Keel, Poul Ulrik Axel
Personal Information
Rank | F/L |
Forename(s) | Poul Ulrik Axel |
Surname | Keel |
Gender | M |
Age | 32 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 04-06-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Harald Oluf Keel and Hilma Olivia Mathilde Victoria Keel (née Hansen), of Copenhagen, Denmark. Husband of Dyveke Keel (née Reumert). |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Vickers Wellington III |
Serial Number | BK470 |
Markings |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Golders Green Crematorium, later repatriated to Solbjerg Parkkirkegård Cemetery, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen |
Grave Reference | Panel 2. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 58 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 101474 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 92 |
Squadron | 16 OTU |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | Denmark |
Other Memorials
Location | Village Churchyard, Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Memorial Stone & Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | Dedicated to the memory of British and Commonwealth Pilots and Aircrew of No. 16 OTU Bomber Command RAF Upper Heyford |
Miscellaneous Information
Born 23 February 1912 in Copenhagen, Denmark. His father was an engineer and director. |
From danishww2pilots.dk: Passed his A-levels at Efterslægtselskabets School in 1931 and, the following year, he began studying at the Polytechnic in Copenhagen. In 1936, he was married to Dyveke Reumert, the daughter of the Danish actor Poul Reumert, and later that year they had a son. Keel graduated as engineer in 1937 and was employed by A/S The Tanganyika Planting Company Ltd., a Danish sugar company in British East Africa, in the autumn of 1938. When the German forces crossed the Danish border, Keel found himself cut off from his wife and son in Denmark. He volunteered for the Kenya Regiment on 19 June 1940 but transferred to the RAF on 19 September to train as a pilot, after which he was posted to 45 Squadron in Libya. After the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbour, No. 45 Squadron transferred to Burma but after two periods of sick leave, he was sent to England to 16 OTU. It is uncertain whether he was an instructor or a pilot under training, although the latter is most likely. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 04-06-1944 |
End Date | 04-06-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Barford St. John |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Training |
Reason for Loss | Crashed on take-off, hitting nearby farm buildings. All of the other crew members were able to escape. |