Date: 20/21st July 1944 (Thursday/Friday)
Unit: No: 75 (N.Z.) Squadron R.A.F.
Type: Lancaster I
Serial: HK569
Code: AA-Q
Base: R.A.F. Mepal, Cambridgeshire.
Location: Kessel
Pilot: Fl/Sgt. Neil Douglas Davidson NZ422057 R.N.Z.A.F. Age 21. Killed
Fl/Eng: Sgt. Robert Gerald Sloman 914220 R.A.F.V.R. Age 24. Killed
Nav: Sgt. Arthur Ernest John Goddard 1323141 R.A.F.V.R. Age 22. Killed
Air/Bmr: Sgt. Thomas Gilbert Little 1459875 R.A.F. Age 21. P.O.W. No: 52469 Camp: (9C) Muhlhausen, Nurnberg (1)
W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Douglas Corris 1501099 R.A.F.V.R. Age 25. Killed
Air/Gnr (mid upper): Sgt. Raymond Stanley Lang 1896528 R.A.F.V.R. Age 32. Killed
Air/Gnr (rear): Fl/Sgt. Henry John Hiscox 928092 R.A.F.V.R. Age 35. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS:
Lancaster took off from RAF Mepal, Cambridgeshire, England, on its way to bomb the Fischer Tropsch oil refinery/aviation fuel producer in Homberg, Germany. It was attacked by a German night-fighter flown by Oblt. Dietrich Schmidt of 8./NJG1 (2) over Heibloem, Limburg, Netherlands on its way to the target. It crashed into a river bank at 01.25 hrs near Kessel after the pilot avoided a village called Reuver.
Above left to right: Fl/Sgt. Davidson, Sgt. Sloman, Sgt. Goddard and Sgt. Corris (Courtesy Dee Boneham via the families)
Sgt. Little and Fl/Sgt. Hiscox survived the crash however Fl/Sgt. Hiscox died on the river bank, discovered by Sef Williams - subsequently buried in the village of Beesel. Sgt Little became a P.O.W. surviving the war. No bodies were found for the rest of the crew and they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
(1) Thomas Little sadly died in 1991 - he suffered from cancer. Thomas originated from Bradford, England and at the time of his death he was single.
Sef Willems on left - a former Dutch resistance fighter who discovered the body of Sgt. Hiscox with Tiny Claessen who has looked after the grave ever since (Courtesy Dee Boneham)
Every year in May on Dutch Remembrance Day there is a memorial ceremony at Fl/Sgt. Hiscox's grave. The children from the local school in Beesel where he is buried, all take part reading the story about the crew and reciting poems. Barrie Davies from the Netherlands, also goes into the local school and talks to the children. The local schools regard it as part of their heritage.
A new memorial is planned at 13.00 hrs, Thursday 21st July 2011 and the A.R. Society hope to have further photographs after that has taken place. Dee Boneham is liaising with us.
We would appreciate any relatives of this crew to contact us in order that we are able to update them on this service, also for them to supply both the A.R. Society / 75 Squadron Association with further information that they may have.
Oblt. Dietrich Schmidt (archives)
(2) This was the 29th of 38 kills for the Luftwaffe ace Oblt. Dietrich Schmidt who survived the war (No further details available)
Above left to right: Barrie Davis, Tiny Claessen and her son Tony. (Courtesy Dee Boneham)
Crash site of HK569. The wall below the cafe is where the plaque will be placed in 2011 (Courtesy Dee Boneham)
Another view of the crash site (Courtesy Dee Boneham)
Grave of Fl/Sgt. Hiscox and in front, the graves of the parents of Tiny Claessen (Courtesy Dee Boneham)
Burial details:
The majority of the crew are remembered on the Runnymede Memorial.
Fl/Sgt. Neil Douglas Davidson. Panel 263
Son of J. D. and Margaret Davidson, of Porangahau, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.
Sgt. Robert Gerald Sloman. Panel 237
Son of Frederick George and Edith Emily Sloman, of Snodland, Kent.
Sgt. Arthur Ernest John Goddard. Panel 230
Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Goddard, of North End, Portsmouth.
Sgt. Douglas Corris. Panel 227
No further details as yet. England.
Sgt. Raymond Stanley Lang. Panel 233
Son of Thomas William and Esther Lang; husband of Edith Lang, of Streatham, London.
Fl/Sgt. Henry John Hiscox. Beesel R/C/ Cemetery Row 2, Grave 1.
Son of Mr. and Mrs. W. P. Hiscox, of Newport, Monmouthshire; husband of E. I. M. Hiscox, of Newport.
Researched by Dee Boneham with assistance from Barrie Davies and Sgt. Glen Turner for the A.R. Society and dedicated to all of this crew. . Commonwealth Graves Commission
