Date of birth:

February 7th, 1942 (Wilkie/Saskatchewan, Canada)

Date of death:

November 22nd, 1943 (Diever/Drenthe, Nederland)

Buried on:

Commonwealth War Graves Diever
Plot: E. Row: 5. Grave: 6.

Service number:

R/225109

Nationality:

Canadian

George Howitson was born in Wilkie Saskatchewan on 7 February 1922, the son of William Clifford Howitson (American) and Mary Elizabeth Howitson- Wilkie of Vancouver. They were married on 28 April 1913 in Scott Saskatchewan. His brothers were William R. and Harold J. Howitson and his sisters were Grace E., Velma J., Annie M. (also in the overseas army), Leone, Loretta and Lola B. Howitson. He was a bank clerk and a member of the Presbyterian Church. His sports were baseball, tennis, softball, curling and ice hockey.

He enlisted on 9 June 1941 at Rosetown Saskatchewan in the Royal Canadian Artillery and left for the UK on 13 November 1941. He was discharged from the Canadian Army on 29 April 1942 to enlist in the RCAF a day later.

George died on Monday 22 November 1943 at the age of 21 while on a mission to Berlin. Their Halifax bomber LW231 VR-F had taken off that evening from RAF Middleton St George for a mission to Berlin and was shot at by a German night fighter. The aircraft crashed burning in the “Staatsbossen” near Diever killing all crew members.

The other crew members killed were P/O Off William L. Hunter, age 21, Plot E. Row 5. grave 3, WWII Joseph A. Lesage, age 22, Plot E. Row 5. grave 1, Sgt George A. May, age 19, Plot E. Row 5. grave 2, F/Sgt Malcolm A. McKellar, age 20, Plot E. Row 5. Coll. grave 4-7 and F/O Richard J. Newman, age 21, Plot E. Row 5. Coll. grave 4-7 (all RCAF) and Sgt Wilbert B. Jones, age 18, Plot E. Row 5. Coll. grave 4-7 (RAFVR)

The inscription on his headstone reads: IN GOD WE LIVE AND HAVE LIFE EVERLASTING

He was awarded the War Medal 1939-45 and the CVSM & Clasp. His mother received the Memorial Cross on 5 December 1944. On 30 October 1946, he was posthumously honoured with the RCAF Operational Wings and Certificate of gallant services in action against the enemy.

The names of the crew are inscribed on a monument at the crash site in the woods near Diever.

He served with the 419 Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.

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• Photo 1: Edwin van der Wolf
• Photo 2: Bert Deelman
• - https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2820786/george-alexander-howitson/

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