Commonwealth War Graves General Cemetery

The General Cemetery of Damwoude (in the part of the former Murmerwoude) contains eight Commonwealth War Graves.

There is the crew of the Boston bomber W8318:

On 17 May 1942 departed from airbase RAF Bradwell Bay, the Boston Mk. III W8318 of the No. 418 Squadron RCAF with the mission: a bombing raid on the Luftwaffe airbase in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. The aircraft was hit by the anti aircraft guns of the airbase and crashed down near Akkerwoude. Three of the four crew members were killed in the crash, they are buried here. The only surviving crew member was taken prisoner of war by the Germans.

Flying Officer (Air Gnr.) Sebastian Bernard de Mier, 79234, RAF, age 32
Corporal Frank Jules George Miller, 529365, RAF, 26 jaar
Pilot Officer (Air Obs.) William Falconer Young, J/5688, RCAF, age unknown

Also there is the crew of the Stirling bomber BF505:

Sergeant (Flt. Engr.) William Norman Forth, 1329885, age 32
Flight Sergeant (Air Gnr.) George Allen Hinshelwood, 550977, age 23
Sergeant (Pilot) Frank Norman Robinson, 1094894, age 21
Sergeant (Air Gnr.) Herbert Ward Sawkings, 1322090, age 20
Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Wilbur Lewis Turner, J/8378, RCAF, age 28

On 4 May 1943 at 2240 departed from airbase RAF Downham Market, Stirling BF505 of the No. 218 Squadron RAF, with the mission: a bombing raid over the city of Dortmund in Germany. The aircraft was part of a formation of 596 bombers, of which 255 Lancasters, 141 Halifaxes, 110 Wellingtons, 80 Stirlings and 10 Mosquitos. BF505 was shot down over the Netherlands by the German night fighter Lt. Robert Denzil IV/NJG1 and crashed at 0107 in the night in the former village Murmerwoude. Five of the eight crew members were killed in the crash, they are buried in this cemetery. The remaining three crew members were taken prisoner of war by the Germans. In total 31 bombers got lost during this mission. The damage to the city of Dortmund was large.

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Source

• Text: TracesOfWar.nl
• Photos: Nico Nienhuis
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission
• CHORLEY, W.R., RAF Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, 1943, Midland Publishing, Hinckley, 2007.
• MIDDLEBROOK, M. & EVERITT, C., The Bomber Command War Diaries, Midland Publishing, 2011.