Six weeks later, in the evening of 5 August
1941, 603 squadron, including P/O Keable, took
off from their base at Hornchurch to fly target
support for a Circus mission. During a dogfight
with Me109s, Keables Spitfire V, X4663 was seen
to dive away to the south near Forét De Nieppe.
There was speculation that he blacked out due to
oxygen deprivation.
He was scheduled to go on leave the next day.
P/O Keable
(indicated with *) with fellow pilots of his
flight with 603 Squadron (Picture courtesy of
The David Ross Collection/603 Squadron Archive.)
P/O Nigel Keable
is remembered as having predominantly female
friends, as this picture
attest to, which shows him with three WAAF
friends. (Picture courtesy of The David Ross
Collection/603 Squadron Archive.)
On 30 August his body was found on the beach of
Noordwijk. Policeman Doornheim was sent out to
investigate. The body was dressed in dark blue
trousers and a green grey jacket, of which the
buttons were missing. After being transported to
the cemetery building a search revealed two
identity disks which identified the flier: - -
N.H.V. K E A B L E. Offr. 60085, R.A.F. V.R. -
-. Also found are a wallet containing a engine
or motorcycle manual, a cigarette lighter with
the initials N.K., and a pair of cufflinks with
the same initials.
P/O Keable was buried at Noordwijk General
Cemetery on 1 September 1941.
P/O Nigel Keable is buried, in a communal
grave, at the Noordwijk General Cemetery,
Plot 1. Joint grave 2.
