Date: 1943 Jun 25/26			A/C Type: Halifax II		SN: HR731		Code: MH-C		A/C Nickname:
File:   051		Airforce: RAF		Sqn/Unit:  51 Sqn			Mission/Raid: Gelsenkirchen
1	Pilot	Sgt. Anthony Osmond                           MIA					9
2	Navigator	Sgt. Geoffrey C. Mortimer         buried Harderwijk					10
3	Air bomber	Sgt. Thomas G. Barton                          MIA					11
4	F/Engineer	Sgt. Brinley Huggan                               MIA					12
5	WO/AG	Sgt. Phillip Blundell     buried Amersfoort Leusden-Z					13
6	Mid upper g	Sgt. James Emerson                              MIA					14
7	Rear gunner	Sgt. James Rorison                     buried Harderwijk					15
8							16
Crashed in the Lake (Old Zuyder Sea), shot down by a nightfighter on return from Gelsenkirchen. Three men washed ashore and were buried under their name. The other four probably washed ashore or were recovered, identification not possible and could lay buried as 'An Airman, a Sgt, RAF, Known unto God', around the Lake. Date on stone between 27 June 1943 and 28 February 1944.

The wreck lay in the water on the north edge of the underwater sand ridge 'The Knar'. It was only 2,5 meter deep there and fishermen must have put a pole with flag on this wreck, as it lay in the start of their trawl zone, and, it lay on the direct shipping-route Amsterdam (Pampus)-Elburg. The Germans have recovered this wreck completely with their recovery ship BP36 (photos!). The location 10km NW of Harderwijk was marked (received a cross) on the RWS-IJsselmeer sea chart as no. 150.

During the building of polder East-Flevoland this area became land (Meeuwenweg 12, close to the Knardijk, Paal 8). There was very little left of HR731. The recovery-team of the Dutch Airforce spend in August 1967 less than one day on excavating the last remains of the cockpit (cockpit only). With the little he had, recovery officer Gerrit Zwanenburg could identify the parts as from the HR731. No human remains were found. A least one of the MIA can be buried in Amsterdam.  



Sources:

- Website PATS name card Halifax HR731
- Book 'In the schaduw van de glorie' (1992) by Mr. S.L. Veenstra RNLAF Recovery Team.
- Research ZZairwar on the German IJsselmeer recoveries
- 2012 research of the original Amsterdam war burials files 1940-1945.
- Website CWGC









































































© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War)