Relation with Lake (class): None. Cemetery without lake link.
Total nr. of casualties buried here (TC): at least 17 end WW2. Today: 8.
Lake casualties, initially, end WW2 (LC-I): 0
Unknown today: 3
of which unknown from Lake (LC-U): 0
of which unknown from North Sea (NS-U): 3
Initial burial site in WW2.
Post war burial site for collection and reburial from other sites: no
Cemetery with Lake casualties today: no.
PIETERSBIERUM
Churchyard of the Protestant Church. Close to the Wadden Sea. All airmen here washed ashore at the foot of the dike. They came from at least 9 different aircraft, crashed in the North Sea off the Dutch coast and Wadden Sea itself. Crew members were buried in other cemeteries along the coast and the islands, some are MIA.
Dutch name cemetery: Pietersbierum Protestants kerkhof
Full name: Barradeel (Pietersbierum) Protestant Churchyard.
Address (usable for car navigation):
v. Hottingawei, or Tsjerkhofpaed 2.
For reaction or comments; send us an email,
see address and info at CONTACT.
Please use as subject title: 'Pietersbierum'.
For more photo's of this small churchyard see below this page.
Row 27, grave 2. Sgt. Roy E. Fincham, 02/03 Aug 1943. Lancaster W4778, 44 Sqn.
Row 28, grave 1. 'An Airman, no rank, RAF, 20 July 1942' (wash ashore date)
Row 28, grave 2. 'An Airman, a Sgt, RAF, 20 July 1942' (wash ashore date)
Row 28, grave 3. Sgt. Charles Risingham, 21/22 Jan 1943. Wellington BK432, 429 Sqn.
Row 29, grave 2. P/O George A. Berwick, 20 Sep 1943. Halifax DG252, 138 Sqn (SOE).
Row 29, grave 3. 'An Airman, a Sgt, RCAF (Canada), 31 Jan 1944' (wash ashore date)
Row 29, grave 4. F/O Thomas J. B. Shearer, 26 Nov 1943. Mosquito HX906, 21 Sqn.
Row 30, grave 6. P/O Robert E. Niles, 16/17 Jun 1944. Halifax LK879, 426 Sqn.
Americans exhumed 1945:
Row 28, grave 5? 1Lt. William J.B. Simpson, 04 Mar 1943. B-17F 42-5370, 91BG (washed ashore August 1943)
Row 29, gr. 5? 2Lt. Fred B. Robinson, 11 Dec '43. B-17G 42-31098 'Penny's Thunderhead', 401BG (w.a. 9 Mar '44). Now 'NL' F.11.26.
Row 29, gr. 6 S/Sgt. Anthony Carpentieri, 16 Dec 1943. B-17F 42-30860, 96BG (washed ashore 13 Mar '44). Now 'NL' Margr. L.09.08
Row 30, gr. 4? 2Lt. Elbert W. Schanke, 16 Dec 1943. B-17F 42-30860, 96BG (washed ashore 25 Apr '44). Now 'NL' Margr. A.03.20
Row 30, grave 5 T/Sgt. Ivan J. Wade, 16 Dec 1943. B-17F 42-30860, 96BG (washed ashore at Koehool, 26 May 1944)
No info (yet) on the number of non-identified American airmen that lay here.
Below scheme:
A. Altered grave positions today. B. The plot in 1945. The 16 now empty graves clearly indicate post-war exhumed French (Dunkirk) soldiers and American airmen.
Sources:
- Aircraft MACR
- Site CWGC
- Site ABMC
- Site www.flensted.eu.com (on B-17 42-5370)
- Site www.remember-our-heroes.nl/8711.htm (on B-17 42-31098)
- Site Adoptiegraven.nl
© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War).
.
.
.
.
.
=====