Relation with Lake (class): Former Lake Area Casualty Cemetery (FLC)  
Total nr. of casualties buried here (TC): 8 end WW2, today: 0. 
Lake casualties, initially, end WW2 (LC-I): 0
Unknown today: 0
of which unknown from Lake (LC-U): 0
of which unknown from North Sea (NS-U): 0
Initial burial site in WW2: yes, Lake Area Cemetery (LA)
Post war burial site for collection and reburial from other sites: no
Cemetery with Lake casualties today: no. 


               
MIDWOUD PROTESTANT CHURCHYARD

On 20 January 1945, a damaged B-17 (44-6601, 452BG) returned from Germany (Sterkrade) and exploded mid air north of Midwoud. Pilot 2Lt. Cecil K. Belton was thrown clear and was the only survivor. He was helped and hiding with the Dutch underground, very active in this area. They told Belton his crew was dead, but he could not believe it. A night later they took him to this church, used as a morgue for his crew, and they let him there alone for some time.

   

Dutch name cemetery: Begr. pl. Hervormde kerk Midwoud
Full name: Midwoud Protestant Churchyard.
Address (usable for car navigation):
Midwouder Dorpsstraat 17, Midwoud.

For reaction or comments; send us an email,
see address and info at CONTACT.
Please use as subject title: 'Midwoud'.









Belton stayed with the Dutch underground for weeks. Sometimes participating in their actions, as for example nightly collection of dropped weapon containers from the fields of farm codename "Mandrill" (Schipper family). Eventually he was moved south from safehouse to safehouse and was helped crossing the frontline into Allied controlled southern Holland. Cecil K. Belton passed away in Jerome, Illinois on January 15, 2014. His crew was buried in Midwoud churchyard, exhumed 21 January 1946 and reinterred in US centralization war cemetery "Netherlands", Margraten.






















































Crew B-17 44-6601 commemoration monument Midwoud Protestant Church

The people of Midwoud erected this monument for them. Text reads: "In commemoration of the American pilots crashed on 20 January 1945". Below: "and the Netherlands resistance man Johannes Petrus Roosje shot on 17 February 1945". The propeller is original and several items of the B-17 are kept in this village.

 



























































20 January 1945. B-17G  44-6601 "The Lucky lady", 452BG. 8 men buried Midwoud.

Pilot   2Lt. Cecil K. Belton (evd)
CP     2Lt. Andrew B. Shanks
Nav    2Lt. Carl F. Chillberg
Bom   F/O Claude H. Bogart
Radio T/Sgt. Thomas A. Rogan
BTG   Sgt. Warren F. Neilsen (burned. Buried as unknown. This was the last non-identified of this crew and had to be Sgt. Nielsen).
Eng    Sgt. Sylvester Salamone (burned. Buried as unknown. Identified post war on bracelet with 'SAL').
WG    Sgt. William L. Monroe
TG     Sgt. Melvin D. Williams


  

















































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Sources

- Pdf with photos of coffins crew in Midwoud & story: https://ww2il.com/VetStories/BeltonCecilK.pdf .
- Old local newspaper articles
- MACR
- Site  http://ww2il.com/?p=89




© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War)



Other villages that lost their war graves:


- Akersloot & West Graftdijk  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/856.html

- Purmerend  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/966.html

- Eenigenburg  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/998.html

- IJmuiden (harbour)  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/944.html

- Petten  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/965.html

- Waverveen  http://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/859.html