1 25 9 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41118/PHoldenJ17010010.1.jpg a6bad5373b18b9c56172a2c51f0bb2a0 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41118/PHoldenJ17010011.1.jpg 86e49319735f220e1d41617018535356 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41118/SHoldenJ1521290v10007.1.jpg 73362e697d8fc5ebf43a744382a77c91 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Forest Grave Description An account of the resource Grave of one of the Lancaster aircrew marked with a cross and a French flag. On the reverse 'Lyon la Foret. Photo taken by local people & given to British Army/smuggled film. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France France--Lyons-la-Forêt Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two b/w photographs Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PHoldenJ17010010, PHoldenJ17010011, SHoldenJ1521290v10007 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive aircrew final resting place killed in action https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41101/CHoldenJ-170725-010001.1.jpg 7e4d7fc9688467e73cb1c004f9acdf32 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41101/CHoldenJ-170725-010002.1.jpg ca38ba395a19f64e108f1d9b20d46263 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource French Topographical Map Description An account of the resource There are two strips of mapping, the first has Puchay, Eure in the East, the second has Morville-sur-Andelle. The second image is the middle of the two strips. The mapping covers where the Lancaster crashed and where the crew were shot. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France--Eure France--Lyons-la-Forêt France Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Language A language of the resource fra Type The nature or genre of the resource Map Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Two printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CHoldenJ-170725-010001, CHoldenJ-170725-010001 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41313/PHoldenJ1704.jpg 490d7f48724d4127a62dfcee36497adc https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41313/PHoldenJ1705.jpg e62f9ff6c82003391265a4256ff935c7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Johnnie Holden Description An account of the resource Head and shoulders photograph of Johnnie in trainee uniform with a handwritten message 'Lots of Love, Green Eyes, Johnnie'. Annotated on the reverse with pertinent dates of him reported as missing and, subsequently, killed in action with some of his crew. There is also a poem 'From my Heart Meeting' by Laura Hope. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944-06-09 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1942-07 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. Great Britain France--Lyons-la-Forêt France Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Text Text. Poetry Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PHoldenJ1704, PHoldenJ1705 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Maureen Clarke aircrew final resting place killed in action love and romance missing in action RAF Yatesbury training wireless operator / air gunner https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41314/PHoldenJ1706.jpg c32d8d3836845e4ae688413ff375fca0 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41314/PHoldenJ1707.jpg 62f22b06b27ecf4ad25f6991c70a4328 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [photograph] [page break] My little Yatesbury WOP June 42 – June 44. Missing June 9/10th over Lyon-le-Foret. “May I pray That some fine day, As I go along lifes highway I shall meet you again, going my way” Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Johnnie Holden Description An account of the resource A full length portrait of Johnnie in Sidcot Suit and flying gear, inscribed on the reverse - "My little Yatesbury WOP June 42- June 44. Missing June 9/10 over Lyon-la-Foret". Includes a handwritten poem. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France Great Britain France--Lyons-la-Forêt Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Photograph Text Text. Poetry Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One b/w photograph Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context PHoldenJ1706, PHoldenJ1707 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Liz McElwee Maureen Clarke aircrew grief missing in action wireless operator https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41104/EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0001.1.jpg bd848f5205a7c6ec4efd33a6e40ca703 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41104/EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0002.1.jpg 1cbdfb6976983cce85f28978f83b5f57 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41104/EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0003.1.jpg a6e09804b0bbf8de0b6c28f9b37ca897 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41104/EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0004.1.jpg f6cb62d5da09177e2a7874126b280570 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [inserted] from Leslie Hay. "Uncle Will" 49 Squadron pilot and historian [/inserted] [circled 1] [censored section] 11th August, 1995. Dear José, Thank you for your letter, copy correspondence and photographs which arrived on 7th August. Before commenting on them, here are some extracts from my records which I copied from those at Public Record Office over a period of several years. Unfortunately, their records do not show the postings in and out of the Squadron after January, 1944, and I can only supply the date of the first operation. The postings in