On February 25, 1945, David Fenner was killed when his RAF plane came down in the Netherlands during World War 2. A talented outside-left, David spent two seasons in the Diamond, and we remember his sacrifice 80 years on from his death.

As a Kilsyth Rangers player, David featured as a trialist for Airdrie, scoring twice in his second appearance – a 10-0 Division Two victory over Brechin City in February 1938. Unsurprisingly, the Diamonds snapped the 22-year-old up.

David played 28 times over season 37/38 and 38/39, scoring 15 goals including a hat-trick in a 5-2 win over King’s Park in 1939.

Joining Stenhousemuir in 1939, David’s time at Ochilview was cut short by the outbreak of war, and he enlisted in the RAF. He later managed a few appearances for Manchester United and Stockport County as a wartime guest player in 1944.

As a pilot in the 98 Squadron, David flew missions to bomb strategic targets, and saw action at The Battle of The Bulge.

On the afternoon of February 25, 1945, David and his crew were sent up in their B25 Mitchell for the second time that day, having completed their tour of 30 missions that morning. Their mission was aborted three minutes short of their target in Germany due to a radio failure in the leader’s aircraft, and they were last seen going into thick cloud.

They were probably shot down around 1,000 feet between Allied and German lines at Drongelen on the River Maas in the Netherlands. David bailed out but was shot. The plane exploded in a minefield, killing the navigator and wireless operator. The tailgunner bailed out and was captured wounded, spending the rest of the war as a POW. He lived until 2003.

David is buried alongside his crew mates at Jonkerbos CWG Cemetery, Nijmegen, Netherlands. A memorial plaque is today being unveiled at the crash site, and a memento acknowledging David’s time with the club will be added to a display in a local wartime museum.

David is pictured in the front left of the squad photograph (with Jimmy Fleming, James McGregor and Hugh Murray), and on the left of his squadron photograph (with navigator Jim Trapp, wireless operator Kevin Clarke, and tailgunner Ronald Goldsmith).

David Fenner – a Diamond and a hero.