ALLIED WAR GRAVES WERKENDAM
"They shall not grow old"
The cemetery at the Laantje in Werkendam contains 24 Commonwealth War Graves. Also buried in the same cemetery there are three Dutch Resistance fighters. All three Resistance men were decorated with the Dutch highest Order of valour called Military William Order.
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The first five sections below offer some background information about the circumstances of each of the five allied aircraft that crashed in the vicinity of Werkendam. The last section of this page has background information about the Battle of the Kapelsche Veer, Dec 1944 – Jan 1945.
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By hovering your cursor over the ‘Allied Wargraves Werkendam’ tab at the top of the screen you will find sub-menus for all five airforce (RAF and RCAF) squadrons and within each squadron some information about each of the individual casualties who are buried in Wekendam Protestant Cemetery. There is also some information about each of the five allied servicemen who were involved in the ‘Battle of Kapelche Veer’ who are buried in Wekendam Protestant Cemetery.
LANCASTER LM 508 SR-F
21/22 June 1944 - 101 Squadron RAF
At 23.17hrs on June 21, 1944 101 Sqn Lancaster LM 508 took off from RAF Ludford Magna in Lincolnshire leading nine other 101 Sqn Lancasters. They were to form part of a bomber stream that included another 123 Lancaster bombers from other squadrons flying from other UK bases and 6 Mosquito aircraft. Their target that night was a synthetic oil production plant at Wesseling, in Nazi Germany. The weather forecast for the target area predicted clear conditions but the bombing force encountered 10/10ths low cloud. German night fighters made contact with the bomber force and 37 Lancasters were lost, 44, 49, and 619 Sqns each losing 6 aircraft. The casualty rate represented 27.8% of the Lancaster force. 101 Sqn lost 2 Lancaster bombers that night.
The crew; P/O G Hingley (POW), Sgt S D Rogerson (POW), F/O T W Hal (POW)l, Sgt L V Horrigan (POW), F/Sgt T H Duff , Sgt J Gascoine (POW), Sgt J Keogh and Sgt F Sheard (POW).
References; Bomber Command War Diaries ISBN 978 1 78346 360 2 and National Archives AIR 27/1321/12
On their way to the target, German anti-aircraft (AA) fire causing one of the four engines to fail. Undeterred, the captain decides to go carry on with their mission. During or shortly after their attack on Wesseling German AA fire wrecks another engine. On their return leg to their UK base is attacked once more this time by a German night fighter. A German night fighter a Junkers 88, flown by pilot Leutnant Hans Schafer. During this night fighter attack the rear gunner Keogh was killed and Duff was seriously injured. The night fighter attack also punctures one of ’s fuel tanks and fire breaks out as a result. The Lancaster pilot Hingley had no choice but to order his crew to bail out. Rogerson gets Duff into his parachute and pushes him out of the burning Lancaster. Keogh is already deceased and too far away to be able to get his remains out of the burning bomber and he goes in with the doomed Lancaster. The plane crashes around 02:00 near the T-junction of what is now the Grote Waardweg/Weerensteinweg, Werkendam. Sadly, Duff is too badly injured and does not survive. The pilot of Hingley having also bailed out probably struck one of the ABC antennas and injures his back he then lands awkwardly onto a bridge and punctures a lung with a broken rib. Captured by the Germans and hospitalised it is discovered Hingley had broken his back. Most of the other crew were also quickly captured. The exception was Gascoygne who managed to evade capture as far as Antwerp before being caught by the Germans. Reference; https://www.bhic.nl/ontdekken/verhalen/de-ondergang-van-de-lancaster-lm-508
Duff was buried in Werkendam Protestant Cemetery.
In 2014, the wreck of the Lancaster was excavated. The remains of Keogh were found in the wreckage. He was buried with military honours on June 30, 2016 in the Wekendam Protestant Cemetery.
More information about Duff and Keogh can be found by clicking button "crew".
