Sgt Bartlett Parker
Shaddick RAAF
Sgt Frank Bernard Hough
Sgt Eric Watcham
Sgt Edwin Cuthbert Woollard
Sgt G.T.Reyburn RCAF
Sgt Reyburn was an
American who had joined the Royal Canadian
Air Force and he was an air gunner . Sgt Shaddick, the pilot, was from
Australia.
It was not long before
the crew started flying on operations. On their fourth mission, on 15/16 October
1942, they had a very hairy experience after
which Sgt Shaddick was awarded a
Distinguished Flying Medal.
The crew partcipated in
a mission to Cologne. The plane was hit by
Flak and although heavily damaged he flew
the Wellington to Manston, which a a large
base with specially long and wide runways in
case heavuly damaged bombers needed room to
land. While landing, the Wellington run into
a parked Hudson of 320 Squadron. The
Wellington was a write off but the crew was
unhurt.
Less then ten days
later, the crew was on a mission to bomb the
Italian city of Milan. On 24 October 1942,
the crew took off from their base Grimsby at
19.25. They were flying Wellington X1D X3455
QT-D. Not long into their long journey to
the north Italian city, the Wellington was
lost due to unknown circumstances. It
crashed just off the Dutch coast near
Schouwen Duiveland.
The whole crew perished.
The bodies of all washed ashore on Dutch
beaches and are buried at different
cemeteries.
Sgt Edwin Woollard
is buried at Monster General Cemetery, Row
B. Grave 24.
(Photo by Wim
Bastiaanse)