were usually about a week earlier. The following are extracts from the crew reports with some additions:- [underlined] OPERATIONS [/underlined] [underlined] 19/20.5.44 [/underlined] [underlined] AMIENS [/underlined] LL 900 Matheson and crew with F/O Bell as 2nd pilot. [underlined] 21/22.5.44 [/underlined] [underlined] MINING in Kiel Bay [/underlined] ME 675 F/O Bell B.E, Sgt Holmes S.C. P/O MacFadyen D, Sgt Holden J, P/O Clark H.D. F/O Hemmens P, Sgt Reed J.J. 2149-0421. Dovns Klint 0100, 14,600 ft, no cloud, good vis: Kiel Bay unobscured by cloud allowing visual pin pointing and the correct placing of mines. Defences ineffective. [underlined] 22/23.5.44 [/underlined] [underlined] BRUNSWICK [/underlined] ME 675 Crew as above, 2209-0413. Brunswick 0127, 22,000 ft, 2nd wave. Bombed red with green stars cascading. Attack appeared very haphazard owing to poor marking technique. Caused us to make several runs. [underlined] 27/28.5.44 [/underlined] [underlined] MORSALINES [/underlined] – Medium Gun Battery. ME 787 Original crew. 2255-0232. Morsalines 0103. 5,500 ft, 2nd wave, no cloud, Vis hazy, No opposition. Bombs seen bursting – overshooting red spot fires to the N.E about 100 yards. [underlined] 31 May – 1st June [/underlined] [underlined] MAISY [/underlined] – Gun Battery NE 128 Original crew. 2304-0226. Sortie was abortive owing to low cloud over target area. W/T control good and diverting instructions received satisfactorily. (The other crews' robust comments on this op are illuminating) [underlined] 2/3.6.44 [/underlined] [underlined] WIMEREUX [/underlined] ND 533 Original crew. 0004-0300. Wimereux 0141, 19,000 ft, 2nd wave. Target not identified owing to cloud, but what appeared to be 1 or 2 red T.Is clearly seen and bombed on heading. Orders not to bomb received after bombing run. [underlined] 5/6.6.44 [/underlined] [underlined] LA PERNELLE [/underlined] ND 533 Original crew. 0126-0549. La Pernelle 0340, 8,400 ft, 3 rd wave. Bombed centre of triangle of 2 green and 1 red T.Is. Target marking, timing control very good and should have made the operation successful. [page break] [inserted] W. HAY. [/inserted] – 2 – [underlined] 6/7.6.44 [underlined] [underlined] CAEN [/underlined] ND 533 Original crew. 0030-0517. Caen 0240, 5000 ft, 1st wave. Bombed concentration of green T.Is. Good concentration of bombs around them. Timing excellent under good weather conditions. [underlined] 8/9.6.44 [underlined] [underlined] PONTAUBAULT [/underlined] ND 533 Original crew. 2226-0309. Target 0049, 4,500 ft, 2nd wave. Very heavy rain. Bombed 2 red spot fires about 100 yards apart. Bombing appeared to be between 500 yards of markers. Target marking and control extremely good. [underlined] 9.6.44 [/underlined] – Morning summary – 1000. 21 detailed for Etampes. [inserted] "Take off" [/inserted] 2120-[underlined] 2139 [/underlined], 21 airborne. [inserted] Landing times [/inserted] 0147-0227 19 returned – one landed at Woodbridge. 2 aircraft missing. Extract from the publication "Bomber Command War Diaries" 106 Lancasters and 4 Mosquitoes of 5 Group, with 5 Path Finder Mosquitoes attempted to bomb a railway junction at Etampes, south of Paris. 6 Lancasters lost. [underlined] 9/10.6.44 [/underlined] [underlined] ETAMPES [/underlined] [symbol] ND 533 F/O Bell with original crew. Airborne [underlined] 2136 [/underlined] – Missing. JB 714 Smiley, Webb, Stuart, Sanderson, Rainbow, Hinch, Blaikie. Airborne [inserted] 2139 missing [/inserted] [inserted] [symbol] Last two aircraft to take off. [/inserted] [underlined] Buried in a collective grave – Plot 16.C.10 [/underlined] [underlined] BAYEUX WAR CEMETERY, CALVADOS, FRANCE. F.1058 [/underlined] F/O BELL Bryan Esmond 151471 Pilot Aged 24 F/O MacFADYEN Duncan RAAF 425178 Navigator Sgt HOLDEN John 1521290 WO/AG Aged 21 F/O CLARK Hilary Daniel 159223 A/Gunner Aged 28 Sgt REED Joseph John 1281835 A/Gunner Aged 23 [underlined] Marissel French National Cemetery, Oise, France, Grave 248 [/underlined] Sgt HOLMES Sydney Charles 1810022 Flight Engineer Aged 28 Recorded at Runnymede on panel 206 as having "No known grave" but believed to have died of "blood poisoning" in Buchenwald Concentration Camp. F/O HEMMENS Philip Derek 152583 Bomb Aimer aged 20 P/O SMILEY and his crew are all buried in Morigny-Champigny Cemetery Seine-et-Oise, France – graves 1, 6, 8, 11 & 12 [page break] – 3 – Comments. First, regarding your letter. I also cannot reconcile War Graves' statement that the Forest is 16 miles N.W of Caen in the district of Eure. This District is some 40 miles East of Caen and Lyons la Foret is South East of Rouen. It appears to be only just in the District of Eure, though my map does not show these boundaries. I think that we can accept that the aircraft crashed at Lyons la Foret, although the correspondence does not actually say so, but André Paris’ statement that he was going West from Etrépagny would seem to put it in that area. Pierre Madry could confirm it. War Graves also show it to be the place even though they position it wrongly, but see my later comment four paragraphs down, which may be the answer to the mix up. The situation in the area, two days after "D" Day must have been very confused. Troops were being moved up and we were bombing road and railway junctions behind the lines to prevent this happening. The Germans would, as they so often did, bury bodies near where they were found. I have read about, and spoken to men who with medical teams, followed in the wake of our armies locating roadside and woodland graves, recording and identifying bodies. It was usual for the Germans to get to the crash site as early as possible to secure prisoners and obtain information from and about the