Date: 1941 Oct 10/11			A/C Type: Whitley V		SN: Z9154		Code: GE-T		A/C Nickname:
File: 716		Airforce: RAF		Sqn/Unit:  Sqn			Mission/Raid: Essen
1	Pilot	F/Sgt Alfred R. Robbins               drowned					9
2	WO/AG	Sgt. Arthur W. Cooper                drowned					10
3	WO/AG	Sgt. Thomas A. Hamilton            drowned					11
4	Observer	P/O Donald S. McDonald        (Canada) - MIA					12
5	Rear gunner	Sgt. Sproule                                       POW					13
6							14
7							15
8							16
Early in the morning at daybreak, shot down by two Me-109. Belly landed in sea only 200m from the North Sea beach at Callantsoog. A fanatic German (Zollsekretär Heinrich Klatte) prevented help to rescue the crew standing on the floating aircraft.

.
Canadian Pilot officer McDonald was killed in the landing and is MIA today. He is still in the wreck, at sea, or washed ashore and buried as unknown airman north of Callantsoog up to the Danish west coast.

Sgt. Cooper came ashore helped by Sgt. Sproule, but Cooper died of exposure and was buried 3 days later in Den Helder-Huisduinen.  

About 1,5 weeks later, the body of Sgt. Thomas Hamilton washed ashore west of Den Helder (10km north) and was buried next to Cooper.

A month later, pilot Robbins washed ashore and was also buried in Den Helder.


In 1947, the Den Helder-Huisduinen war graves were exhumed and reinterred in centralization War Cemetery Bergen-op-Zoom.
Here rest Robbins, Cooper and Hamilton in the 'Den Helder section', but each in a different row.   



Sources: 

- Book 'Opgegraven Verleden' by Jan Carsjens and Piet Riteco.
- website CWGC
- Research on the BOZ War cemetery.

Read also our website articles on Den Helder-Huisduinen and the Bergen-op-Zoom War Cemetery. Search Menu, search on: Cemeteries, Lake Area Cemeteries.




© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War)