F/O Hudson
and his navigator, F/O Maurice Gant, from
Winnipeg, Canada had met during their
training and were paired up. They concluded
their training together on 28 February 1945
and were posted to 571 Squadron.
On 27 March
1945, F/O Hudson and
F/O Maurice George Gant took of in mosquito BXVI RV326/L for a mission to Berlin. This
was F/O Hudson's 13th mission and all but
one had been to Berlin. He had a total of 1348 flying
hours.
The mosquito
took off at 19.07. While flying over the
Netherlands on the way to Berlin their plane
collided with mosquito MM202, flown by F/L
Leicester Smith and navigator F/O Bill Lane,
also from 571 Squadron. F/L Smith later told
that their mosquito lost a propeller. He put
the mossie into a dive to extinguish the
fire, in which he succeeded. He then flew
the plane back to England where he landed at
Woodbridge.
Around 19.45 the plane
of F/O Hudson and F/O Gant crashed onto the
land belonging to Mr. Buist, bordering the
woods at Zevenhuizen. Both F/O Hudson
and F/O Gant were killed and are buried in Zevenhuizen. They are
buried together with a number of resistance
fighters.
F/O Gant was 21.
F/O Maurice
George Gant (Picture courtesy of Mrs. Gant
via Ab Jansen,
Gevleugeld Verleden pg 415. Used with
permission)
(picture by
Wim Bastiaanse)
(picture by
Wim Bastiaanse)