Crash Wellington DV786 of the 156 Sqdn. RAF on June 02, 1942 in Brussegem (Belgium)

Hello,

This is my first 'posting' on this forum which I accidentally found on the internet.
But let me first introduce myself : my name is Jan. I am 65 (born in 1951) and I am Belgian.
And therefore : please excuse for some language errors because Flemish (and not English is my mother language.

During my childhood (long time ago) my parents sometimes told me about their life and their fright during W.W. II.
I still remember those 'stories', I was a young boy of about 12, when they told me about a British fighter aircraft (bomber) that crashed in the fields about one mile from where they lived.
Now, so many years later, both my parents have died (in 2006 and 2012) I am still surprised that this dramatic event went by without any honourable remembrance to the young British pilot and his crew who all died in that crash. And therefore, a few months ago, (also because I am interested in the local history of my home village Brussegem, I started my research ... and found the followingdetails in regards to that crash :

On the Belgian website www.bahavzw.be I found the following information :

On June 20, 1942 in the village of Brussegem crashed at 01.50 the Wellington DV786 of the 156 Squadron. All crew members have died :
CHADWICK ERNEST, Sergeant (observer/navigator), 1006926. 156 Squadron. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 2 June 1942. 25 years. Son of Ernest and Ellen Chadwick, from Anfield, Liverpool.
CUDWORTH THOMAS, Sergeant (wireless operator/gunner), 1063702. 156 Squadron. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 2 June 1942. 21 years. Nephew of James Watts, from Oldham, Lancashire.
JOHNSON LEONARD, Sergeant (gunner), 1029425. 156 Squadron. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 2 June 1942.
KEHOE THOMAS JAMES,Sergeant (wireless operator/gunner), 1112884. 156 Squadron. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 2 June 1942. 22 years. Son of Thomas and Elizabeth Kehoe of Fazarkeley, Liverpool.
POWELL PATRICK DAVID, Sergeant (pilot), 1177614. 156 Squadron. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. 2 June 1942.

Via the British website http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/help-with-your-research/research-guides/royal-air-force-personnel I received a copy of the authentic/genuine (but feeble and meaningless)R.A.F.-report of the crash :

"R.A.F.Form 540 of the 'Operations Record Book of the 156 Squadron', page nr. 27 : Place Alconbury - date : 2.6.1942. Twelfve aircraft detailed for operations. Eleven took off in presence of A.O.C. One aircraft returned early (P/O Smith) and one failed to return (Sgt. Powell)(19th sortie) - Appendix A39".

After that, I found on the website http://www.lostbombers.co.uk the following confirming info :

"Wellington DVT Information ... 2 June '42. Crashed at Brussegem (Brabant), 12 km NW of Brussels. Cause of crash not established. Sgt. P.D. Powell KIA, Sgt. E. Chadwick KIA, Sgt. Cudworth KIA, Sgt. T.J. Kehoe KIA, Sgt. L. Johnson KIA".

And also on the website http://www.156squadron.com/display_ roll of honour.asp I also found some information about the victims, pilot and four crew members :

Sgt. P.D. Powell, age ??, target Essen, date 2/6/1942, DVF786, Wellington IC, Brussels Town Cemetry, CWG. 2109236"
Sgt. E. Chadwick, age 22, target Essen, date 2/6/1942, DVF786, Wellington IC, Brussels Town Cemetry, CWG. 2109091"
Sgt. T. Cudworth, age ??, target Essen, date 2/6/1942, DVF786, Wellington IC, Brussels Town Cemetry, CWG. 2109074"
Sgt. T.J. Kehoe, age 21, target Essen, date 2/6/1942, DVF786, Wellington IC, Brussels Town Cemetry, CWG. 2108922"
Sgt. L. Johnson, age 25, target Essen, date 2/6/1942, DVF786, Wellington IC, Brussels Town Cemetry, CWG. 2108889".

I have pictures of their graves on the Brussels Military Cemetry (in the suburb 'Evere').

