Crash Site Handley Page Halifax MKIII JD-314 ZA-X

About 290 metres south-east of this memorial, Halifax MKIII bomber JD314 ZA-X crashed on 29 December 1944. The aircraft of 10 Squadron RAF had taken off from RAF Melbourne at around 17:00 for a mission to Berlin. At about 7pm, the aircraft was attacked by Oblt Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer in a Messerschmidt Bf110 night fighter from 12/NJG Leeuwarden. The Halifax crashed in which -after the bomb load had exploded- the entire crew of seven died. Of the seven crew members, six were buried in Ruinerwold cemetery on 31 December 1944, four of whom have been identified. The identity of two of them could not be established with certainty, and the seventh crew member was never found. These three crew members are still officially listed as missing.

The crew consisted of:
P.B. Green, Flight-Sergeant, RAF, aged 22, buried in Ruinerwold
A. Colbourne, Sergeant, RAF, aged 20, buried in Ruinerwold.
R.E. Roos, Warrant-Officer Class II, RCAF, 20 years, buried in Ruinerwold.
S. Webb, Flight Sergeant, RAF, aged 22, missing.
D.R.C. Appleyard, Sergeant, RAF, aged 20, buried in Ruinerwold.
P.J. Greenmon, Sergeant, RAF, aged 21, missing.
W.D. Hall, Sergeant, RAF, aged 23, missing.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Jan de Jager