Date: 24th June 1944
Unit: No. 148 Squadron Special Operations Executive (S.O.E)
Type: Halifax Type II
Serial: JP237
Code: FS-?
Base: Brindisi
Location: Santa Maria del Taro / Borgo Val di Taro
Pilot: Fl/Lt. Donald Ernest Hillman, J/17893 R.C.A.F. Age 26. Killed (1)
Pilot/Nav: P/O. Nicholas Holyk, J/92012 R.C.A.F. Age 35. Killed
Flt/Engr: Sgt. Arthur Pinder, 1538939 R.A.FV.R. Age ?. Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. Dixon Finlayson 1824006, R.A.F.V.R. Age 35 Killed
Air/Gnr: Sgt. John Michael Sumner, 1801255 R.A.F.V.R. Age ?. Killed
Air/Bmr: Sgt. James Ross Robertson, J/161315 R.C.A.F. Age 21. Killed
W/Op/Air Gnr: Sgt. Edward Geoffrey Chapman, 1323119 R.A.F.V.R. Age 21. Killed
REASON FOR LOSS
The secret report on the fatal mission shows that the Halifax II aircraft JP237 took off at 20.11 hrs on "Operation Sound 1". Instead of a landing time, a note states: "Nothing was heard from the aircraft after take off and it is presumed lost." "13 aircraft were scheduled for ops but 3 had to be cancelled owing to technical trouble. Of the remaining 10, 6 were successful and one (F/O. Hillman) is missing. His target was a new one in Northern Italy and nothing was heard from him after take off: F/O. Hillman was Acting Flight Commander of "B" Flight and making a very good job of it. His operational record was of a very high standard and the loss of such an excellent crew is a sad blow to the Squadron."
During this period 148 Squadron flew Halifax bombers but were not affiliated to Bomber Command. Their missions were of a secret nature - parachuting arms, ammunition and other supplies to resistance groups fighting behind the enemy lines. The locations for these drops were pre-arranged and normally marked by a pattern of lights hopefully visible to the crew.
As was the case for all aircraft during the war, navigation was by dead reckoning and visual recognition of land marks. Often, by the time they reached the target area, heavy cloud obscured their vision causing drop zones to be missed or a total cancellation of the mission. The resistance groups sometimes had Allied liaison officers with them and occasionally they would be parachuted in. Also, from the squadron operation log, it would appear that one of their tasks would be to drop hundreds of pounds of propaganda leaflets (‘Nickels’) onto various towns en-route back to their base at Brindisi. It is believed that while JP237 was approaching the target it was hit by enemy fire and crashed in the mountains between Santa Maria del Taro and the Borgo Val di Taro area of northern Italy.
F/L. Donald Ernest Hillman (Courtesy Mike Harrison)
Back row L to R: Sgt. Dixon Finlayson Sgt. James Robertson Sgt. Nicholas Holyk Sgt. John Sumner
Front row L to R: Sgt. Arthur Pinder F/L Donald Hillman Sgt. Edward Chapman (Courtesy Hillman family)
Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa (Courtesy C.W.G.C.)
(1) Hillman Bay, Saskatchewan is named after F/L Donald Ernest Hillman
Burial Details:
Fl/Lt. Donald Ernest Hillman. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Collective Grave III C 27-30.
Son of Robert Boswell Hillman and Jane Hillman, of Elrose, Saskatchewan, Canada..
P/O. Nicholas Holyk. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Collective Grave III C 27-30.
Son of William and Eva Holyk, of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada; husband of Sarah Holyk, of Mount Cartier, British Columbia.
Sgt. Arthur Pinder. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Collective Grave III C 27-30.
No further details.
Sgt. Dixon Finlayson. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Collective Grave III C 27-30.
Son of Adam and Alice Finlayson, of Edinburgh; husband of Agnes Robb Finlayson, of Edinburgh.
Sgt. John Michael Sumner. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Collective Grave C III 27-30.
No further details.
Sgt. James Ross Robertson. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Grave III C.26.
Son of William James Robertson and Olive May Robertson, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Sgt. Edward Geoffrey Chapman. Staglieno Cemetery Genoa, Italy. Grave III C.25.
Son of Walter Thomas Chapman and Daisy Ethel Chapman, of Staines, Middlesex.
Information supplied by the family of Fl/Lt. Donald Hillman and compiled by Colin Bamford for the Aircrew Remembrance Society.