During my 'local research' I noticed that most local people who lived in the neighbourhood of the crash and who probably could have told me more about that night of the crash have become too old or have passed away.
It also surprised me very much that apparently so little information of this crash and the fallen young men is available in the archives of the Royal Air Force (R.A.F.).
Also my research for relatives of the fallen soldiers is running very difficult.

On the British forum of the "156squadron website" I accidentally noticed that a certain Mr. Kehoe was asking (in 2005 !!!) for some information about the circumstances in which his uncle Thomas Kehoe (one of the Brussegem' victims) has crashed on June 02,1942 with his aircraft in World War II in a little village named Brussegem (Belgium) on his return from bombing the German city of Essen.
I tried to inform Mr. Kehoe (11 years after his posting) about my findings by entering a reply on that forum of the 156th squadron. But I did not get any reaction on the forum (on my input). So I decided to send a private message to Mr. Kehoe (an available option in that forum).
Unfortunately I immediately received an automatic reply, telling me that my e-mail message could not be delivered to the addressee.
So I tried to contact the webmaster of that forum via a private message in order to get some more information (identity, address, ...) of their 'forum member', Mr. Kehoe. But also here, I immediately received an automatic response that my e-mail was undeliverable. So I suppose that this forum has been closed.

That all means that nowadays I am still trying (1) to find some more information about this aircraft crash and (2) to make contact with relatives of the crew members because I personally find that these British young men (which are heroes in my opinion) deserve a memoriam monument on the place where they died in the war because they should get more respect for having given their lives ...

So today ... I have their names ... I have their ages ... their military rank and military identification number ... names of their family in 1942 (son of ... nephew of ...) ... the names of their home villages in 1942 ... AND NOTWITHSTANDING ALL THIS NFORMATION ... it seems that I cannot find any family contact and/or information.

Nevertheless, I do not give up my further research and I ASSUME and HOPE that, with all this 'individual identity information, it should be easy or a little bit easier for a British resident to find via the British Military and/or Civil Authorities in the U.K. what I am looking for : finding (the) relativesof these young men, ...finding some more information about the circumstances of their crash (technical problems ? shut down by German fire ? ... or ???) ... finding some more information of their military mission, of their military career, a.s.o.

This little Belgian 'researcher' should be very very glad if someone in this forum can show him the way (or can help him) ... My hope is in your hands.

Thanks for reading this long 'story' (with, I hope, not too many language errors and understandable)

Kind regards (and thanks in advance).

Jan Willems
Brusselsesteenweg 97
1785 MERCHTEM
Belgium

 

Hello,

0 views ... 0 replies ... for my (first) posting dtd. May 18 ... three weeks later ...

Did I perhaps post my questions on an incorrect forum for helping me in my search to find the relatives of these fallen British soldiers of the 156 RAF Squadron ????

Can no one give me some contact addresses of British Military and/or Civil Authorities through which I can find members of their families ???

Aren't there any "Memorial Days" in the British villages where these fallen soldiers were living during World War II ???

Does nobody miss these (fallen) young men, the brothers, nephews, uncles of someone ... ???

Honestly ??? ... I feel very disappointed ...

Jan W.
Belgium

 

Jan, quite a few experts on here re genealogy in the UK, hopefully they will rise to the challenge and reply.

Wishing you the best of luck

Regards, Peter

 

Hi Jan As three of aircrew are from Northwest England maybe an email to the Echo might get a bit of interest.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/all-about/fazakerley

 

Hello,

I am very grateful for the three reactions I have got so far on my first posting.

Last Thursday I have sent an e-mail to the 'Liverpool Echo' (newspaper) asking whether it is possible and whether they would be so kind to address a 'help request' to their readers regarding my research for finding/contacting surviving family of the crashed young men. I hope to get some reaction(s) in the coming days/weeks..

During last weekend I was asking myself whether it is (not) possible to launch via Facebook an appeal to look for / to find surviving family of these fallen R.A.F. soldiers.
Unfortunately I am not so confident with Facebook and I do not know how I should do that.

Maybe can someone of the forum members help me a little bit ?

Kind regards.

Jan Willems
Belgium

 

Hi Jan. Don't be to dependant on the echo replying, I have emailed various papers and websites, sometimes you get replies sometimes you don't, it just needs the right person to see it.
I to would hang back on facebook, for the moment and see what develops here.

Keep smiling you never know what is happening quietly in the background.

 

Jan,

No 156 Squadron appears to have a healthy Squadron Association which may assist you in tracing the families of Wellington DV 786.....it has a forum,message board and feedback section.You ought to make contact with their website again despite having disappointment before.The website owner has stated that he prefers enquiries to be made via the message board.

http://www.156squadron.com

Trusting that you will be able to further your research.

Per Ardua ad Astra

 

Dear Harry Ree,

Thank you for advising me to forward my "research message" via the message board of the 156squadron website.

I have just entered my message on the message book (guest book) ... but I had to divide my message into two parts because I exceeded the maximum length (2.000 characters) ^_^.

And now ... wait and hope, getting some success in my research.

Once again ... Thanks for helping me !!!!!

 

Jan,....... further thoughts

The Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) might be able to assist you in further research.I have searched for RAFA branches which may be able to help you in the Anfield,Liverpool,Fazakerley,Liverpool and Oldham,Lancashire locations.Unfortunately the information displayed is based on the meeting venues of those branches.

Incidentally the RAFA covers its work, together with aviation articles, in its own member magazine, "Air Mail"

From that it may be the best to contact the RAFA via their enquiry section as a general enquiry.....https://www.rafa.org.uk/members/contact/

There is another route to research and that is through the RAF Casualty Branch of the Air Historical Branch but it will involve fees of £30 and would not include tracing of the Next of Kin (NOK).However the RAF Casualty Branch link will give you an indication of the information searched for, of the loss of an aircraft and the fate of its crew.As it states some of the related information may be in the Public Domain

http://www.raf.mod.uk/ahb/rafcasualties/index.cfm

 

Hi Jan

Your posting has just been sent to me by another member . Yes the Thomas Kehoe who was part of the crew was my uncle. Prior to the war he was studying to be a priest but decided he had to be part of the War effort. The flight was only his fourth, I believe that they were shot down on their outward flight. Some years ago my wife and I and our children went to the cemetery and laid flowers at his grave and those of his fellow crew. 1942 was a hard year for his family as his brother, my father Leslie Francis Kehoe, who was a sailor in the Merchant Navy was sunk in mid atlantic by a german submarine in the same month. Coincidentally the number of the U boat was 156 the same number as Thomas's squadron. Fortunately my father survived a 12 day/ 1000 mile voyage in a small lifeboat and landed safely at the island of St. Martin in the West Indies otherwise I would not be here!

Tony Kehoe

 

Hi Tony
Thanks for getting in touch.

 

Hello,

I would like to refer to my initial message on this forum dated 18 May 2016 about 5 British young men who passed away on June 02, 1942 when their Wellington IC-DVF786 of the (R.A.F.) 156 Squadron crashed in the fields of my hometown, a little village named Brussegem, about 12 km N.W. of Brussels, Belgium.

Based on the information I have found, I assume that these young men, all RAF Volunteer Reserve 2, were from the N.W. of England (the region near Liverpool, Oldham,Manchester, ...). Their names and identification data are :

PATRICK DAVID POWELL, sergeant (pilot), 1177614 ...
ERNEST CHADWICK, sergeant (observer, navigator), 1006926 - age : 22 or 25 years - son of Ernest and Ellen Chadwick from Anfield Liverpool ...
THOMAS CUDWORTH, sergeant (wireless operator, gunner), 1063702, age : 21 years - nephew of James Watts from Oldham, Lancashire ...
LEONARD JOHNSON, sergeant (gunner), 1029425 ...
THOMAS JAMES KEHOE, sergeant (wireless operator, gunner), 1112884, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Kehoe of Fazarkeley, Liverpool ...

What are the most important things I am still looking for ?

1. I hope to get/find photos of each of these five R.A.F. airmen (these will be put on a memorial stone in Brussegem/Belgium)
2. I hope to find living descendants or friends of each of these five R.A.F. airmen to get some more background information about their lives, their characters, parents, brothers, sisters, the address where they lived, their profession, their conviction to join the army in war, ... to write all this information in a brochure that will be published on the inauguration of the memorial stone.

Maybe some of you can also or will be so kind to inform me where and how I (being a Belgian and not so confident with the possibilities in the U.K.) can find what I am looking for ?
And if you know people within your circle of acquantances or people who may be family of one of these fallen airmen, please let me know.

Up to now I only succeeded in contacting Mr. Tony Kehoe, a nephew of one of the fallen lads (Thomas James Kehoe.
I am very thankful for the information he forwarded me already. Unfortunately he has no photo of his uncle.

Dear members of this forum, you have my highest appreciation and I thank you all in advance for your help, I hope to receive in a lot of reactions.

These reactions may be posted on this forum or can be sent to my e-mail address : janwillems@telenet.be or to my postal address : Jan Willems, Brusselsesteenweg 97, 1785 Merchtem, Belgium.

Many thanks,

Jan

 

Hi Jan, I have tried to find things about the crew, but always seem to come up against a dead end.
But have come up with an idea of how Wellington DV786 came to crash in your backyard.

Key to picture.
Black lines = Bombers from bases in Norfolk/Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Cambridge heading to a formation point just off Dutch coast.

Red line = Route of Bombers to target Essen.

Blue line = Route home.

Brown line = Possible route of DV786 to crash site.

Yellow line = Possible route of DV786 to crash site.

I have been unable to find a target route/map for 2nd 1000 bomber raid, 2nd June 1942.

But looking at others it seems about right.



Navigation of a ww2 Bomber. This site explains the navigators job

http://www.merkki.com/navigators%20of%20usaaf%20in%20world%20war%20II.htm

Now if the crash happened on the out ward flight how could it have been where it was?

1.Yellow line: If the navigator had made a slight error or his instruments had been given wrong readings and had caused the plane to be further south then, they thought they were. The navigator noticed the error as they crossed the coastline, they would then have to make a turn to bring them on a direct route to Essen. Which would take them close to Brussels. (Possibly no other aircraft in the area at the time).

The crash site is approx. 50 miles from the coast or less than 15 mins flying time if they were traveling at 200mph (Wellington max speed 235mph)

The weather was good that night.

http://www.london-weather.eu/article.83.html The first week of June was mostly very warm or hot,

So if they were trying to make up time, something could have failed with the aircraft.

This statement is in the accident report of the Wellington I am researching.

<It is known that Wellington aircraft become progressively nose heavy at high speed and that this tendency if not corrected will quickly lead to failure of the wings and tail plane under download conditions.>

2. The brown line. The Plane having a mechanical failure and not able to make the turn and one breakage leading to another, then loss of control.

Crash on the way home.

DV786 completed its bomb run turned right and followed the (blue line) route home, could have sustained damage from anti-aircraft fire over the target, which finally completely failed over the Brussels area.

I can hear you thinking why did they not turn left and fly home over the Netherlands.

Two reasons, 1. Any slight navigation error after the turn could put you head on with the other bombers coming in for their run. 2. It would also bring the planes over Rotterdam or Amsterdam which would be bristling with AA guns and fighter aircraft.

Possibly just one of my daft theories.

 

Anyone got this vol, Bomber command losses 1942.
Bill Chorley's 3rd publication detailing losses incurred by bomber command for 1942. All in date order, aircraft type, serial number and circumstances of the loss.
And be able to post relevant details for DVF786.
Thanks RCG.

 

No extra loss detail there either however it was the 2nd of June not the 20th.

The 2nd of June is mentioned further down Jan's first post.

Took of 2338 Alconbury. Crashed 12 kms NW of Brussels.

 

Perhaps I should have explained that I am looking for the details of when and where it was made and any other details pertaining to the Plane and not of the crash.
Thanks RCG.

 

Why would that information be in Chorley 1942?

 

Whoops must be my mistake then. I can remember seeing somewhere, those facts I'm looking for. Must put my thinking cap on.

 

Probably lost Bombers!