Commonwealth War Graves Hoogersmilde

In addition to a number of civilians who died during the war, five Commonwealth airmen are also buried in the General Cemetery of Hoogersmilde. On 9 March 1942, fifteen minutes after midnight, their aircraft, the Manchester R5779 of 83 Squadron, took off from Scampton with the aim of bombing Essen. This aircraft was one of eight on that mission that would not return.

Things went wrong over the northern Netherlands. The aircraft was hit from below and caught fire. Shortly afterwards, it was hit again, this time at the rear. Above Witten, the aircraft dropped its bombs (or lost them, as the second hit was also to the bomb bay), burning down a farm. Flying Officer R. Cooper ordered his crew to abandon the aircraft. Unfortunately, he and four other crew members did not succeed and were killed in the crash near Oranje. Two crew members, George Rex and Alfred Key, survived. They described the circumstances of this tragedy.

The crew members who died in the crash and are buried here are:

Pilot: Robert Ward Cooper, 24 years old
Co-pilot: James Thomas Heggie, 18 years old
Observer: Michael John Carlton, 22 years old
Wop/Airgunner: George William Dalby, 21 years old
Mid Uppergunner: Charles Broad, 21 years old

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Source

• Text: Gerrit Hazenberg, Fred Bolle
• Photos: Gerrit Hazenberg
• Dick Breedijk, Balkbrug.
• 83 Squadron book.