Herger, Robert Blair

Operation Market Garden

Date of birth:: March 16th, 1921 (Peterborough/Ontario, Canada)
Date of death:: September 21st, 1944 (Zetten, the Netherlands)
Buried on:: Commonwealth War Cemetery Arnhem Oosterbeek
Plot: 4. Row: D. Grave: 6-7.
Service number:: J/89135
Nationality:: Canadian

Biography

Robert was born on March 16 1921 in Peterborough Ontario, the son of George Frederick Herger (deceased in 1943) and Vera Eleanor Herger nee Peters of Vancouver. They were married on September 30 1919 in Peterborough. He was the brother of William George Reid Herger.

He was a wholesale warehouse clerk and member of the Church of England. He spoke English and French fluently and French jr. Matrix. His hobby was black & white and colour photography and his sports were rugby, volleyball, softball, boxing and swimming.

He enlisted on January 28 1941 in Vancouver and he went thereafter on July 1 1943 overseas to the UK.

Robert was killed in action on Thursday September 21 1944 age 23 due to a crash near 'De Slop' farm in Zetten during the operation Market Garden. He was temporarily buried then at a churchyard in Zetten before being reburied on October 5 1945 in Oosterbeek. His other fallen RCAF crew members were F/O Otto H. Antoft age 25 in grave 4-D-6-7, F/O John K. MacDonnell age 21 in grave 4-D-8 and W/O II Leslie I. Whitlock age 20 in grave 4-D-6-7. The fallen British RASC crew members were Drv. Ernest Noble age 24 in grave 18-B-9-10 and Drv. Colin Parker age 31 in the same grave. The fallen RAF Volunteer Reserve crew member was F/O Harold A. Thornington age 34 in grave 4-D-11. And the RAF crew member Sgt L. Hillyard survived the crash and he was injured and he became then a prisoner of war as well as the wounded and prisoner of war too RCAF crew member W/O J. Thomas and both survived the war.

On his headstone: DEARLY BELOVED SON OF GEORGE AND VERA HERGER, VANCOUVER, B.C., CANADA

He served with the 190 (R.A.F.). Sqdn. Royal Canadian Air Force.

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