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Operation: Aalborg West airfield Denmark
Date: 21/22nd April 1940 (Sunday/Monday)
Unit: No. 149 Squadron
Type: Wellington 1A
Serial: P9218
Code: OJ-J
Base: RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk
Location: near Aggersund (Limfjord) Denmark
Pilot: F/O Frederick T. Knight RAF PoW Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang
Nav: Sgt Gerald Edwin Forsyth 550402 RAF Pow No: 13108 Stalag Kopernikus
Air/Bmr: Sgt Heil Cain McDonald RAF PoW Stalag Lamsdorf
W/Op/Air/Gnr: AC2 Philip Blackburn 627118 RAF PoW No: 223 Stalag Kopernikus
Air/Gnr: AC2 Jesse James Eldridge 621519 RAF PoW No: 13069 Stalag Luft Heydekrug
Air/Gnr: AC1 William Thew 540768 RAF PoW No: 13075 Stalag Kopernikus
REASON FOR LOSS:
Taking off at 17:55 hrs from RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk to bomb the airfields at Aalborg in Denmark.
P9218 was hit by flak from 5./Res. Flak Abt. 603 in one engine, and had to ditch in the Limfjorden 500 meters East of the Aggersund bridge at 21:50 hours.
F/O Frederick T. Knight where he became ill with tuberculosis. On 6/2 1945 he was repatriated to England, where he died shortly after.
The aircraft had been heard at the Monrad house in Aggersund and Mads Anker Sekker Lund who lived with the Monrad family was send down to the Limfjorden to bring the flyers to the house. At the same time Monrad asked his wife to prepare food for the flyers. The crew were shaken but more or less unhurt apart from minor bruises. They left the aircraft and waded ashore and were they were met by Mads. They were then taken to the house of Registered land surveyor A.C.H. Monrad who asked them in, and called for Doctor Petersen from the hospital in Fjerritslev to come and treat the pilot F/O. Knight for a scratch on the forehead and the wireless operator, AC2. Eldridge for a bruised ankle. The remaining crew were Sgt. McDonald, Sgt. Forsyth, AC2. Blackburn and AC1. Thew. They realised that their chances to escape were limited and chose to give themselves up. Monrad called Constable Richard Laursen of Fjerridslev who reluctantly informed the Germans. At two o`clock in the morning the crew were picked up by Luftwaffe personnel from Aalborg West and taken there.
Burial details:
None - all crew survived the ditching.
Researched Michel Beckers for Aircrew Remembered - January 2017. Photographs from the collection of Michel Beckers.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember
them. - Laurence
Binyon
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Last Modified: 12 March 2021, 09:01