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Re: Dutch Defiants - more information

Posted by Cees Broere on Sat Jan 12, 2002 10:25:58 AM

In reply top Dutch Defiants - How I see it! posted by Paul McMillan on Sat Jan 12, 2002 08:01:28 AM

: From various references:
:
: If the Defiant wreckage in the museaum is 'PS-M' as flown
: by G. E. Chandler the it is L6960 Construction Number 11/
: delivered to 6 MU 29/11/39, then to 264 Sqn 9/12/39 (B Fli
: ght) Shot down by Bf 109 of 5/JG 26 on May 13th 1940 (not
: on the 12th May 1940) 15 miles south east of Rotterdam. At
: the time of this it had 23.20 flying hours.
: (Source Brew: Defiant File)
:
: This was one of 6 Defiants of B Flight 264 Sqn (escorted b
: y Spitfires of 66 Sqn) that were attacking either 15 JU52
: that were on the Beach at the Hague (Gull) or German troop
: movements (Brew) . In this mission a total of 5 Defiants
: and 1 Spitfire were lost. (Source: Gull et al: 12 Days in
: May and Brew)
:
: The crew of L6960 were
:
: Pilot P.O. Gordon Emery Chandler (Serial 33559) Killed Age
: d 20, Buried Made-En-Drimmelen Protestant Churchyard, Noo
: rd-Brabant, Netherlands
:
: Gunner LAC Douglas Leslie McLeish (Serial 581467) Killed A
: ged 20 Buried at: Wekendam Protestant Cemetery, Noord-Brab
: ant, Netherlands
:
: (Source: CWGC)
:
: Interesting another Defiant L6958 (c/n 9) was also lost at
: Biesbosh (Source: Franks - Fight Command Losses) lists bo
: th these Defiants as crashing at Biesbosh). In this aircar
: ft the Gunner LAC John Stuart Mee Bromley Serial 521432 wa
: s killed aged 24 (the Pilot P/O Thomas bailed out and evad
: ed).
:
: IMHO. I think this second Defiant is the one that Cees men
: tioned about being recovered and a body desecrated. The fa
: cts match up, especially as the Gunner is listed as missin
: g and as such is Commemorated on the Runnymead Memorial.
:
: Cees, do you know if his remains were ever retrieved from
: the &^%$"!* ?$%^ who had them on his mantle piece?
:
: As Brew or Franks do not mention a Sqn Code, and the refer
: ence has no aircraft ID then I wondering which of these De
: fiants is in the museam
:

Hello Paul,

I just talked to someone of the Biesbosch Museum on the phone and he told met the following story:

One day some boys came to the museum with the story of a machinegun barrel sticking out of the water. When they tried to pull it out it wouldn't budge. Later they (I do not know who yet) using heavy equipment recovered the whole aircraft (his words, but probably wreckage). What they have on show is a machine gun and the Rolls Royce Merlin. He confirmed the date of the crash as May 13th 1940, but he did not know which one it was. The museum sells a book which has been written by a local historian which covers the airwar over the Biesbosch. I know the name of this person and will contact him very soon. Hopefully he know the whole story.

I will get back on this one.

Cees
:

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