On 20 February
1944, P/O Laurens and crew flew their last
mission to Leipzig. They were one of no less
than 78 heavy bombers lost this night.
L to R, Sgt
Ted Royston, Sgt Davies, P/O Jack Laurens &
Sgt Cass Waight (picture courtesy of Mr.
Bill Churchley)
Three of
the crew died as their Lancaster crashed
near Tolbert due to unknown circumstances.
Four of the five survivors fell into helpful
Dutch hands and evaded capture for a
considerable time. Royston was taken POW the
day after the crash.
The League Of
Nations: P/O Laurens (Pilot). Sgt Davies
(Spec Op). Sgt Cass Waight (W/Op). Flt Sgt
Les Burton (Nav). Sgt Wag Kibble (Flt Eng).
Sgt Don Bolt (MUG). Sgt Ted Royston (Rear
Gun). Sgt Chris Aitkin (Bomb-Aimer) (picture
courtesy of Mr. Bill Churchley).
Of his crew
on that last flight, the Navigator Sgt
(later F/O) Leslie 'crash' Burton, Flight
Engineer Sgt William Alexander George
Kibble, Rear Gunner Sgt Albert Edward
Royston, Special Sgt Arthur (Jim) Davies,
bomb Aimer Sgt Ronald Aitken, survived. Mid
Upper Turret Gunner William Frederick Donald
Bolt, Wireless Operator Cass Henry Waight
and Pilot Jack Laurens had insufficient time
to leave the burning plane with parachutes
and died.
As a boy of
11 year old, Johannes Van der Velde
remembers the Lancaster DV 267 'K for King'
coming down early in the morning of 20
February 1944. His father found the two
bodies - Jack still at the controls, and Sgt
Don Bolt (Mid Up Gunner) in a field.
Cass Waight is
buried in Noordwijk, about 12 kilometers
west of Tolbert. This might indicate he
might have jumped from the stricken airplane
but did not survive the jump. Also This
would indicate the plane was flying West to
East. P/O Laurens and Sgt. William Bolt
are buried in the
Protestant cemetery in Tolbert.
P/O Waight was
32.
(picture by
Wim Bastiaanse)