Relation with Lake (class): Other Cemetery in Area (OCA)  
Total nr. of Allied casualties buried here (TC): 6
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.
Post war burial site for collection and reburial from other sites: no
Cemetery with Lake casualties today: No.


              
HOOFDDORP "DE WILGENHOF" GENERAL CEMETERY

In the early hours of May 10th 1940, Nazi-Germany invaded the Netherlands and Amsterdam-Schiphol airport was bombed by the Luftwaffe. At least 12 Dutch soldiers were killed in this air attack and also a German airman in a belly-landed JU88. They were buried here in row 1, grave 1-12. This cemetery is near Schiphol airport. A few weeks after the fighting, family of killed Dutch soldiers could request for reburial in their hometown and half of the men here were exhumed. Dutch graves 3, 4, 5 and 9, 10, 11 were emptied and in 1943 re-used for RAF airmen. In this way a mix of Dutch soldiers side by side with Allied airmen formed, which is unique in this area. In June 1944, grave 13 to 19 were used, when American B-24 bomber (41-29124 "Connie") crashed 3km to the North and 7 of the crew were buried here.

    

Dutch: Hoofddorp "Wilgenhof" Alg. Begr. pl.
CWGC: Haarlemmermeer (Hoofddorp) Gen. Cem.
Address (usable for car navigation):
Hoofdweg 395 (western canal side), Hoofddorp.
Road N520 Hoofddorp-North to Lijnden.

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








Above black and white photo: Dutch resistance fighter is laying flowers at the war graves, Hoofddorp post war, mid 1945. The RAF airmen in grave 3, 4 and 5 have their original war time wooden crosses. The Dutch soldiers in grave 1, 2 and 6, 7 and 8 have traditional, civilian headstones (stèles), provided by their family in Sept. 1940.

Although location of this cemetery is on/west of Schiphol airport, this was not the cemetery were Allied casualties in the attacks on German-held Schiphol during WW2 were buried (this was Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery). The airmen in Hoofddorp cemetery belonged to crew of 4 aircraft with no relation to raids on Schiphol. These 4 aircraft crashed a few km west of Schiphol, outside the military perimeter around Schiphol airfield and were buried in the care of community Haarlemmermeer. 



Grave 1 is left on above photos.

Grave   1. Dutch soldier Harm Jager. Killed 10 May 1940 on Schiphol airfield.
Grave   2. Dutch soldier H. Snier. Staff 1-25 Regiment Infantry (*), killed 10 May 1940
Grave   3. 1940. Dutch soldier S. van der Meulen. Staff 1-25 R.I., killed 10 May 1940. Exhumed summer 1940.
                 1943. RAF Sgt. R.L. Hollywood (from London). Lancaster I  W4827, 103 Sqn. Killed 26 June 1943
Grave   4. 1940. Dutch soldier F. Wapstra. Staff 1-25 R.I., killed 10 May 1940. Exhumed summer 1940.
                 1943. RAF F/Sgt. Hugh Hay (Scotland). Mosquito HJ822, 418 Sqn, killed 26 July 1943
Grave   5. 1940. Dutch soldier K. Waslander. Staff 1-25 R.I., killed 10 May 1940. Exhumed summer 1940.
                 1943. AF F/O John L. Seymour (from Manchester). Mosquito HJ822, 418 Sqn, killed 26 July 1943
Grave   6. Dutch soldier Jan Kuper. Killed on Schiphol airfied, 10 May 1940
Grave   7. Dutch soldier Wim Folkers. Staff 1-25 Regiment Infantry. Killed 10 May 1940
Grave   8. Dutch soldier R. Pronk. Staff 1-25 Regiment Infantry. Killed 10 May 1940
Grave   9. 1940. German Luftwaffe Gefreiter (Observer) Franz Strada. JU88 (Wknr. 3041), 5J+GT, 9./KG4. Killed 10 May 1940. Exhumed end October 1940.
                 1943. RAF Sgt. Alan Stevens (from Lancashire). Lockheed Ventura II, AJ200, 487 Sqn, 3 May 1943
Grave 10. 1940. Dutch soldier, killed 10 May 1940. Exhumed summer 1940.
                 1943. RAF Sgt. Derek L. Rowland (Kent). Lockheed Ventura AJ200. 
Grave 11. 1940. Dutch soldier, killed 10 May 1940. 
                 1943. RAF Sgt. Hugh Gibson (Northern Ireland). Lockheed Ventura AJ200.         
Grave 12. Dutch soldier J.H. Weinberg. Staff 2-1 Lv. Regiment, 10 May 1940. White Dutch military headstone.

