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- John Northend - The Inspiration
- The Trip
- Aarestrup Kirke, Denmark
- Aarestrup Kirke - Loss of Liberator KH410
- Aarhus Vestre Cemetery, Denmark
- Arnhem Oosterbeek Cemetery, Holland
- Bayeux War Cemetery, France
- Bergen-Op-Zoom, Netherlands
- Brookwood Military Cemeteries
- D-Day Gold Beach - Remnants of Mulberry Harbour
- Dunkirk Town Cemetery, France
- Northwood Cemetery
- Odense Assistens Cemetery, Denmark
- Poperinghe New Military Cemetery, Belgium
- Ranville Churchyard, France
- Ration Farm Cemetery, Chapelle D'Armentieres, France
- Reichswald British War Cemetery, Germany
- Runnymede Commonwealth Air Forces Memorial
- CWGC Eyes On, Hands On Volunteer Programme
- Biography Commandant Roger Baudoin French Foreign Legion
- Biography Lt HD Brotheridge Ox & Bucks LI
- Biography Lt Col J G Fitzmaurice MC Royal Tank Regiment
- Biography Flight Sergeant Josef František DFM* RAF
- Biography Sergeant Pietro Alfredo Giovetti RAFVR
- Biography Lieutenant John Grayburn VC 2nd Bn The Parachute Regiment
- Biography Lieutenant Commander Nicodeme Guilonard Netherlands Navy
- Biography Captain PH Haydon DSO Royal Marines
- Biography Flight Lieutenant DSA Lord VC RAF
- Biography Major Robert Reid Maitland MB CHB RAMC
- Biography Lieutenant Colonel William James McDowell DSO BSc Royal Engineers
- Biography Flying Officer Geoff Adrian Mombrun RAFVR
- Biography Flying Officer J E Northend RAFVR
- Biography Rifleman Oliver Frank Pennefather, 2nd Bn, 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade
- Biography Lieutenant John Richard Priestley The Rifle Brigade
- Staff Serjeant Christopher Bruce Robinson Glider Pilot Regt., AAC.
- Biography Private AMB Roozeboom No 10 (I-A) Commando
- Biography Private James Stokes VC 2nd Bn KSLI
Reichswald Forest Cemetery, Kleve, Germany.
From CWGC Website:
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery was created after the Second World War when burials were brought in from all over western Germany and is the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the country.
Some of those members of the land forces buried there died in the advance through Reichswald Forest in February 1945. Others died crossing the Rhine, among them members of the airborne forces whose bodies were brought from Hamminkeln, where landings were made by the 6th Airborne Division from bases in England.
Some of the airmen buried in the cemetery lost their lives in supporting the advance into Germany, but most died earlier in the war in the intensive air attacks over Germany. Their graves were brought in from cemeteries and isolated sites in the surrounding area.
There are now 7,594 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 176 of the burials are unidentified. There are also 78 war graves of other nationalities, most of them Polish.
Special Memorials to 9 airmen are located at the East boundary wall, near Plot 10. Further Special Memorials to 7 airmen are located within Plot 31, near the Cross of Sacrifice. The cemetery was designed by Philip Hepworth.
My notes:
Reichswald Forest War Cemetery contains many well-known names within its residents, including Dambusters Crews, VC winners, and very senior Officers.
4 Dambusters crews are buried withing its beautifully manicured lawns. Also included are the graves of survivors of the Dambusters raid who lost their lives still flying with 617 Squadron later in 1943 and beyond. Some of those Dambusters died flying with Wing Commander Gibson's replacement as OC 617, Squadron Leader George Holden, on 16/9/1943, on a raid to damage the strategic Dortmund-Ems Canal.
(53 of the 133 aircrew were killed on the raid itself with 3 becoming prisoners of war. Of the 80 survivors of the Dambusters Raid, 22 were later killed flying with 617 Sqn, and 20 were killed flying with other Squadrons. Only 48 of the 133 aircrew survived the War.)
Section 1 "The Gillett Crew":
Lancaster W4192 QR-E of 61 Squadron RAF lost 13 January 1943, Mettman, Germany.
Section 3: "The Maudsley Crew".
Dambusters Lancaster ED929 AJ-Z of 617 Squadron RAF, lost 16/17 May 1943, during the raid on the Ruhr Dams.
Section 4: "The Ottley Crew":
Dambusters Lancaster ED910 AJ-C of 617 Squadron RAF, lost 16/17 May 1943, during the raid on the Ruhr Dams. Sergenat Frederick Tees of PO Ottleys Crew survived the crash of the aircraft. Taken prisoner with severe burns, Tees was well looked after by the Germans and survived the war.
Almost a year after the Dams Raid, on Thursday 11 May 1944, his mother, Mrs Elizabeth Tees, was killed in an accident when a USAAF B24 Liberator crashed on the laundry in Chichester where she was working. It had been damaged by flak on a bombing operation over France. After the pilot set a course for it to crash into the English Channel, the crew baled out. Unfortunately, the aircraft veered off this course and crashed on land, killing three civilians.
Some sources say that Mrs Tees defied instructions and ran back into the burning building to collect her handbag. Tees apparently only found out about his mother’s death on release from his PoW camp in 1945.
Tees became a hairdresser after the war, the same trade as his father, with a business in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. He took part in a number of 617 Squadron reunions before sadly he committed suicide on 15 March 1982.
He was cremated in Luton, but his last wish was for his ashes to be scattered on the graves of his fallen comrades in Reichswald Forest War Cemetery.
Source:
https://dambustersblog.com/2015/04/21/dambuster-of-the-day-no-105-frederick-tees/
Section 5: "The Barlow Crew":
Dambuster Lancaster AJ-E ED927, lost 16/17 May 1943, during the raid on the Ruhr Dams.
Flt Lt Robert Norman George Barlow ("Norman") was posted to 61 Squadron at RAF Syerston at the same time as my cousin Flying Officer John Northend and they flew on some of the same operations together.
On the completion of his tour on 61 Sqn, Norman Barlow was awarded a DFC. He was keen to go straight on to a second tour and began to build a crew to accompany him. His bomb aimer Alan Gillespie had also completed a full tour, and his flight engineer Leslie Whillis was close to completing his tour, nevertheless both volunteered to fly with Barlow. The other four members of his new crew all had significant operational experience, including Sergeant Jack Liddell who had completed a tour despite still being only 18 years old.
Sadly their aircraft crashed on the outward flight, apparently hitting a 100,000 volt electricity pylon whilst flying at low level. The aircraft crashed immediately and the crew were all killed instantly, their bodies being burnt beyond recognition.
Miscellaneous Army Graves:
My focus at Reichswald was the many many RAF graves but I also wanted to capture the following Army graves too: