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Commonwealth War Graves Les Hayons

At the Cemetery near the church in Les Hayons, Municipality Bouillon, are six Commonwealth War Graves. They all died on July 14, 1943.
These are the graves of:

Squadron Leader (Pilot) The Hon. Robert Alexander G. Baird, 70789, age 33.
Sergeant (Air Gnr.) Harold Matthews, 1318179, age 19.
Flying Officer (Nav.) William James Moorcroft, 127974, age 22.
Flight Sergeant Nicolas Auber Benjamin Robinson, 406795, age 31.
Sergeant (Nav.) Edwin Smith, 1330882, age unknown.
Flight Sergeant (Air Bomber) Robert Alfred Walker, 1235107, age 21.

On July 13, 1943 at 2359 departed from East Wretham airbase in England, the Lancaster DS690 with the mission: a raid over the city of Aachen in Germany. The aircraft was shot down over Belgium by the German night-fighter Hauptmann August Geiger, 111./NJG 1 and crashed at 0210 in Les Hayons. Of the seven crew members, six got killed in the crash, they are buried in this cemetery. One crew member managed to escape.

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Source

  • Text: TracesOfWar.nl
  • Photos: Luc van Waeyenberge

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