(*) All the Dutch soldiers belonged to Machine-Gun Company 1, attached to the staff of the 25th Dutch Regiment Infantry (Airfield defence)

Grave 13 to 19. 1944. American war graves, see further below.


Image below. Grave 1-9.  May 15, 1940. Artist impression of the situation a few days after the German air-attack on Schiphol airfield (May 10). All received initially simple brown wooden grave markers. In grave 9 a German airman is buried.



       


Photo below: Grave 6 - 9.  June 1940. The grave marker left of Dutch soldier J. Kuper is upgraded with a new white cross. Folkers and Pronk (grave 8) still have their original square markers. The text reads 'In memory of our fallen friend. A last salute from the personnel St. -1- 25 R.I.'  In grave 9 rests German airman Franz Strada. He has on his maker 'Gefr.' = Gefreiter. '9.K.G.4'. = his unit 9./KG 4 and 'gefallen 10.05.40'. His aircraft was one of the Luftwaffe bombers that were shot down by the airfield defenses. The JU-88 (3041) belly landed on this same road (see insert in the photo). The 3 other crew became POW for 5 days. Pilot was Oblt. Friedrich-Karl Rinck.














































Photo below: Grave 2 - 6. June 1940. This image shows grave 3, 4 and 5 of Dutch soldiers S. van der Meulen, F. Wapstra and K. Waslander. On request of family they were exhumed for reburial in their hometown in July 1940. In 1943, the first 3 RAF airmen were buried in these empty spaces.











































Below photo: Grave 1 - 9. September 1940. Photo on the moment the white crosses were replaced by headstones. The 3 graves in the middle were cleared 2 months before. Franz Strada's grave is on the right in grave 9.


































Image below. Grave 1-9. Situation November 1940. The white wooden grave markers are gone, replaced by civilian type headstones with military and family-epitaphs. On the right in grave 9 is Franz Strada's grave no more there. He was reburied on the German plot ('Heldenfriedhof') in Amsterdam New Eastern Cemetery.  




















Photo below. Grave 1 - 12. Situation today.













































The Americans. B-24H  41-29124 "Connie"

In grave 12 (white headstone with oval top, most right on this photo) rests Dutch soldier J.H. Weinberg, killed 10 May 1940. To the left of him (grave 9, 10 & 11) are three RAF graves. On the other side of Weinberg (not visible on this photo) were 7 Americans buried in June 1944, grave 13 to 19. Crew of B-24H "Connie" 41-29124, crashed here 21 June 1944. They were exhumed in January 1946. They came from the North Sea in trouble, flying low (1500 ft.) and landing gear down. A German 20/37mm light Flak position shot them down in flames. Only RWG Sgt. Peter A. Bausano could parachute out in time and became POW.

Grave 13. S/Sgt. Welborn H. Smith. Found in the field with unopened parachute. Severe head injury and broken neck. Buried 22 June 1944.
Grave 14. Crew member fully charred, no name. Recovered from radio room. Buried 22 June 1944. In 1946 identified by dental records as Sgt. Warren E. Smith.
Grave 15. Sgt. George J. Zweier. BTG. Recovered from radio room (crash position). Burned. Buried 22 June 1944. 
Grave 16. 2Lt. Raymond L. Fisher. Navigator. Recovered from wreck. Burned. Buried 22 June 1944.
Grave 17. Sgt. Jay A. Ter Haar (from Holland, Michigan). Tail gunner. Burned. Recovered from radio room. Buried 22 June 1944.
Grave 18. 2Lt. Robert C. Steldt. Bombardier. Recovered from wreck. Burned. Buried 22 June 1944.
Grave 19. 2Lt. John D. Nicholson. Pilot. Recovered during the German recovery of the wreck. Mutilated. Buried 3rd July 1944.

