Walter James Eric Cumberland was born in 1924, son of Walter Thomas Cumberland and Alice Beatrice May Cumberland, from Romford, Essex.

Sgt Cumberland was an mid upper gunner with 192 (Special Duty) Squadron RAF. His crew consisted of:

Pilot Officer P G Melville (Pilot)

Flying Officer H G Gray (Bomb Aimer)

Sergeant G Wilson (Wireless Operator)

Sergeant A J Rogers (Flight Engineer)

Sergeant B F Welch (Navigator)

Sergeant W S  Cumberland (Mid Upper Gunner)

Sergeant T H Cox (Rear Gunner)

Pilot Officer Kennedy (Special Operator)

192 Sqn RAF

192 Squadron was a Special Duties squadron and was the first true radio recon, or ELINT. P/O Kennedy was the eighth crew member being the 'Special Operator' carried to monitor radio and radar emissions generated by both German and Allied equipment.

On the night of 26 March 1944 the squadron had two Halifaxes accompanying the raid to Essen.

They crew took off in Halifax III LW626 DT-V at 20.43 from their base RAF Foulsham, Norfolk.  Their mission was to provide electronic countermeasures in support of the Essen raid. At 21:27 hours an SOS distress call was received from DT-V from a position was given 60 miles east of Cromer, Norfolk, over the North Sea. The next day an air rescue was sent to the area and the crashed Halifax was sighted near the position it had given. An motor launch reached the Halifax at 17.00 but could recover the bodies of only five of the crew, which are buried in Cambridge City Cemetery. Sgt Cox is still missing and the remaining two are buried in cemeteries in the Netherlands. P/O Kennedy in Wierhuizen en Sgt Cumberland in Schiermonnikoog.

Sgt Cumberland is buried in Vredenhof Cemetery on the island of Schiermonnikoog, Grave 106. He was 19.

(picture by Wim Bastiaanse)

Schiermonnikoog, The Netherlands

See also:

P/O Peter Melville

F/O Hugh Gray

P/O Ronald Kennedy
Sgt George Wilson

Sgt Albert Rogers

Sgt Brian Welch

Sgt Thomas Cox

Sources and Acknowledgements:
Mr. John Rees
Erroll Martyn, For Your Tomorrow, Vol.II, Volplane Press, Christchurch 1999

Directions to Schiermonnikoog Vredenhof 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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