Memorials To The Crews


This page will over the coming weeks and months be used to identify memorials, big or small honouring  individual airman, crews or the squadron.


I want to express my sincere thanks to Tony Hibberd, who generously allowed me to use the photos and text for many of the memorials shown below. I would suggest that you visit Tony's Facebook page, a treasure trove of information and images dedicated to researching and sharing information about the many, many varied types of memorials that exist to RAF Bomber Command across the UK, North & North West Europe and much further afield – i.e. Australia, Canada & New Zealand.

A very special thanks to the following: THE NETHERLANDS image credits; Haerlen - Ria Scheimder. Kronenburg - Hilly & Ron Neils. Severnum - Harry Bakkermans. Netersel & Vinkel - Adrian van Zantvoort. Marken & Rotterdam - Guus Winte. BELGIAN image credits; Kasterlee - Jos Verhaere (Belgian Aviation Heritage) All other images - Steven Volckaerts . DANISH image credits; - Søren Flensted. FRENCH images credits; Sorbon - Brenda Kelly, Noues de Sienne - Alan Napier . GERMANY Erik Wieman .


Short Stirling EF537 OJ-V



Rotterdam (Crooswijk), Zuid Holland Province, the Netherlands

In what is now a suburb of the city of Rotterdam, a memorial now stands in memory of the crew of 149 Sqn Stirling EF537 OJ-V who were killed when their aircraft crashed close to this location on 13/05/43

The aircraft had departed Lakenheath at 0049 for Ops Duisburg.

It was intercepted at 4000M, 5km NE of Rotterdam by a Nightfighter captained by Nachtjagd "Experten" Hptm Hans-Dieter Frank (2/NJG1) and shot down at 0339 for his 26th Abschuss.

The aircraft crashed near Rotterdam with the loss of all seven crew.

RAF loss info source; Chorley's BCL Vol 4 - Nachtjagd claim info source; Boiten's NCA 1943 Part 2

Images taken by and reproduced with the kind permission of Guus Winter



Short Stirling R9167 OJ-N 



Kronenburg, Limburg Province, the Netherlands

In a rural location a memorial sculpture and info boards remember the crew of 149 Sqn Stirling R9167 OJ-N who were killed when their aircraft crashed at this site on 02/10/42

The aircraft had departed Lakenheath at 1906 for Ops Krefeld.

It was intercepted at 3400M, 3km SW of Sevenum by a Nightfighter captained by Obt Hans-Deiter Frank (2/NJG1) and shot down at 2134 for his 10th Abschuss.

The aircraft crashed at Kronenburg with the loss of all seven crew

RAF loss info source; Chorley's BCL Vol 3 - Nachtjagd claim info source; Boiten's NCA The Early Years Part 3

Images taken by and reproduced with the kind permission of Hilly Niels & Ron Niels


Short Stirling R9329 OJ-V




Lutton, Devon

A memorial stone next to a public footpath remembers the crew of of 149 Sqn Stirling R9329 OJ-V that crashed in Gibb Hill forest, Lutton, Devon. on 22/08/42

The aircraft had departed Lakenheath at 2045 on 21/08/42 for Ops Gardening

It is believed that over the target area it was engaged by Flak, hit and damaged. On its return to the relative safety of the UK, it was then tragically possibly re-engaged and yet further damaged by friendly AA Guns over Plymouth.

It subsequently encountered poor weather and in fog crashed into high ground in Gibb Hill Forest with the loss of all seven crew

RAF loss info source; Chorley's BCL Vol 3

Images taken by and reproduced with the kind permission of Mark Hanson


 Short Stirling EE872 OJ-N 



Ludwigshafen-Rheingönheim, Rheinland-Pfalz Bundeslande, Germany

In a rural location a memorial remembers those killed in the loss of 149 Sqn Stirling EE872 OJ-N which crashed close to this site on 06/09/43

The aircraft had departed Lakenheath at 1946 on 05/09/43 for Ops Mannheim.

It was intercepted at 5000M above Mannheim by a Nightfighter captained by Hptm Hans-Wolfgang von Niebelschutz (5/NJG4) and shot down at 0029 on 06/09/43 for his 5th Abschuss.

The aircraft crashed at Ludwigshafen-Rheingönheim. Six of the crew were killed, one became a POW.

RAF loss info source; Chorley's BCL Vol 4 - Nachtjagd claim info source; Boiten's NCA 1943 Part 2

Images taken by and reproduced with the kind permission of Erik Wieman



Short Stirling EF502 OJ-G



Short Stirling Mk III EF502 OJ-G 149 Sqn RAF, departed from Lakenheath and shot down on an SOE mission on 12 April 1944. Photos via Shannon Erin Taylor.



Short Stirling W7628 OJ-B



The memorial stands in a corner of of St Helen's Churchyard, Church Street, Cliffe and commemorates the crew and a villager who died when the plane hit her house. Photo taken by Alan O Watkins.


Short Stirling R9327  OJ-M



The Stirling was hit by flak from 1.-4/schw.Fl.Abt.306 (FAK. Dänemark) and crashed at 22:57 hours near Tved Huse between Obbekæer and Ribe.
 
The whole crew died and were on 9-4-1943 laid to rest in Fovrfelt cemetery in Esbjerg. The crew were: Pilot Sgt Kenneth A. Way, Flt. Engr. Sgt Neil MacLeod, Navigator Sgt James Palmer, Air Bomber Sgt Ronald G. Woodfield, W/Op-Air Gnr. Sgt Reginald Bilham, Air Gnr. Sgt Edward G. King and Air Gnr. Sgt William E. Norman. Photos via Søren Flensted Stirling I R9327 crashed by Obbekær to the east of Ribe on 4/4 1943 (flensted.eu.com)



Short Stirling BF479 OJ-E



BELGIUM -Antwerpen Province; Kasterlee. Images via 



Short Stirling BF530 OJ-B



BELGIUM - Vlaams Brabant Province; Geetbets. Photos Via



Short Stirling EE880 OJ-O



BELGIUM - Vlaams Brabant Province; Hoouwart. Photos via 




Short Stirling BF477 OJ-B



FRANCE - Ardennes Prefecture (08); Sorbon. Photos via 



Vickers Wellington L7858 OJ-A



THE NETHERLANDS. Sevenum, Limburg Province. On March 14th 1941the Vickers Wellington L7858 with call code OJ-A left RAF Mildenhall at 7.50pm on a bombing mission to the Gelsenkirchen Oil Refineries, it FTR. Photos via 



Short Stirling W7580 OJ-D



THE NETHERLANDS; Vinkel, Noord-Brabant Province. Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by night fighter pilot Unteroffizier Heinz Oloff of the 3./NJG 1



Short Stirling BK703 OJ-K




THE NETHERLANDS; Netersel, Noord-Brabant Province. Memorial to commemorate the crew of the British Stirling  BK703 OJ-K  which crashed here in the night from 28th tot 29th of June 1943. None of the crewmembers survived. They are buried in Eindhoven.


Vickers Wellington X9704 OJ-B




THE NETHERLANDS; Haerlen, Limburg Province. The aicraft was coned by searchlights for 3 minutes & was intercepted and shot down by night fighter pilot Oberfeldwebel Gerhard Herzog of the 3./NJG 1.