The wreck was smashed and burned for 12 hours in a wheat field. On the 2nd of July 1944, the Germans cleared the site for the remaining metal and found under the debris remains of pilot 2Lt. John D. Nicholson. He was buried a day later in grave 19. Found were only a foot, a hand and a part of his torso and a bible with inside a message from his wife Dottie.

Two men were never found: Radio operator Sgt. Edward M. McHugh and Co-Pilot 2Lt. Jim D. Collins. It can be assumed they burned completely. Their MIA-status soon changed to Declared Dead after the war. During a 2nd excavation of the wrecksite in April 1997 by the Dutch Airforce, only the dog-tag of Lt. Collins was found.

In January 1946 an American Quartermaster Grave Identification and Recovery team exhumed the crew for reburial in US centralization war cemetery 'Netherlands' in Margraten. The man in grave 14 followed later in March 1946, because it needed further examination if he was American. In 1950, Lt. Raymond Fisher (Arlington) and S/Sgt. Welborn H. Smith were reburied in the USA.

A monument for this crew was erected in Holland, but today nothing remembres the crew of 41-29124 on this cemetery.



Photo below. Grave 8 - 12 (Dutch soldier Pronk to Weinberg in grave 12).
      













































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Photo above. Grave 9, 10 & 11 (between Dutch soldiers Pronk and Weinberg). Three RAF airmen, crew of Lockheed Ventura II, AJ200, 487 Sqn, 3 May 1943.
Left. Sgt. A. Stevens in grave 9, former grave of German airman Franz Strada (JU88, 10 May 1940). Epitaph "Treasured memories of a beloved son worthy of everlasting remembrance". In centre rests Sgt. D.L. Rowland. Headstone right: Sgt. H. Gibson. Epitaph "At the going down of the sun and in the morning we will remember thee".






















































Photo above. Grave 6, 7 and 8. The grey civilian headstones of 3 of the Dutch soldiers killed in the German air attack on Schiphol airfield 10 May 1940.
Left to right:
-  Here rests JAN KUPER. Husband of F. Klasens. "Jesus alone". Kuper family, Erica.
- "Here rests my dear husband, his children loving father" WIM FOLKERS
-  R. PRONK "Rest gently dear Rienco".  G. Pronk-Schuiling



















































Photo above. Grave 3, 4 and 5. Three white CWGC-headstones.
Left. The first RAF airman buried here, Sgt. R.L. Hollywood, killed a few km to the south of here at Nieuw-Vennep in Lancaster W4827, 26 June 1943. 
Centre and right the 2 men crew of Mosquito HJ822, crashed at the end of this road at Lijnden one month later, 26 July 1943. Epitaph Sgt. (pilot) Hugh Hay "Remembrance. God shall clasp the broken chain closer when we meet again". Epitaph Flying Officer (navigator) Seymour: "Lord of mercy! Jesu blest! Grant him everlasting rest".


Photo below. Grave 1 and 2. Dutch soldiers Jager and Snier.
The first casualties buried here, killed in the German air attack on Schiphol airfield 10 May 1940.
- Grave 1. "Here rests our dear husband and father HARM JAGER, a last greeting from your wife and child"
- Grave 2. H. SNIER "In remembrance of our dear husband and father. His wife and children. Jezus thou reconciliating dying remains the point of rest in our heart".

























































Sources:

- Airwar Museum CRASH '40 -'45. Address: Fort near Aalsmeer, Aalsmeerderdijk 460, 1436 BM, Aalsmeerderbrug, NL.
- site CWGC
- site ABMC
- Book "De Bommenwerper 'Connie' by Hans Smulders, 2003 (Foundation Netherlands-Unites States).
- MACR on 41-29124






© ZZairwar (Zuyder Zee Air War).