VICKERS WELLINGTON HE 244 AS-D
04 May 1943 - 166 Squadron RAF
At 22.20hrs on Tuesday 4 May 1943, HE 244 was the 3rd aircraft out of 12 Wellington bomber’s that took off from 166 Sqn base at RAF Kirmington in Lincolnshire (now called Humberside Airport). They were to be part of the first major bombing raid on Dortmund. A total of 596 aircraft participated. 166 squadron supplied 12 Vickers Wellington 10 aircraft for this operation. In total 31 aircraft including 12 Halifaxes, 7 Stirlings, 6 Lancasters, 6 Wellingtons were lost, 5.2% of the force. A further 7 aircraft crashed in bad weather at the bomber bases.
Crew; Sgt A I Stark , Sgt D High , Sgt H J Salisbury , Sgt J A Beedim and Sgt T LaFontain .
Reference; National Archives IR-27-1089-11 and Bomber Command War Diaries ISBN 978 1 78346 360 2
HE 244 was intercepted on their return track above Werkendam by Hptm Hans Dieter Frank (2./NJG1) based at Gilze Rijen Air Base. The Wellington crashed on 5 May 1943 at 02.38 near de Kievitswaard in Werkendam (7B). All 5 crew members are killed.
More detail of who they were can be found by clicking the button "crew”.
Reference; Nachtjagd War Diaries ISBN 978 1 908757 00 5
SHORT STIRLING W 7567 BU-S
23/ 24 July 1942 – 214 (FMS) Squadron RAF
Just after midnight between 00.55hrs and 01.15hrs on July 23/24, 1942, 7 Short Stirlings MK1 took off from RAF Stradishall. They formed part of a total of 215 aircraft stream heading for Duisburg that night’s target. The Bomber force was comprised of 93 Wellingtons, 45 Lancasters, 39 Stirlings,38 Halifaxes from other squadrons operating from other RAF bases. A total of 7 aircraft were lost on that attack 3 Wellingtons, 2, Lancasters and 2 Stirlings.
Crew; P/O J D Peel , F/Sgt P J Withers , Sgt D F Dobson , Sgt J B Fleming RCAF , Sgt H C Fairhall (POW), Sgt F A W Thorne and Sgt E H Cooper .
References; Bomber Command War Diaries ISBN 978 1 78346 360 2 and National Archives AIR/27/1321 and Nachtjagd War Diaries ISBN 978 1 908757 00 5
At about 0100hrs the German Raumführer at Venlo (the German air defence command centre). The Raumführer and his ground controllers were getting azimuth information and projected heading of the bomber stream from Freya radar as the stream approached the Dutch coast. The Raumführer would know the bomber stream would be crossing his area of responsibility - Raum 5. The Raumführer would immediately notify his night fighter base at Glize Rijn and order a night fighter to take off and orbit a specific German radio beacon to await further orders. The Raumführer would also activate his designated 2 Würzburg radar sites one designated blue and the other designated red – the blue radar was to locate and track the night fighter orbiting the specified radio beacon. As the bomber stream penetrated the range of the Würzburg radar the red radar operator would locate and track a suitable allied bomber. The Würzburg radar information was both azimuth and altitude and with this information the Raumführer would give (left/right up/down and distance in time to the target) instructions to the night fighter so that the night fighter generally approached the bomber from the bomber aircrafts rear quadrant and from under neath the bomber. At about 0120hrs close to Oss the German night fighter Ju 88 piloted by Hauptman Herbert Bönsch of Stab III/NG2 attacked W7567 the aircraft that J D Peel was flying. What exactly happened during the attack is not known. What is known is that the aircraft crash landed in De Biesbosch in the vicinity of Werkendam some 50 kms and roughly 10 minutes flying time from Oss. What can be deduced from that information is that J D Peel the pilot having carried out evasive action by reducing altitude and jettisoning his bombs would know that the damage to his aircraft was sufficient to abort his mission and try to get back to UK. It is reasonable to assume that his aircraft was probably on fire. It is also reasonable to assume the pilot J D Peel kept the aircraft under control – wings level. It is reasonable to assume that either the crew elected to stay with the aircraft or that the aircraft altitude was now too low to warrant the safe use of parachutes. We also know that (about 02.21hrs) after the aircraft came to a stop by Salomom Glerum’s farm (6 B) and it was reported that the aircraft then exploded – I suspect the high-octane fuel created the explosion – causing structural damage to Glerum’s farm and Lijnoorden on the opposite side of the Boom Gat. One man – the new Wireless Operator Cyril Harold Fairhall – who was only slightly injured was taken prisoner and after medical attention by Dr Schols in Werkendam was sent to Stalag viiib POW camp in Poland. Sadly, all six of the remaining crew were killed either in the night-fighter attack or because of the explosion. Their names can be found by clicking the button "crew".
