aircraft with which they were equipped. One of the men who lies here is E. H. Johnston, who was one of a crew of four killed in training on 11th June 1943 in a 'plane piloted by Sergeant F. U. Batchelor. The others were Navigator S. Viatkin and Fitter E.J. Dockendorff. None of the other three is buried at Tain.