aircraft. Occasionally the civilians beat them to it and gave assistance to evaders etc: I tried telephoning War Graves to obtain the date of reinterment, but they couldn't give it off the cuff as it meant going to archives to locate the first burial, then to another section to obtain the transfer, but it seems that they have it., and would supply you with it should you wish to write to them. Regarding the crew details, you will have seen that I have quoted them above, and the address of the cemetery is also shown. It would appear that it is in or near Bayeux. I may be wrong, but I wonder if this is what War Graves was trying to say, i.e that Bayeux War Cemetery is 16 miles N.W of Caen which is about right, but mixed it up with the crash site/place of 1st burial in Eure District!! If so, please forgive them; they make many mistakes - don't we all? and they are only as good as the staff with which they are supplied. They have given me some good assistance in my work. Coming now to photographs of the cemetery; I do not know any organisation which would supply them and they are usually obtained by a personal visit. In this connection, I feel that Pierre Madry is your best hope. It appears from his letter that he is a young man and seems to have a very good command of English if so, a visit might not be as difficult as you may imagine. So many people speak our language now that I am sure you would find assistance en route. I cannot really comment on the alleged photograph of the graves. It may just be the crash site. It would, doubtless, look very different now. I have no information whether the aircraft was hit by flak or fighters, or whether or not they had reached the target and were on their way home having bombed but, according to reports from the returning crews, there was a lot of difficulty at the target which could not be marked on time, and crews had to orbit a number of times which left them prey to flak, which, at the bombing height, about 7000 ft, could be very accurate. Also they would be a prey to marauding fighters looking for just such an opportunity as this. Whether they were the subject of either flak or fighter attack, it would seem that two of them, Hemmens and Holmes were able to get out, they would be nearest the bomb aimer's [page break] – 4 – exit. Hemmens, it appears did parachute down. I have nothing definite about Holmes but the pilot of another of our aircraft reports hitting a parachute, and I feel that this may have been that of Holmes which would account for his burial in a different cemetery. Disasters and misfortunes such as this were legion. We are now left with Hemmens. He has been a problem for me because of the date of his death. The Dutch Air Historical Society, whose 300 members are trying to locate the crash sites and graves of the crews of EVERY AIRCRAFT, ALLIED AND ENEMY, which crashed in World War 11, sent me a lot of information, but asked for details regarding 120 of our missing or crashed aircraft and crews, amongst which was Hemmens on whom they only had the date of death and "No known grave". When I recovered from the shock, I got down to sorting them out from my records. After a bit of pressure I managed to get out of the Ministry of Defence, that Hemmens died whilst a POW. Your correspondence, and the most interesting letter of George Watmough rekindled my interest and would seem to confirm this. However, I have never been satisfied that there was a body with a date of death but no known grave. Unfortunately, my contact at the M.O.D had left but, trading on the fact that I had supplied them with information in the past, they were able to say (off the record and reading between the lines) that Hemmens was sheltered by the French, ‘captured’ by the Germans and sent to Buchenwald Concentration Camp where he contracted blood poisoning and died. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered there. Read into that what you will but it is, in my opinion, probably correct. Hemmens may not have been in uniform which would explain his sojourn in Fresnes prison. George Watmough does not say that they were all sent to Stalag Luft 3, just 'We'. Ham Hemmens dies in a POW camp, I am certain that there would have been a military funeral. I have photographs of some. The Senior British Officer at the camp would have ensured that this was done. In a number of cases, the Germans provided the Firing Party. It appears that the Buchenwald death is probably the correct explanation. Last year, we had a Book of Remembrance placed in Fiskerton Church and, this year we had a stone placed on a plot of ground donated by the farmer who farms the site of Fiskerton Airfield. Parts of the runways are still there. I am enclosing a photostat of the page of our Book which shows Holden & Holmes. Also, a not very good one from a local newspaper showing the stone in the plot close to the road from Fiskerton to Reepham. Re MacFadyen, the address to contact is Australian War Memorial, GPO Box 345, Canberra ACT 2601. I enclose a mini photostat of their letter to our Secretary. I think that I have told you all I am able until I post this when something else is sure to come to mind. I hope that you can make sense of this rigmarole – my wife says that my letters ramble too much. My good wishes to you. Yours sincerely, Leslie Hay. Usually known as "Uncle Will". Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Letter to Jose from Leslie Hay Description An account of the resource The letter lists 49 Squadron operations from May 1944 to 10 June 1944 when John Holden died. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Leslie Hay Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1995-08-11 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France--Amiens Germany--Kiel Germany--Braunschweig France--Normandy France--Wimereux France--La Pernelle France--Caen France--Manche France--Bayeux Great Britain England--Runnymede Germany France--Morigny-Champigny France--Lyons-la-Forêt France--Eure France--Rouen France--Etrépagny France--Étampes (Essonne) France--Beauvais France France--Pas-de-Calais Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Correspondence Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Four printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0001, EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0002, EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0003, EHayLWhitehouseJ950811-0004 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-05 1944-06 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sue Smith 49 Squadron 5 Group aircrew anti-aircraft fire bale out bomb aimer bombing bombing of the Normandy coastal batteries (5/6 June 1944) crash final resting place flight engineer killed in action Lancaster memorial mine laying Mosquito Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) Pathfinders pilot prisoner of war RAF Fiskerton RAF Woodbridge Stalag Luft 3 target indicator Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Description An account of the resource This page is an entry point for a place. Please use the links below to see all relevant documents available in the Archive. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France--Lyons-la-Forêt Title A name given to the resource Lyons-la-Forêt [entry point] https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41110/MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080001.2.jpg 36228c8fdfebaafac8bd7c5b6e3ca647 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41110/MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080002.2.jpg c67158832da2237a9776d2218d33ca2b https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41110/MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080003.2.jpg 73e3c8d37508b53f14a67e33185e7c69 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41110/MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080004.2.jpg ae894ecb3da8a4c27f14815e4746e799 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [inserted] From Pierre [/inserted] [inserted] To Ron Lorna [/inserted] Pierre Madry, raises his hat to the crew of a British bomber Pierre Madry, insurance writer for Axa in Belbeuf, is a fanatic of history, with a capital H, more than 50 years ago. It is thanks to him that the recent ceremony in honour of the allied soldiers who crashed to the west of Lyons-la-forêt, took place. [italics] "In February 1994, I heard an appeal from Laurent D'hondt, a gendarme from Notre-Dame-de-Gravenchon, who was looking for information about the planes which crashed down in Normandy, he explained. My mother, who was 12 at the time, remembered a bomber crashing in the hamlet of La villenaise, on the Lyons plateau. the inhabitants had picked up the pieces, that is why a fragment of that plane decorated our kitchen for a long time". [italics] Pierre Madry got in touch with the gendarme who then asked him some very precise questions, which brought our man to examine the problem in more detail in England. He put an advertisement in the Royal Air Force magazine and was soon in touch with a lady whose boy friend was on a bomber which crashed on the 9 Th. June 1944. Pierre Madry discovers what follows step by step on backdrop of Liberation: [italics] It is the 6 Th. June 1944 . . . [/italics] [page break] [underlined] Pierre MADRY: [/underlined] It is the 6 Th. June 1944 and the Allies are landing on the beaches of Calvados. The German troops which are advancing towards the beaches of Normandy are a serious threat to the success of the military operation. Our Allies decide to bomb the railway network at the rear of the front in an attempt to disorganise the progression of the enemy. Therefore during the night of 9 Th. to 10 Th. of June 1944, a squadron made up of 106 Lancaster bombers flies over our region to bomb a rail junction in Etampes, South of Paris. The Lancaster No ND 533 from the 49 Th. squadron takes off from its base in Fiskerton at 21.36 hours. It is attacked by the FLAK or by night fighters and crashes down ablaze here, among the trees. Due to lack of time or sufficient height, most of the members of the crew are unable to bail out. According to official reports, only two members out of the seven crew were able to do so. Of these two, one did not survive. The remaining bomb-aimer managed to get out and the local Resistance very quickly took care of him. Unfortunately, he was discovered during his trip back to England only to be imprisoned in Fresnes near to Paris. He will then be deported to the concentration camp in Buchenwald where he died of sickness on the 18 Th. October 1944, just one day before he was to be transferred among other Allied pilots and crew members to an aviators prisoners war camp. [page break] [underlined] Air Commodore EUSTACE: [/underlined] I would like to address the Lord Mayor, the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Town council and all those members of the war-veterans associations, Ladies and Gentlemen It is a great privilege for me to represent the Ambassador of Great Britain and the Royal Air Force at this ceremony in memory of my country's pilots whose Lancaster ND 533 crashed in Lyons-la-Forêt. My military colleagues of the Embassy and I attend many commemorations and each time they are dignified and moving occasions. We greatly admire the way in which you, the French, took in our wounded during the war and the way in which you