On the occasion of the Halloween celebrations, a history profile Polskie Miejsca Pamięci (Polish Memory Sites) reminded a story of a legend of a ghost of a Polish pilot being seen at the old site of the Lindholme RAF base. 

The area was known for being home to two wandering ghosts. The first ghost is associated with the legend of a hermit, William or William de Lindholme, whose phantom was said to haunt the nearby moors. The second, ‘Pete the Pole’, is a ghost whose appearance was most commonly associated with the crash of a Polish military aircraft during the time of the Second World War.

In his 1966 book The Mummy Of Birchen Bower and Other True Ghosts, Harry Ludlam describes Lindholme Willie from the post-war period: 

“The ghost of RAF Lindholme station near Doncaster first appeared in 1947 when he was allegedly seen coming out of the nearby marshes. Since then, several people have reported the presence of the ghost, named Lindholme Willie. Residents of nearby Hatfield believe him to be an airman who died in a crash on the marshes during the war. Every description has been similar: a large man in aircrew garb. In November 1957, a corporal from Lindholme traffic control reported seeing the hazy figure of ‘Willie’ walking towards the runway from the marshes. He contacted him by radio, but before he could get a closer look, the figure had disappeared.”

The body of a dead airman was discovered in 1987. The examinations showed the injuries one could suffer after a plane crash. However, the airman’s body could not be identified. Eventually, the unknown airman was buried on 11 November 1987 at RAF Finningley with military honours. Since then, no new sightings of Lindholme Willie have been reported.

Source: Polskie Miejsca Pamięci

Tomasz Modrzejewski