Lancaster Memorial Schinveld

Since June 14, 2015, a memorial commemorates the crash of Lancaster EE167 (AR-N) of 460 Squadron RAAF on Julianastraat in Schinveld. This aircraft crashed close to this spot in the night of 14-15 June 1943.

On its way from the English RAF Binbrook to bomb Oberhausen in the German Ruhr area, the Lancaster bomber EE 167 / AR-N of the Australian RAAF squadron 460 was sharpened over Sittard by a German night fighter information the bomber crashed in the Schinveld forests. Five Australian crew members were killed, two other crew members were seriously injured and were taken prisoner by the Germans.
The five Australian fallen are buried in Nijmegen at [towid] 584, Commonwealth War Cemetery Jonkerbos [/ towid].

Brit Booth and Canadian Matheson survived the war in captivity. Stand was liberated in April 1945 after one of the 'Long Marches' from Heydekrug (Stalag Luft 6) in Fallingbostel (POW camp 357). Matheson was so wounded that he was exchanged via the Red Cross and was already home before the end of the war . Booth died in Huddersfield, England in 1996. Matheson died in Toronto, Canada in 2002.

The Lancaster EE167 crew:
Flight Sergeant G. R. Cope RAAF (KIA)
Flying Officer H. L. Gordon RAAF (KIA)
Sergeant D. Douds RAAF (KIA)
Sergeant D. B. Crouch RAAF (KIA)
Sergeant D.S. Finlason RAAF (KIA)
Sergeant E. Booth (POW)
Sergeant W. R. Matheson RCAF (POW)

The photo on the monument shows the five Australians who died during their training: from left to right. Fl / Sgt. Donald Finlason (rear gunner), Fl / Sgt. George Cope (pilot), Fl / Sgt. Douglas Douds (bomb aimer), Fl / Sgt. Douglas Crouch (radio operator) and F / O. Hugh Gordon (navigator) and their mascot "Brownie".

This monument is the heartfelt wish of Hein Jansen (photo 5, right) who, as a 12-year-old boy, experienced the crash behind his parents' house from very close by. He saw the havoc on their home, the dead airmen. All things that made a deep, indelible impression on him. To honor especially the five Australians - but also the British and the Canadian - he committed himself to erect this monument. The memorial contains three place names that are fatal for this crew: Binbrook, Sittard and Schinveld and the names of all crew members. So that we never forget their sacrifice.

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Source

• Text: Pieter Schlebaum, Wim Slangen
• Photos: Ruud Sipkema (1, 4, 5), Ruud Scholten (2), Hessel Hendriks (3)