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Walton, Joseph Frank

Date of birth:
September 11th, 1915 (Farnham, Waverley Borough/Surrey, England)
Date of death:
July 8th, 1941 (Houthem/Limburg, the Netherlands)
Buried on:
Commonwealth War Cemetery Jonkerbos
Plot: 20. Row: G. Grave: 6.
Service number:
908698
Nationality:
British

Biography

Sergeant, Air Gunner Handley Page Hampden, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, son of Arthur Ernest and Christine Mabel Walton, Ash Vale, Surrey.

Killed in action during a mission to Mönchengladbach. His aircraft, registration AD-937, took off from Hemswell (Lincolnshire) at 23:00, together with three other Hampdens from RAF 61 Squadron, with a crew of four on board. On the way back over the Netherlands, it was attacked by a German Messerschmidt Bf110 night fighter (Oberleutnant Reinhold Knacke of 2./NJG 1) and crashed at 1:17 a.m. in Houthem.

Three of the four crew members, including Joseph Walton, were killed. Only the pilot managed to save himself with his parachute and, although seriously injured, was taken prisoner of war. He survived the war.

The fallen crew members are buried at the Jonkerbos War Cemetery in Nijmegen. The inscription on Joseph's grave reads: “IN PROUD AND LOVING MEMORY”.

A crucifix bearing his name has been placed at the crash site.

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Sources