BOULTON PAUL DEFIANT BLUE-3 L 6960
13 May 1940 - 264 Squadron RAF
Taking off from their base at RAF Duxford at 19.00hrs the night before and prepositioning at RAF Martlesham Heath (near Ipswich) ‘B’ Flight had only a few hours to prepare for their combat patrol over Holland. Germany had attacked Holland just 2 days earlier on 10 May 1940. ‘B’ Flight comprised of 6 Defiant aircraft callsigns Blue 1, Blue 2 Blue 3 Green 1, Green 2 and Green 3. The Defiant aircraft was a 2-man aircraft namely the pilot and the gunner. At 04.30 on the 13 May 1940 took off at 04.30 hrs on 13 May 1940 each Section (Blue and Green) following a Section of Spitfires of ‘A’ Flight 66 Squadron RAF. Their objective was to attack enemy troop transports along the Dutch coast North of The Hague. They crossed the coast about 10 miles (16kms) north of The Hague at 05.15hrs when all 6 aircraft then proceeded north. When over Ijmuiden intense Dutch AA (Anti-Aircraft) gun fire was encountered which caused the Sections to turn around. More AA fire, this time German, was met over Maaseluis which cased Sections to take evasive action. Shortly afterwards the Spitfires turned sharply inland, diving from 6,000 feet as a number of aircraft had been spotted, and all the Defiants followed. The flight attacked a number of JU 87’s and were themselves attacked by Me 109’s and all, with the exception of Green 3 were shot down. Blue 1’s gunner bailed out after his pilot was killed, Blue 2’s pilot bailed out after his gunner was killed, Blue 1’s gunner later reported he had seen a Defiant explode in the air and presumed the aircraft to be Blue 3 and that aircraft was Green 3 landed at Knocke, refuelled and returned back to base in UK. Four Ju 87’s and one Me 109 were brought down that morning. Both airmen who had bailed out arrived back at their UK base on 14 May 1940 having taken a ride on a British warship departing The Hook of Holland. Reference; National Archives AIR 27/1553/1 and http://wartimeheritage.com/whawwii/whawwii_hatfield_jack_elmer.htm and https://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/ThomasSR.htm#:~:text=Samuel%20Richard%20Thomas%20was%20born,1939%2C%20soon%20after%20it%20reformed.
McLeish's body was found after six weeks and buried in the Werkendam Protestant Cemetery. Chandler's body was found eleven months later during the excavation of the wreck. Chandler’s remains were buried in Made-En-Drimmelen Protestant Cemetery. Reference; https://aircrewremembrancesociety3.com/Aircraft-Losses/Royal-Air-Force-Losses/Royal-Air-Force-Losses-1940/Defiant_I_L6960_PO_Chandler/
McLeish can be found by clicking the button "crew".
HALIFAX LV 962 QB-X
24/25 April 1944 - 424 Squadron RCAF
424 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force was formed up at RAF Topcliffe in Yorkshire on 15 Oct 1942. In April 1943 the squadron was transferred to North Africa until February 1944 when it returned to UK and a new base at RAF Skipton-on-Swale in Yorkshire and began operating now with Halifax bombers in February 1944. Reference; https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/bomber-command/bomber-command-no-424-tiger-squadron/
On 24 April 1944 between 21.37hrs and 21.51hrs a total of 12 Halifax bombers of 424 Squadron RCAF took off from RAF Skipton-on-Swale. They were part of a force of 637 aircraft tasked to attack Karlsruhe in Germany. A total 19 aircraft were lost that night 11 Lancasters and 8 Halifaxes, 3% of the bomber force.