faithfully honour every year the memory of your and our dead ones. Your armed forces and ours fought alongside more than 50 years ago. The French pilots were with the British Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, and our pilots, our soldiers and our sailors fought together with the members of the Resistance against the Germans in Europe and in North Africa. The three corps are once more side by side; five years ago during the Golf [sic] war, for the last 4 years in Bosnia and in the North and South of Iraq to protect the Kurds and the Arabs who live in the marshes. In most of the United Nations headquarters, the main motor of influence is French-British. Likewise our military relationship is the main vector of the defence of Europe and of the development of an European identity within the NATO. Hardly a week goes by without Army, Navy or Air Force units crossing the Channel. British officers are sent to French units and vice versa. Our staff meet regularly on a ministerial level as do our Chiefs of staff and Field officers. Moreover the European French-British Air Group was established last October and will carry out its first operational exercise next September. It is therefore not surprising that our Ministers and our Chiefs of staff expressed their satisfaction at the co-operation which reigns between us. May this co-operation be for ever progressive and lasting. That is my wish, not only as far as defence is concerned but also in every field of our political and daily life. The world is changing but one thing remains true: the friendship and the affection which bring together the men and women of France and Great Britain as it was the case during the Second World War. Today you are providing evidence of it. The State visit of President Jacques CHIRAC to Great-Britain two weeks ago was yet another example of the very warm relation between our two countries. I thank you from deep down in my heart for being faithful to the memory of our deads [sic], to those who died in your country and particularly today for honouring the sacrifice made by these English pilots who lost their lives in Lyons-la-Forêt. We must not forget them. Thank you. [page break] [underlined] Abbé PLANTÉ, parish priest of Lyons-la-forêt: [/underlined] May the Grace of Jesus, giver of life and conqueror of death still be with you. We are gathered around this cross and around this spray of flowers to honour our British brothers who lost their lives here. With this commemoration, this spray of flowers and our presence here today, we would like to show our gratitude. Through our prayer, we entrust them to the risen Christ. Lord, please give our brothers, who sacrificed their lives eternal rest. May the endless light of His Face shining on them. By the Christ, our Lord. Amen! Let us pray once more that our brothers may be in the hands of our Father: Our Father, which are in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen! May for our brothers the promise of resurrection be fulfilled. "I am the resurrection and the life", says Lord Jesus. He who believes me, will have eternal life, even after death. Go in the peace of Christ and give thanks to God. Que la Grâce de Jésus, donateur de vie et vainqueur de la mort soit toujours avec vous. Nous voici rassemblés autour de cette croix et autour de cette gerbe en hommage à nos frères Britanniques qui sont tombés en ce lieu. Nous voulons, par notre démarche, notre présence et l'offrande de cette gerbe leur manifester notre gratitude, et par notre priéres les confier au Christ ressuscité. Seigneur donne à nos frères, qui ont fait le sacrifice de leur vie, le repos éternel et que brille sur eux la lumière sans fin de Sa Face, par le Christ notre Seigneur. Amen! Prions encore en remettant nos frères entre les mains du Père: Notre Père, qui est aux cieux, que ton nom soit sanctifié, que ton règne vienne, que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel. Donne nous aujourd'hui notre pain de ce jour, pardonne nous nos offenses, comme nous pardonnons aussi à ceux qui nous ont offensé, et ne nous soumets pas à le tentation, mais délivre nous du mal. Amen! Que s'accomplisse pour nos frères la promesse de la résurrection. "Je suis la résurrection et la vie" dit Jésus. Celui qui croit en moi, même s'il meurt, vivra éternellement. Allons dans la paix du Christ, et rendons grâce à Dieu. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Pierre Madry raises his Hat to the Crew of a British Bomber Description An account of the resource An account of the crash of Lancaster ND533 written by Pierre Madry. It is followed by an address given by Air Commodore Eustace at a memorial ceremony for the crew of the Lancaster. Finally, there is an address by Abbe Plante, parish priest of Lyons-la-Foret, in English and French. Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-06-09 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France--Normandy France--Lyons-la-Forêt France--Fresnes (Val-de-Marne) France Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Civilian Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Four printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080001, MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080002, MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080003, MHoldenJ1521290-170725-080004 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sue Smith Maureen Clarke 49 Squadron aircrew anti-aircraft fire bale out bomb aimer bombing crash escaping evading Lancaster Normandy campaign (6 June – 21 August 1944) prisoner of war RAF Fiskerton Resistance https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41102/CHoldenJ-170725-020001.1.jpg 