Lancaster monument Schinveld

Since 14 June 2015, a monument commemorating the crash of Lancaster EE167 (AR-N) of 460 Squadron RAAF has been placed on Julianastraat in Schinveld. This aircraft crashed near this place on the night of 14 to 15 June 1943. En route from the English RAF Binbrook to bomb Oberhausen in the German Ruhr area, the Lancaster bomber EE 167 / AR-N of the Australian RAAF squadron 460 was shot over Sittard by a German night fighter after which the bomber crashed into the Schinveld forests. Five Australian crew members were killed, two other crew members were seriously injured and were taken prisoner of war by the Germans. The five fallen Australians are buried in Nijmegen at the Commonwealth War Cemetery Jonkerbos. The British Booth and the Canadian Matheson survived the war in captivity. Booth was released from Heydekrug (Stalag Luft 6) in Fallingbostel (POW camp 357) in April 1945 after one of the 'Lange Marsen' in April 1945. Matheson was wounded to such an extent that he was exchanged via the Red Cross and returned home before the end of the war used to be. Booth died in 1996 in Huddersfield, England. Matheson died in 2002 in Toronto, Canada. The crew of Lancaster EE167: Flight Sergeant G.R. Cope RAAF (KIA) Flying Officer H.L. Gordon RAAF (KIA) Sergeant D. Douds RAAF (KIA) Sergeant D. B. Crouch RAAF (KIA) Sergeant D. S. Finlason RAAF (KIA) Sergeant E. Booth (POW) Sergeant W. R. Matheson RCAF (POW) The photograph on the monument shows the five Australians who died during their training: v.l.n.r. Fl / Sgt. Donald Finlason (tail gunner), Fl / Sgt. George Cope (pilot), Fl / Sgt. Douglas Douds (bomber), Fl / Sgt. Douglas Crouch (radio operator) and F / O. Hugh Gordon (navigator) and their mascot "Brownie". This memorial is the heart wish of Hein Jansen (photo 5, right) who, as a 12-year-old boy, experienced the crash behind the house of his parents from very close by. He saw the havoc at their home, the dead airmen. All things that made a deep, indelible impression on him. To honor the five Australians in particular - but also the British and Canadian - he devoted himself to establishing this monument. The memorial contains three fatal place names for this crew: Binbrook, Sittard and Schinveld and the names of all crew members. So that we will never forget their sacrifice. Used sources) Text: Pieter Schlebaum, Wim Slangen