Oblt Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer intercepted the Wellington X LN296 of 429 RCAF Sqn, a machine that left at 22:56. GMT had taken off from its East Moor base. It was at 01:32 am. that this Wimpey crashed at Averbode. For Schnaufer it was the eighteenth victory, for the entire crew it meant death. The following report can be read in the municipal archives of Averbode:
"In the night of 3 to 4 July 1943, around 1.30 am, an aircraft was set on fire over the territory of the municipality. This aircraft exploded in the air and burning wreckage fell in the vicinity of Broekstraat and the Kleine Broekstraat.A part (engine and wing) came down in the fields Van de Wouwer Frans, in front of the house of Mulders Edmonds and reported the fire to the stables.The fire spread rapidly, there was no thought of extinguishing and the the whole farm burned down, and the cattle and part of the furniture could be saved.
Firebombs and other incendiary weapons of war were scattered all around Mulders Edmond's home.
Another wreck fell just next to Morren Frans' house in Kleine Broekstraat (motor with wing). The buildings were not damaged, but several fruit trees were burned.
The wreckage of the kabien fell into the fields of Didden Edmond.
Immediate searches were made by the police and members of the city council to locate the crew of the plane and, if necessary, provide assistance to the injured.
A first body was found in a meadow about 50 yards from Mulders Edmond (soldier Rotherha - nvds: Sgt PG Rothera ). A second corpse (Reynolds - nvds : F/L Fred A. Reynolds, 26-year-old Canadian radio operator ) was found in the fields of Didden Edmond.
A third corpse lay under the wreckage (kabien) on the same field (Blackmane - nvds F/Sgt EC Blackman ). The fourth corpse was found in the burnt wreckage in front of Mulders Edmond's home; it was completely charred and unrecognizable (soldier Brinton - nvds : F/L RH Brinton, the pilot ).
These four corpses were identified by German soldiers and they gave us these names.
The municipal council of Averbode received an order on 4 July to have 5 coffins made. The funeral was to take place at 5 o'clock in the afternoon; however, only four bodies had been found by then. The authoritative German officer stated that a fifth corpse would be found. Indeed, after the funeral, around 7 p.m., a fifth corpse was found, in the fields of Vernelen Petrus. The loneliness was picked up by the municipal police and it turned out to be Bishop John P. Canadian airman, N°133.344 (nvds : this 32-year-old Pilot Officer was the navigator).The corpse was immediately coffined and buried the same day, following the directions given by the German military authorities. Everything that was found on this corpse rests in the hands of the German soldiers.
Though fallen from a great height, the bodies were not badly damaged. There was no trace that the parachutes could have been used; probably the occupants were intoxicated when the plane exploded.
The fallen airmen were buried in a common grave in the cemetery in Averbode.
The plane shot down was a twin engine bomber, "Vicker-Wellington" type 1940. No personal accidents occurred among the people of Averbode. All the observances and duties prescribed by the Occupying Government in the event of a plane crashing were performed by the municipal authorities."
For a reason unknown to us, the remains of the fallen in November 1945 were transferred to the Bergen-op-Zoom military cemetery in the Netherlands. In 1947 a memorial plaque was unveiled by the British Consul at the place where they had found a temporary resting place. Unfortunately, this memory was also lost during the reconstruction of the cemetery.