9176da87e16c8d86ff4a9636e520bfbe https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41102/CHoldenJ-170725-020002.1.jpg b6eb7e9fbe55a60357c2592018d33962 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41102/CHoldenJ-170725-020003.1.jpg 089222489e64bb910c895cfc7e31d753 https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41102/CHoldenJ-170725-020004.1.jpg d51b6a713cbd075b8e56be4b4e9b3376 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [inserted] SCALE = 1/100.000 [/inserted] [inserted] Direction ROUEN [symbol] Direction GOURNAY EN BRAY [symbol] [/inserted] [inserted] LA FEUILLIE [/inserted] [inserted] [circled A] = place of the crash of the Lancaster ND533 (first commemoration) [circled B] = cemetery of LES HOGUES (second commemoration) where the pilots shoot [sic] and killed by the S.S (August 1944) were buried. [they were killed in Ste HONORINE [/inserted] [page break] [inserted] [circled B] see on map opposite [/inserted] [underlined] ler témoignage d’un resistant [/underlined] Savait-on qu’ils allaient procéder à des fusillades ? demande le Général Oui, un aviateur anglais était venu nous prévenir: ‘’sauvez-vous’’. Les SS étaient chez moi; nous sommes allés nous réfugier chez Mme. Alleur et Mme. Guérin en passant par les champs. C’était le 25 août, deux jours avant le débarquement; nous avons attendu 8 jours. Nous étions cernés par les allemands. Les alliés ne sont arrivés que le 29 pour nous libérer. Les SS ont fusillé des résistants dans un autre coin de la forêt de Mortemer à 5/6 kms d’ici. Nous étions 18/20 résistants; 8 ont été fusillés et 3 arrêtés. Le soir nous avions deux aviateurs avec nous lors de la lère attaque sur la route de Ste. Catherine. Comme nous savions ce qui c’était passé à Oradour sur Glane, nous avions ordre d’attaquer uniquement des Allemands [underlined] isolés [/underlined] pour qu’il n’y ait pas de réprésailles sur la population civile. Nous avons rencontré quelques allemands isolés. L’officier américain a voulu tirer et sa mitraillette s’est enrayée. Le chef nous a dit de partir. Le lendemain nous nous étions portés volontaires. Un commandcar [sic] allemand s’est présenté mais s’étaient le début d’un convoi. Aussi n’avons-nous rien pu faire. [underlined] 1st testimony of a Resistant fighter [/underlined] “Were you aware that the SS were going to shoot the men?” asked the General. “Yes, because a British soldier came and told us to try and escape”. SS men were in my house. We ran through the fields to hide at the houses of Mrs. Alleur and Mrs.Guérin. It was two days before the landing and we were surrounded by Germans on all sides. We waited 8 days until the allies arrived to liberate us on 29th. of August. The SS shot some men in another area of Mortemers forest, 5/6 kms from here. Out of 18/20 members of the resistance, eight were shot, ant [sic] three were arrested. In the evening, two British pilots joined us for the first attack on the Ste. Catherine Road. After what had happened in Oradour sur Glane, our orders were only to attack groups of Germans on their own in order to avoid reprisals against civilians. We [underlined] did [/underlined] meet some lone Germans but when the american soldier tried to fire his gun, it jammed. He told us to run, as we were young. The next day we were drafted as volunteers. Soon a German command car arrived and we realised it was at the head of a convoy. We could’nt do anything else. [page break] [underlined] 2ème témoignage d’un résistant [/underlined] Celui-ci raconte une courte histoire au Général: Il y avait deux avions en vol, le premier britannique et le second allemand et en tenant d’atteindre le premier les SS ont abattu leur propre avion. Un peu comme cela se passe à la chasse aux canards. Leur pilote a eu le temps de sauter en parachute. [underlined] 2nd testimony of a Resistance fighter [/underlined] He told the General a funny short story. Two planes were in the air; the first one was British, the second one German. The SS were on the ground trying to shoot down the British plane but in doing this they missed and shot their own plane by mistake! It was like something that would happen whilst shooting ducks. The German plane crashed but the pilot managed to jump out. [underlined] 3ème témoignage [/underlined] (Pierre Madry) Nous sommes devant la maison où George M. Mikels a été emprisonné. Il ne reste que la façade. Le bâtiment derrière servait d’Etat Major aux allemands et encore derrière il y avait avant la guerre une fabrique de balles de tennis. Il reste une petite remise en briques et plus loin un bâtiment en bois, maintenant détruit qui servait de camp de prisonniers. D’après le témoignage de M. Le Monnier les Anglais ont été fusillés après qu’on les ait obligé à creuser leurs tombes. L’Abbé Vard qui était là à l’époque est venu, contre la volonté des allemands, bénir leurs corps avant qu’ils soient enterrés à lisiére de la forêt. Pierre Madry précise qu’il y a eu cinq prisonniers fusillés Gordon Brian Lafayette n’est pas dans le cimetière. Certaines personnes des Hogues sont plus ou moins au courant que certains corps ont été exhumés puis rapatriés, soit dans un cimetière militaire près de la Manche, soit aux Etats Unis. Il reste 5 soldats dont le dernier a été tué plus tard à libération lors d’une opération militaire. [underlined] 3rd. testimony (Pierre Madry) [/underlined] We are in front of the house where G. Mikels was imprisoned. Only the front still remains. During the war the building behind was used as a German Headquarters. Behind that there used to be a tennis ball factory before the war. Only the small brick shed remains. Further behind, a wooden building, which does not exist anymore was used as a camp for prisoners