Crew; F/O D A Crosbie RCAF , P/O P M Maloney RAAF , F/O J S Tinline RCAF , P/O R W Brown RCAF (POW), Sgt C A Phyall RAF (POW), P/O L J Boudreau RCAF and P/O Z R Trudeau RCAF .(IMPORTANT HISTORICAL NOTE! Everyone’s rank is shown as the rank they were given effectively immediately after this sortie. For reasons unknown, all Canadian and Australian aircrew were promoted to the next highest rank or from NCO to Officer that is to say at 2141hrs on 24 April 1944 P/O Crosbie RCAF, F/Sgt Maloney RAAF, P/O Tinline RCA, F/Sgt Brown RCAF, Sgt Phyall RAF, Sgt Boudreau RCAF and Sgt Trudeau RCAF took off to attack their target and because their aircraft was shot down resulting in the listing of the crew effectively 24hrs after that date as being ; F/O D A Crosbie RCAF , P/O P M Maloney RAAF, F/O J S Tinline RCAF, P/O R W Brown RCAF, Sgt C A Phyall RAF, P/O L J Boudreau RCAF and P/O Z R Trudeau RCAF)
LV 962 actual take off time was 21:41. On the homeward-bound leg LV962 was intercepted by the night fighter crew of Oberleutnant Werner Baake & Unteroffizier Rolf Bettaque of the 2./NJG 1, who had taken off from Venlo airfield at 23:26 hrs for a patrol in 'Raum', the German nightfighter was a Heinkel 219 A-0 G9+BK.
LV 962 crashed near Werkendam, 4 km SW of the town of Gorinchem. Phyall was seriously wounded/ injured and repatriated by the Germans to UK 0n 21 March 1945. Phyall succumbed to his injuries on 25 March 1945 and was buried in Gravesend, Kent where his wife and other family lived. The five crew who perished on the day of the crash were laid to rest in Werkendam Protestant Cemetery. Their names can be found by clicking the button "crew".
References; https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/50550 and https://www.honourthem.ca/masterDetail.cfm?ID=95447
BATTLE OF THE KAPELSCHE VEER
47 Royal Marine Commando, 41 Royal Marine Commando, 1 Polska Dywizja Pancerna
The Battle of Kapelsche Veer was a battle fought in the winter of 1944-1945 at Kapelsche Veer in the Overdiepse polder near Sprang-Capelle. This battle lasted five weeks and cost a total of about 1200 men in military losses: killed, wounded, missing and prisoners of war. The battle was characterized by bloody combat actions under harsh winter conditions.
In November 1944 the Germans were driven back to the north bank of the Bergsche Maas. A few Germans soon managed to cross the Bergsche Maas near Sprang-Capelle and settle in the Overdiepse Polder. A German bridgehead was created here, from which the Germans could more easily attack in a southerly direction. This threat became great when the Germans started the Ardennes Offensive on December 16, with the aim of retaking Antwerp. The main attack took place in the Ardennes, but if successful, a support operation would be carried out from the Netherlands. This had to be carried out from Kapelsche Veer, among other places. The Allied Supreme Command, supported by the Dutch resistance, saw the threat, and decided to take action.
The 1st Polish Panster Division was responsible for front surveillance at the Kapelsche Veer. It was therefore this unit that first tried to chase the Germans away. The conditions were bad, it was cold and wet. In addition, there was little shelter in the polder, and it was only possible to advance via the dikes. Moreover, the Germans had had ample time to build good defences. December 30, 1944 the Poles went on the attack, unfortunately this attack failed with many casualties as a result. The next Polish attempt was on January 6, but unfortunately it also failed. Again, with many casualties. It was then decided to have the attack carried out by the British No 47 Royal Marine Commando supported by Norwegian Commandos. This attack also failed and again there were several casualties. The Allied High Command decided to launch a new attack, even though the Ardennes Offensive had already failed, and the bridgehead posed little threat. This time the Canadians had to make the attack. What followed was a battle from January 26 to 31 in which the 4th Canadian Panther Division finally managed to drive out the Germans at a high price.
A monument has been erected in memory of this battle, naming all the units involved. This monument is located near a tree that was also there during the battle, 'the tree that saw everything'.