Memorial Lancaster II LL652 JI-C Schendelbeke

On May 5, 2010, at the initiative of Wings of Memory with the support of the city council of Geraardsbergen, a monument was unveiled in Schendelbeke for the crew of the Lancaster II LL652 JI-C of 514 Squadron RAF.

On the night of May 27 to 28, 1944, a formation of bombers left for Aachen to bomb the Rothe Erde shunting station. The railway lines that had withstood a previous attack were completely destroyed this time.
Among the bombers was the Lancaster JI-C with a crew of seven, four British and three Australians. The aircraft would never return to its home base RAF Waterbeach (Camebridgeshire), it crashed in flames, the cause could not be determined. The 28-year-old Australian F/Lt Lloyd Charles Taylor and his crew crashed in the nature reserve "De Moenebroek". in Schendelbeke.
In 1999 a number of aircraft remains were recovered.

The monument was designed and manufactured by Stefan Delannoit. It is a very original work of art in which a propeller hub from a Bristol engine of the Lancaster JI-C was incorporated. A plaque with the names of the victims hangs on an authentic piece of wood from one of the propeller blades.

The crew rests at the cemetery of Geraardsbergen. The two gunners, Richard Gill and Frederick Hill, were given an individual grave. They were located in the rear half of the aircraft, while the five others sat close together in the nose section. Because the identification of the five was very difficult, they were given a common grave.

The crew of the Lancaster II LL652 JI-C consisted of:
Sgt Richard Gill, tail gunner (RAF)
F/O Frederick Brearly Hill, dorsal turret gunner (RAF)
P/O Stanley William Newman, radio operator (RAAF)
Sgt Alan Roderick, Flight Engineer (RAF)
F/Lt Lloyd Charles Taylor, pilot (RAAF)
P/O Cecil Keith Thomas, Bombardier (RAAF)
Sgt James Frederick Vincent, navigator (RAF)
Source: Hangar Flying

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck