The church itself was thick with incense, this being Easter weekend. Its floor is filled with squadron crests in Welsh Slate, there is a fine memorial to the Polish airforce of World War 2 and the books of remembrance listing all the RAF's casualties.
On a table near the entrance were some cards and Haig Fund crosses left by friends and relatives in memory of loved ones killed while serving in the RAF.
They made moving reading. One read, 'John Stephen Treseder... You are always in my heart... In loving memory, Son, Rod.'
F/O Treseder (29) was killed in July 1943 while flying a 613 Squadron Mustang fighter in an attack on a German convoy off the coast of Holland.
Another card read, in neat, slanting writing, 'Jimmy and crew, Berlin, 21.1.44. All my Love from Laura.'
That night the RAF lost 35 aircraft - 22 Halifaxes and 13 Lancasters. No 102 Squadron, from Pocklington, lost five of its 16 Halifaxes.
A third, written in a slightly shaky hand, said: 'John William Cummings. Died 29/9/1943. I remember seeing you with your brolly, my [f... illegible] in about 1943/3. I am looking forward to seeing you again. Love, Heather.'
A litle research has revealed that on 29/30 September 1943 the RAF raided Bochum and lost five Halifaxes and four Lancasters.
1334212 Sergeant Jack Cummings was 22 and serving as a mid-upper gunner on board a Lancaster Mk III (AS-Y ED904) of 166 Squadron. He was from Croydon in Surrey.
The other members of the crew were as follows.
Pilot: 1321868 W/O Brian Davidson, 21, of Beckenham, Kent.
Air bomber: 1395190 Sergeant Lionel Comer, 20, of King's Lynn, Norfolk.
Flight engineer: 1001372 Sergeant Leslie English, 31, of Pelton, Co Durham.
Navigator: 656183 Sergeant Henry Jones, 25, of Vroncysylite, Denbighshire.
Wireless operator: 1212477 Sergeant Laurence Gee, 22, of Birmingham.
Rear gunner: J18832 P/O Cyril Vincent Galavan (RCAF), of Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
The squadron had converted from Wellingtons to Lancasters in September 1943 and was based at Kirmington, Lincolnshire.
Lancaster ED 904 was delivered to No103 Squadron on 19 May 1943 and transfered to 166 Squadron on 19 September 1943.
When lost this aircraft had a total of 195 hours, having taken part in three raids on Hamburg, as well as having flown to Berlin, Cologne and Hanover.
It was the first Lancaster to take off on 166 squadron's first Lancaster sortie.
On the night of 29 September 1943 AS-Y was airbourne at 18:22 hrs from Kirmington.
It crashed near Dortmund, perhaps a victim of flak over or near the target, and the crew were buried at the city's Hauptfried (Am Gottesacker) on 4 October.
They have subsequently been re-interred in the Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
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