W/O W.A.
Watson (Pilot)
W/O. W.M. Waterman (Navigator)
F/S J. Butterworth (Wireless Operator)
F/S C. L. Robinson (Bomb Aimer)
Sgt J. Hurst (Mid Upper Gunner)
F/S R.D. McWha (Rear Gunner)
F/S R.E. Hedges (Flt. Engineer)
Hurst and Hedges were English, the rest of
the crew were all Australian. On December
16th, 1943 they took off from their base at
Oakington in Cambridgeshire, in Lancaster
MG-L. The target was Berlin and this was
the 6th mission in what was called the
Battle for Berlin. Bomber Command paid
repeated visits to the German capital late
1943 through early 1944.
Their
Lancaster was claimed by Oblt.
Schnaufer at 18.01 north east of Lemmer at a
height of 5800 meters. Their plane crashed
a few minutes later near the town of Follega,
in a field opposite the farm belonging to
the Bangma family. The son and his mother
were in the kitchen when they heard a
terrific explosion. One of the engines flew
over the top of the farm in a ball of fire
and landed in a ditch behind the farm. Only five bodies were
recovered. W/O Waterman was found six weeks
later in the same ditch.
The other two, W/O Watson and F/S
Butterworth, are listed on the RAF Memorial
at Runnymede.
At practically
the same time another Lancaster of 7
squadron, captained by F/O Francis Rush was
shot down near the city of Alkmaar, crashing
near Stompetoren, killing all but one of the
crew.
In
1994, Dave Cheetham (L), nephew of Sgt Hurst,
visited the farm where
Lancaster MG-L crashed and met with Mr.
Bangma. Here is Mr. Bangma
and Mr. Cheetham holding a fire extinguisher
and a crash ax from the
plane. (Picture courtesy of Mr. Cheetham)
In April 1995
an article about James Hurts appeared in the
Nottingham Evening Post. The following
letter was sent to the newspaper by his
former friend and classmate.
(courtesy of
Mr.. Dave Cheetham)
(picture by
Wim Bastiaanse)
