Notes
The Parish Council website (see References) is the source of the extra information and carries this biographical detail: 'Collan Michael Anthony Bawden Brett was born in 1922 to Collan Bawden Brett and Margaret Mary Brett, of Woad Lane, Great Coates. He was a Scout with 9th Healing Group and later joined 142 Squadron, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and became Sergeant Pilot Brett.
Collan was more known by his second name Michael. Michael volunteered for flying training at the beginning of WW2 at the age of 17, he learned to fly in Scotland and was then posted to Bomber Command training. He learned to fly Wellington bombers before being posted to 142 Squadron at Binbrook. From here he flew bombing operations to Germany and enemy occupied countries, to Hamburg and Brest to attack the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau.
The Squadron transferred to Waltham where on November 25, 1941 Sgt Brett was the pilot of a Wellington IV bomber that took on a training exercise, but climbed too slowly, stalled and crashed just to the south west of the airfield. Sadly the crash killed the 19 year-old pilot and three of his crew; Sgt C. Jakins, Sgt N. Borrows and Sgt H.M. Exley. Whilst Sgt K.W. Light was severely injured.
He is buried in St Nicholas cemetery in Great Coates and his war grave includes the inscribed words: ‘Greater love than this no man hath. That a man lay down his life for his friend’.'