TracesOfWar.com

Commonwealth War Graves Zwartewaal

(Netherlands, the - South Holland - Zwartewaal)

There are six Commonwealth war graves on Zwartewaal General Cemetery.

Five of them died on 20/05/1945, more than two weeks after cessation of hostilities. Four of them were British: Browes, Groombridgde, Lowman and Wheeler. They served with 126 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, attached to the 9th Battalion The Middlesex Regiment. The other person was the Canadian Monk, serving with 7 Battery, 2 Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery. On the afternoon of 20 May 1945 they were unloading a German ammunition dump together with some Dutch collaborators. A booby trap was placed in the ammunition dump, which caused a huge explosion, killing all five soldiers. Two days later, they were buried at the cemetery in Zwartewaal, alongside Flight Lieutenant Ivor Worthington-Wilmer.

Worthington-Wilmer was the pilot of Bristol Blenheim L8866. This aircraft was shot down by two German fighters on 4 Juli 1940. It crashed at the Dutch coast near Oostvoorne. The next day some fishermen from Zwartewaal found the body of Worthington-Wilmer. The crew was completed by Sergeant Maydon and Stanley. Maydon was later found in the wreckage and buried in Oostvoorne. Stanley is still missing.

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Source

• Text: Pieter Schlebaum
• Photos: Fedor de Vries