of war. According to the testimony of Pascal Lemmonier after the British soldiers were shot, the SS gave orders for their graves to be dug. Mr Vard, who was a priest at the time, came and blessed the bodies, against the orders of the SS, before they were buried at the edge of the forest. Pierre Madry explains that 5 prisoners were shot. Gordon Brian Lafayette is not buried there. Some of the people of Les Hogues think that some of the bodies were exhumed and repatriated, either to a military graveyard near the Channel, or to the USA. The graves of five soldiers are still there. One of these soldiers was killed later in action. [page break] [underlined] 4ème témoignage (Pierre Madry) [/underlined] Selon un témoin, Pierre Le Monnier, un officier de la Wehrmacht était logé chez lui. Deux villageois racontent qu’une nuit Pierre rencontre des SS en ribote qui tenaient une lampe de poche. Pierre donne un coup de pied dans la lampe. L’officier qui logeait chez lui dit qu’il a eu de la chance de s’en sortir car ce sont des chiens sans pitié entraînés à tuer. Par contre, dit Pierre, Il y avait beaucoup de jeunes soldats, dont certains âgés seulement de 18 ans dans l’armée allemande régulière. Il explique qu’il jouait avec eux aux fléchettes. Ils avaient peur des SS et filaient dès qu’ils les voyaient. Pierre Madmry [sic] explique que dans le bâtiment détruit des soldats de la Wehrmacht avaient formé un orchestre, répétaient de la musique et donnaient des concert au début de la guerre. D’une manière générale les gens des Hogues disent avoir été bien traités par les Allemands de l’armée régulierère. Pierre et Pascal et Gérard, le fils de René Laout, gendarme résistant, habitant à St-Sauflieu, se retrouvent maintenant devant le camp qui abritait alors une centaine de prisonniers. Voici la porte de la laiterie qui existait à l’époque. C’est derrière cette porte que s’est caché George Mikels, après s’être échappé du camp lors de la fusillade du 25.8. Les SS, alors en état d’ébriété, ne se sont pas aperçus immédiatement de sa fuite et, ayant rejoint la laiterie, n’ont pas vu non plus que G. Mikel était derrière la porte. Ces évènements sont relatés par sa fille. [underlined] 4th. testimony (Pierre Madry) [/underlined] According to the son of a resistance member, Pierre Lemonnier, an officer of the Wehrmacht lodged at their house during the war. Two villagers recount that one evening Pierre met the SS whilst they were drunk and one of them had a torch. Pierre kicked the torch out of his hand and ran. Afterwards the German officer, who lived at his house, told him that he was lucky because the SS were dogs without mercy and were trained to murder people. On the contrary, says Pierre, the regular German Army was different. It employed young soldiers, some of whom were only 18 years old. He explains how he played darts with some of them and says that they were afraid every time they met the SS. Pierre Madry tells how some of the soldiers of the Wehrmacht used the now derelict building to give concerts and to have band practices before the war. Gérard, an inhabitant of St-Sauflieu and son of René Laout, warrant officer of the gendarmemrie [sic] and member of the resistance, Pascal and Pierre are now in front of the camp where about 100 prisoners of war were kept. René Laout had given refuge to George Mikels who had escaped from the camp during the shooting there. We are now in front of the door which belonged to a milk house at the time. According to G. Mikels daughter, it is behind this door that he hid. The SS who pursued him were so drunk that they did not see him behind the door or notice straight away that he had escaped. They had been the same SS men who had captured him when his plane crashed on the 18th. August. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Testimony of resistance fighters Description An account of the resource First witness statement from a Resistance fighter They had been warned by an English airman that the SS were going to carry out shootings and found refuge on 25th August. They were liberated on 29th August. The SS shot eight Resistance fighters and arrested three (out of 18-20). They had two airmen with them when they attacked the Sainte Catherine road. They had been ordered only to attack isolated Germans to avoid civilian reprisals. The American officer’s machine gun jammed and they were told to leave. They volunteered the following day and although the German command car was at the head of the convoy, they could not do anything. Second witness statement from a Resistance fighter The SS managed to shoot down their own aircraft instead of the British aircraft. The pilot bailed out. Third witness statement (Pierre Madry) Pierre describes former buildings including where George M. Mikels was imprisoned, the German Staff Headquarters and the prisoner camp. M. Le Monnier testified that the English were shot after being forced to dig their own graves. Against German wishes, the priest, Abbé Vard, came to bless them before burial. Five prisoners were shot. Gordon Brian Lafayette was not in the cemetery. Some bodies had allegedly been repatriated. Five soldiers remained. Fourth witness statement (Pierre Madry) An officer from the Wehrmacht was billeted at Pierre’s house and told him he was lucky to be alive after an encounter with some inebriated SS soldiers. The regular German army generally treated people well. They had given concerts and he had played darts with young German soldiers who were afraid of the SS. The camp held around 100 prisoners and George Mikels hid from the SS behind the dairy door. A copy of a map showing where the Lancaster ND 533 crashed and the cemetery where the pilots were buried. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1944 Temporal Coverage Temporal characteristics of the resource. 1944-08 Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France France--Lyons-la-Forêt Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Civilian Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Wehrmacht Language A language of the resource eng fra Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Four printed sheets Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CHoldenJ-170725-020001, CHoldenJ-170725-020002, CHoldenJ-170725-020003, CHoldenJ-170725-020004 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sally Coulter Liz McElwee final resting place Lancaster lynching Resistance https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/files/original/1913/41125/MHoldenJ1521290-170725-17.1.jpg f96f205c672cdbc5973d1ade36cec027 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Holden, John J Holden Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2017-07-25 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context Holden, J Description An account of the resource 30 items. The collection concerns Sergeant John Holden (1521290 Royal Air Force) and contains photographs, documents and correspondence. he flew operations as a wireless operator with 49 Squadron and was killed 10 June 1944. The collection has been loaned to the IBCC Digital Archive for digitisation by Andrew Whitehouse and catalogued by Barry Hunter. Additional information on John Holden is available via the <a href="https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/110983/">IBCC Losses Database.</a> Transcribed document A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Transcription Text transcribed from audio recording or document [inserted] FROM PIERRE. [/inserted] [inserted] PM. To Ron Lorna [/inserted] The HEMMENS story Itinerary of a bomb aimer, after the crash of his Lancaster bomber ND 533 9 Th. June 1944 Mrs Adeline LAVANDIER is making enquiries about aircraft shot down in the forest of Lyons, in Normandy. She contacted Mr RAULIN, who was a teacher in Hacqueville during the war. This man used to keep a register of the allied aviators who crashed in the area. He also used to organise their way back to London. RAULIN advised Mrs LAVANDIER to contact René HERCOUET, a farmer, who was a resistance fighter during the war. Then, Mr Hercouet told her about HEMMENS: Four aviators from a Halifax bomber survived the crash of their plane in Goupilière, on the 28 Th. of June 1944. (It was the Handley Page Halifax LW 143 DY.O – squadron 102 and the aviators were D. EAGLE, R. JOYCE, D. LESLIE and R. LEVERINGTON) Three of them (JOYCE, LESLIE and EVERINGTON) joined the farm HELLOT in Beauficel, probably with the help of the forestry workers who were very active in the "Resistance". Later on, they joined the farm VERHAEGUE in Mortemer's abbey. There are several kilometres between those two farms. The fourth one, EAGLE, was hidden by HERCOUET and joined his colleagues later on directly at the farm VERHAEGUE. But when he got to that place, four aviators were already hidden! Five people were there, even though only four had survived! Mr. Hercouet supposes that the fifth one was HEMMENS. Then, the five men travelled towards Paris, but were arrested on their way and deported to Buckenwald. A very active resistance fighter, ALBERT DELACOUR, the last remaining of his group, told me recently that 17 aviators were betrayed and arrested in the escape network in the vicinity of BONNIERES SUR SEINE, between Les Andelys and Paris. You can find the four names of the Halifax bomber crew on the list given by Frank Peirson, who was radio in an other Halifax bomber shot down in the area on the 15 Th. of July 1944. On this list, you find also WATMOUGH, who had known Hemmens in Fresnes prison. Mrs Lavandier deduced from it that they had been betrayed and given up to the Germans by DESOUBRIES, who also betrayed resistance fighters in the area: This traitor Desoubries had been discovered thanks to an enquiry about the death of BECK (an American pilot) in Buckenwald. In fact, Beck's mother was a friend of the American General Marshall's wife. She had began an enquiry about the presence of numerous aviators in the concentration camp, even though those boys should have been sent to a prisoner's camp for aviators, the "Stalag Luft III". Thanks to that enquiry, the aviators were transferred to this Stalag on the 19 Th. of October 1944. Later, Desoubries was arrested and shot in the "Fort de Montrouge" in 1947. "Long live Hitler" was his last cry! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Hemmens Story Description An account of the resource A complicated story of how Hemmens was mixed with four aircrew who survived a Halifax crash. They were all arrested on their way to Paris. They were sent to Fresnes prison then Buchenwald where Hemmens died, due to medical neglect. Spatial Coverage Spatial characteristics of the resource. France--Eure France--Paris France--Lyons-la-Forêt France--Fresnes (Val-de-Marne) France Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Royal Air Force Royal Air Force. Bomber Command Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Text. Memoir Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource One printed sheet Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context MHoldenJ1521290-170725-17 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal. Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available IBCC Digital Archive Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sue Smith Maureen Clarke 102 Squadron aircrew crash Halifax Lancaster Resistance shot down Stalag Luft 3