George Allan Hinshelwood was born in 1920 and  was the son of Robert Stewart Hinshelwood and Mary Neilson Robertson Hinshelwood, of Larkhall, Lanarkshire. Not much is known about him. George joined the Royal Air Force and became an air gunner with 218 Squadron, operating out of Downham Market, Norfolk. The squadron flew Stirling bombers at the time.

On 24/25 October 1942, 218 squadron participated on a raid to the Italian city of Milan. This was a very long and hazardous journey for the Stirling crew. Sgt Hinshelwood flew with the crew of P/O Thompson on this raid.

218 "Gold Coast" Squadron

Sgt Hinshelwood and his crew took off  in their Stirling at 18.50, but about 35 minutes into the flight, a fire broke out in a port engine, which quickly spread. P/O Thompson lost control off the airplane, which broke up and crashed ay Cattawade, 8 miles soutwest of Ipswich.

Sgt Hinshelwood was the only one of the crew who, although injured, survived. He bailed out of the plane, just before it broke up. After his recuperation, Sgt Hinshelwood returned to 218 suadron.

On 4/5 May 1943, 596 bombers were sent out to attack the German city of Dortmund. F/S Hinshelwood teamed up with the crew of F/L Turner, who piloted Stirling BF505 on this mission. The rest of his crew consisted of second pilot Sgt. F.N. Robinson, Navigator Sgt J.L. White, Bomb Aimer P/O P.S. Beck, Air Gunner Sgt J.M.J. Smith DFM, Flight Engineer Sgt William N. Forth, and Air Gunner Sgt Herbert W. Sawkings.

BF505 was intercepted by a German night fighter, possibly that flown by Lt. Robert Denzel of 12./NJG1. After an aerial combat, the Stirling exploded in the air and crashed at 01.07 on 5 may 1943 Between the Dutch town of Damwoude (then called murmerwoude) and Dokkum. Five of the crew are killed; F/L Turner, Sgt Robinson, Sgt Forth, Sgt Sawkings and Sgt Hinshelwood are all buried at Damwoude General cemetery. The three others survived. One of them landed by parachute near Roodkerk and was taken prisoner. The two others landed and hid in a barn were pigs were kept. The next morning they were found by the farmer Pieter Gosma. He took them into his house where one of the men was helped with a head wound. One of the men decided to leave the safehouse and was shortly after taken prisoner by the Germans. The other, Sgt John Smith from Wolverhampton, decided to stay. The Dutch underground tried to get him back to England and after some time he ended up in Arnhem. What happened next is not known but Sgt Smith was arrested by the Germans on 8 July 1943 and spent the rest of the war as a PoW. Sgt White and P/O Beck also survived the war as PoWs.

F/S George Hinshelwood is buried at Damwoude General Cemetery.

(picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Damwoude, The Netherlands

See also:
Sgt Frank Robinson
Sgt William Forth
F/L Wibur Turner
Sgt Herbert Sawkings

Sources:
Mrs. Gena Pfister Turner
Jansen, Ab A., Wespennest Leeuwarden, Volume I, II and III, Baarn: Hollandia 1976
Jansen, Ab A. Gevleugeld Verleden, Baarn: Forum ny
RAF Bomber Command 60th Anniversary Site
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
 

Acknowledgements:
RAF Squadron crest © Crown Copyright is reproduced with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office

Directions to Damwoude General Cemetery

If you have any suggestions, comments or additional information, please contact me.

This website is dedicated to the men and women who died and/or are buried in The Netherlands during World War II.

 

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