On 2 Dec 1944, 433 RCAF Squadron's Handley Page Halifax (#MZ807), with an aircrew of seven, went missing over France following its night operation over Hagen, Germany. It had been hit and damaged by German flak and, upon attempting a landing it crashed near Willer-sur-Thur in France, taking the lives of six of its crew; the seventh member of the crew survived and evaded capture.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service-
Rank: Flying Officer
Trade: Air Bomber
Service Number: J/43279
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique ["Who Opposes It Gets Hurt"]);
A saw mill labourer by trade, he enlisted in the RCAF on 1 Oct 1941 in Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada.
Son of William James and Estella (née Taylor) Pitman of Douglastown, New Brunswick.
Flying Officer John Benjamin Pittman is commemorated on Page 418 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service-
Rank: Flying Officer
Trade: Air Bomber
Service Number: J/43279
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique ["Who Opposes It Gets Hurt"]);
A saw mill labourer by trade, he enlisted in the RCAF on 1 Oct 1941 in Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada.
Son of William James and Estella (née Taylor) Pitman of Douglastown, New Brunswick.
Flying Officer John Benjamin Pittman is commemorated on Page 418 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
On 2 Dec 1944, 433 RCAF Squadron's Handley Page Halifax (#MZ807), with an aircrew of seven, went missing over France following its night operation over Hagen, Germany. It had been hit and damaged by German flak and, upon attempting a landing it crashed near Willer-sur-Thur in France, taking the lives of six of its crew; the seventh member of the crew survived and evaded capture.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service-
Rank: Flying Officer
Trade: Air Bomber
Service Number: J/43279
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique ["Who Opposes It Gets Hurt"]);
A saw mill labourer by trade, he enlisted in the RCAF on 1 Oct 1941 in Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada.
Son of William James and Estella (née Taylor) Pitman of Douglastown, New Brunswick.
Flying Officer John Benjamin Pittman is commemorated on Page 418 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The six airmen who perished in this crash were-
RCAF Flying Officer John Edward GRANT,
RCAF Robert Howard SHIELLS,
RCAF Flight Lieutenant Walter Herbert COOK,
RCAF Flying Officer John Benjamin PITTMAN,
RCAF Pilot Officer Joseph William ASH and
RAFVR Sergeant Richard Eric AINSWORTH.
(The seventh airman, RCAF Lorne Albert MALLORY, who was seriously injured but survived the crash, was rescued and cared for by several families of Willer-sur-Thur. On 7 May 2006, Lorne A. Mallory was back at Willer-sur-Thur as the guest of honour for the unveiling of a commemorative stone; this two-ton stone monument, erected at the exact spot where Halifax MZ807 crashed on 2 Dec 1944, was dedicated to remembering the aircrew of seven that were brought down by German anti-aircraft fire near Willer-sur-Thur.)
Military Service-
Rank: Flying Officer
Trade: Air Bomber
Service Number: J/43279
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 433 RCAF Squadron; RAF Skipton-on-Swale in the Hambleton district of North Yorkshire
(MOTTO: Qui S'y Frotte S'y Pique ["Who Opposes It Gets Hurt"]);
A saw mill labourer by trade, he enlisted in the RCAF on 1 Oct 1941 in Chatham, New Brunswick, Canada.
Son of William James and Estella (née Taylor) Pitman of Douglastown, New Brunswick.
Flying Officer John Benjamin Pittman is commemorated on Page 418 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Inscription
(Epitaph...)
AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN
AND IN THE MORNING
WE WILL REMEMBER
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