| Notes |
- Halifax DT789 damaged by flak, returned to Melbourne airfield.
On the evening of the 12th March 1943 this 10 Squadron aircraft left Melbourne airfield at 19.25hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Essen. The aircraft bombed the target area at 21.20hrs from 16,500 feet, around the time of releasing their bomb load the aircraft received flak damage to the tail fins, rear turret, starboard outer engine and the bomb doors. The rear gunner also received serious injuries and was later awarded an immediate DFM for his actions on this night. The crew were able to bring the aircraft back to base and landed at Melbourne at 23.33hrs and the rear gunner was taken to hospital.
Pilot - F/Sgt George Alexander Vinish RCAF.
Navigator - F/O Edward Ernest Kitchen RAFVR (116202).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt Robert Alfred Walker RAFVR (1235107).
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Andrew MacDonald Black RAFVR (1369216).
Air Gunner - Sgt Richard Eric Heap RAF (649556).
Flight Engineer - Sgt Alan John Crouch RAFVR (1444440).
Air Gunner - Sgt Joseph Arthur Jacques Barsalou RCAF (R/104782).
- 115 Sqdn., Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
F/Sgt - Service No 1235107
Location Information
Les Hayons is a village lying half way between Bouillon and Bertrix, 14 kilometres from each. It is 6 kilometres east of the main road from Bouillon to Liege and Brussels. The churchyard surrounds the church, which is in the centre of the village. The graves are in the north-eastern corner.
Historical Information
The British Expeditionary Force was involved in the later stages of the defence of Belgium following the German invasion in May 1940, and suffered many casualties in covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. Commonwealth forces did not return until September 1944, but in the intervening years, many airmen were shot down or crashed in raids on strategic objectives in Belgium, or while returning from missions over Germany.
Les Hayons Churchyard contains six airmen of the Second World War.
ORB. 13th July, 1943.
17 aircraft took off between 23.55 hours & 00.35 hours to attack target AACHEN.
2 aircraft were forced to abandon the sortie, one (L.D.S.680 - Captain F/S. PEATE. R.) due to developing of violent shudder & the other (B.D.S.691 - Captain Sgt. JOLL. W.) due to inability to climb & starboard outer engine overheating & losing power, & both returned to Base early after jettisoning their 8,000 lb. H.C., safe (but seen to explode) and bringing back their incendiaries.
15 aircraft located the target by means of the tracking flares & bombed the red & green target markers from heights ranging between 16,000 feet & 21,000 feet. A few concentrated fires & a large explosion at 01.46 hours were seen (H.D.S.630 - Captain W/O. NOXON. E.) but most of the results were unobserved due to cloud, although the glow of fires was seen through the clouds.
Leaflets were dropped & photographs attempted. 1 aircraft sustained holes in fuselage & rear turret due to flak. (X.D.S.664 - Captain F/S. WOLFSON. F., also fires & explosions were observed from 50 miles away.)
2 aircraft failed to return from Operations. Lancaster Mk II DS660 KO-P, 7 KIA.
05.00. 15 aircraft had returned safely to Base.
https://115squadron-raf.be/crews/Lancaster%20Mk%20II%20-%20DS690%20-%20KO-C.html
- At the Cemetery near the church in Les Hayons, Municipality Bouillon, are six Commonwealth War Graves. They all died on July 14, 1943.
These are the graves of:
Squadron Leader (Pilot) The Hon. Robert Alexander G. Baird, 70789, age 33.
Sergeant (Air Gnr.) Harold Matthews, 1318179, age 19.
Flying Officer (Nav.) William James Moorcroft, 127974, age 22.
Flight Sergeant Nicolas Auber Benjamin Robinson, 406795, age 31.
Sergeant (Nav.) Edwin Smith, 1330882, age unknown.
Flight Sergeant (Air Bomber) Robert Alfred Walker, 1235107, age 21.
On July 13, 1943 at 2359 departed from East Wretham airbase in England, the Lancaster DS690 with the mission: a raid over the city of Aachen in Germany. The aircraft was shot down over Belgium by the German night-fighter Hauptmann August Geiger, 111./NJG 1 and crashed at 0210 in Les Hayons. Of the seven crew members, six got killed in the crash, they are buried in this cemetery. One crew member managed to escape.
Also see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Geiger_(pilot)
|
1922 - 1943 (21 years)
