Floria Hebden with Steve Martin and pictures of Floria's brother, Gilbert Joseph Orton. Picture: David Ferguson (00858506)

THE spirit of an airman killed in a plane crash in the Second World War is being kept alive by Islanders making visits to his grave in Portugal.

Gilbert Joseph Orton of the RAF’s Coastal Command was just 21 when his plane crashed into a lighthouse during a storm in 1943, killing all eight people on board.
Only two bodies were recovered from the crash site on Portugal’s most western tip at Sagres, one of which was Mr Orton’s.

His sister, 90-year-old Floria Hebden, lives in Jersey and although she has only visited his grave in Sagres once in 1972, other Islanders have made countless visits over the years on her behalf.

Each time they return with up-to-date photographs of the grave and Mrs Hebden said it is these visits that have kept his spirit alive for her and her family.

‘I am just so grateful – it is wonderful,’ said Mrs Hebden, who is well known in the Island for her work with charities such as the Catholic Women’s League.

Her son, Martin Hebden, was head teacher at De La Salle Primary School for a number of years and is now president of Jersey’s Commonwealth Games Association.

‘My brother and I were very, very close and as far as I am concerned he is still around because other people come and talk to me about visiting his grave,’ she added.
‘It means that his spirit is still alive.’

Island football physiotherapist Steve Martin was the latest Islander to make the trip after meeting Mrs Hebden through his work at Little Sisters of the Poor.

In October Mr Martin, the physiotherapist for the Island’s U16, U18, U21 and senior men’s football teams, travelled with his fiancée and her parents for over two hours to visit the grave.

‘I told Floria I was going to Portugal on holiday and we got chatting from there,’ he said.

‘I didn’t know how far away from where we were staying the grave was but we made a daytrip of it. I’m really into history and this was a very interesting story.’

Mr Martin brought photos back for Mrs Hebden and said the few moments he spent at the grave were very moving.