Gemenebest-vliegeniers - Diever, NL
Posted by: 
Team Boon
N 52° 51.443 E 006° 19.315
32U E 319698 N 5859765
[NL]
Monument voor zeven omgekomen Gemenebest-vliegeniers.
[EN]
Memorial to seven Commonwealth airmen who died after plane crash.
Waymark Code: WM13XW3
Location: Drenthe, Netherlands
Date Posted: 03/09/2021
Views: 4
[NL]
Op de begraafplaats van Diever bevinden zich zeven oorlogsgraven van het Gemenebest. Hier liggen de zeven bemanningsleden van een geallieerde bommenwerper begraven; zes Canadezen en een Engelsman- die zijn gesneuveld op 22 november 1943, toen hun vliegtuig werd neergeschoten in de Oude Willem. De omgekomen vliegeniers waren de Canadezen G.A. Howitson, W.L. Hunter, J.A. Lessage, G.A. May, M.A. McKellar, R.J. Newman en de Engelsman W.B. Jones.
De Nederlandse Oorlogsgravenstichting heeft de graven voorzien van monumenten. Het geheel is geplaveid met gemetselde keien waardoor er een groot herdenkingsmonument is ontstaan.
Op de herdenkings-stenen staat de tekst:
----------------------------------------
1814011 SERGEANT
W.B. JONES
FLIGHT ENGINEER
ROYAL AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 18
HE DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE
----------------------------------------
R.225109 SERGEANT
G.A. HOWITSON
WIRELESS OPERATOR/AIR GUNNER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 21
IN GOD WE LIVE
AND HAVE LIFE EVERLASTING
----------------------------------------
R.157077 FLIGHT SERGEANT
M.A. MC KELLAR
AIR BOMBER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 20
A FEARLESS SOUL
A WELL LOVED SON
AT JOURNEY'S END
AND VICTORY WON
----------------------------------------
FLYING OFFICER
R.J. NEWMAN
NAVIGATOR
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 21
SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE
----------------------------------------
PILOT OFFICER
W.L. HUNTER
PILOT
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 21
AT THE GOING DOWN
OF THE SUN
AND IN THE MORNING
WE WILL REMEMBER HIM
----------------------------------------
R.197082 SERGEANT
G.A. MAY
AIR GUNNER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 19
----------------------------------------
R/65939 WARRANT OFFICER II
J.A. LESAGE
AIR GUNNER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943
----------------------------------------
[EN]
Diever Cemetery contains seven Commonwealth war graves. Here are the seven crew members of an Allied bomber buried; six Canadians and an Englishman - who died on November 22, 1943, when their plane was shot down in the Oude Willem. The killed airmen were the Canadians G.A. Howitson, W.L. Hunter, J.A. Lessage, G.A. May, M.A. McKellar, R.J. Newman and the Englishman W.B. Jones.
The Dutch War Graves Foundation has provided the graves with monuments. The whole is paved with masonry boulders, creating a large memorial monument.
On the commemorative stones is the text:
----------------------------------------
1814011 SERGEANT
W.B. JONES
FLIGHT ENGINEER
ROYAL AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 18
HE DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE
----------------------------------------
R.225109 SERGEANT
G.A. HOWITSON
WIRELESS OPERATOR/AIR GUNNER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 21
IN GOD WE LIVE
AND HAVE LIFE EVERLASTING
----------------------------------------
R.157077 FLIGHT SERGEANT
M.A. MC KELLAR
AIR BOMBER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 20
A FEARLESS SOUL
A WELL LOVED SON
AT JOURNEY'S END
AND VICTORY WON
----------------------------------------
FLYING OFFICER
R.J. NEWMAN
NAVIGATOR
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 21
SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE
----------------------------------------
PILOT OFFICER
W.L. HUNTER
PILOT
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 21
AT THE GOING DOWN
OF THE SUN
AND IN THE MORNING
WE WILL REMEMBER HIM
----------------------------------------
R.197082 SERGEANT
G.A. MAY
AIR GUNNER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943 AGE 19
----------------------------------------
R/65939 WARRANT OFFICER II
J.A. LESAGE
AIR GUNNER
ROYAL CANADIAN AIR FORCE
22ND NOVEMBER 1943
----------------------------------------
Date cemetery was established: 1943
Visiting hours:
available in day hours
Website pertaining to the cemetery: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.
We would also like to hear about any of your deceased family members who may be laid to rest in the cemetery.