The Halifax III of Davenescourt

HALIFAX III HX 350  51 Sqdn RAF 

The mission of the RAF bombers

During the night of April 18 to 19, 1944, a force composed of 8 "Mosquito" of the Group VIII PFF, 24 "Lancaster" of the Group VIII PFF, and 139 "Halifax" of the Group IV have for target the railway center of TERGNIER.

The attack lasted from 23h24 to 23h36.

Among them the "Halifax" III registered HX 350 MH Y of Squadron 51 of the RAF which took off from the base of Snaith with 15 other "Halifax".

On board 7 crewmen: (click here to see the number of mission of each member)

F/Sgt Alan Sarjantson Pilot 20 years old

Sgt MarkCharles Mc Carthy Navigating Mechanic 20 years  

F/O William George Meeson Navigator 23 years

Sgt John Edward Roderick Samuel Scheffler Bombardier 21 years

Harry Dennis Nash Radio Operator 22 years old

Stanley George Myers Senior Machine Gunner 21 years old

Sgt James Alan Smith Rear Machine Gunner 21 years old

Heard on the radio for the last time at 23h 46 while it was south-east of Amiens, this British bomber was obviously the victim of a Luftwaffe night fighter and after having exploded in the air, the debris of this four-engine plane crashed 2 kilometers south/south-west of DAVENESCOURT, 6 kilometers north/north-east of MONTDIDIER and close to BECQUIGNY in the marshes of Cageolois.

No survivors. The bodies of the unfortunate airmen were found among the debris of the bomber, in the crash area. Some of them are still in the cabin, others are lying on the ground after having imprinted their silhouette. The 7 men will be regrouped and buried, they rest now in the cemetery of DAVENESCOURT.

Hptm Joseph Krahforst of the 2/NJG4 of the Luftwaffe will claim to have shot down a "Halifax" flying at 5000 meters of altitude in the region of MONTDIDIER at 23h 46, victory confirmed by a film.

The Gendarmerie of MONTDIDIER will report that :

"During the night of April 18-19, 1944, an English four-engine bomber "Halifax" exploded in the air over the territory of BECQUIGNY.

The debris fell in the marshes located at the West of this commune.

The crew members were killed.

The fall of this plane did not cause any damage or victims.

The airmen are buried 800 meters from the crash site in the civilian cemetery of DAVENESCOURT next to the crew of a "Halifax" that fell on April 11, 1944, one week earlier. Curiously, on April 11, the "Halifax" # LV 880 MH © C that fell on the territory of this same village was carrying out an identical mission over Tergnier and belonged to the same Squadron 51. Currently a link is being established with Mrs. Janette Cotterill, the niece of the navigator, Flight Officer William George Meeson who was 23 years old.

During this mission, we deplore the loss of 5 other "Halifax" of Group IV

2 of them collided and crashed 11 km southwest of SAINT QUENTIN in the territory of SERANCOURT-LE-GRAND

"Halifax" III # LW 522 MH © J of Squadron 51 - 7 crew members, no survivor (See here the composition of the crew 1st mission of the pilot, 4th mission of the rear gunner)

"Halifax" III # LV 946 NP © K of Squadron 158 - 7 crew members, no survivors

The 14 victims are buried in the British cemetery of SERANCOURT-LE-GRAND

"Halifax" III # LV 954 NP © Q of Squadron 158 fell at DAMERY, 5 km North-West of ROYE - There will be 2 survivors among the 7 crew members, they will be captured by the German military. The 5 victims will be buried a little later in the cemetery of MEHARICOURT. This Halifax was probably the victim of a night fighter.

"Halifax" III # LV 956 HD © R of Squadron 466 fell at FORGES-LES-EAUX - 7 crew members including 4 survivors: 2 escaped, 2 others were captured by the Germans. The 3 other crew members perished during the crash and are buried in the cemetery of POIX DE LA SOMME. This Halifax is victim of a night chaser.

"Halifax" III # LW 722 C8 © S of Squadron 640 fell east of DIEPPE - 7 crew members including 3 survivors who were taken prisoner, the others died (including the bomber who did not survive his injuries). The 4 victims will be buried in the military cemetery of GRANDCOURT.

* Report realized by M JP Ducellier with the documents coming from the Public Record Office (National Archives of Kew/London) and the information of M Pierre Ben. The photo of the crew with the identification of the airmen as well as the list of the missions were transmitted to us by Peter Gulliver historian and administrator of the site "RAF 51 Squadron History Society".

The airmen rest 800 meters from the crash site in the civilian cemetery of DAVENESCOURT next to the crew members of a "Halifax" that fell on April 11, 1944, one week earlier. Curiously, on April 11, the "Halifax" # LV 880 MH © C that fell on the territory of this same village was carrying out an identical mission over Tergnier and belonged to the same Squadron 51. Currently a link is being forged with Mrs. Janette Cotterill, the niece of the navigator, Flight Officer William George Meeson who was 23 years old.

During this mission, we deplore the loss of 5 other "Halifax" of Group IV

2 of them collided and crashed 11 km southwest of SAINT QUENTIN in the territory of SERANCOURT-LE-GRAND

"Halifax" III # LW 522 MH © J of Squadron 51 - 7 crew members, no survivor (See here the composition of the crew 1st mission of the pilot, 4th mission of the rear gunner)

"Halifax" III # LV 946 NP © K of Squadron 158 - 7 crew members, no survivors

The 14 victims are buried in the British cemetery of SERANCOURT-LE-GRAND

"Halifax" III # LV 954 NP © Q of Squadron 158 fell at DAMERY, 5 km North-West of ROYE - There will be 2 survivors among the 7 crew members, they will be captured by the German military. The 5 victims will be buried a little later in the cemetery of MEHARICOURT. This Halifax was probably the victim of a night fighter.

"Halifax" III # LV 956 HD © R of Squadron 466 fell at FORGES-LES-EAUX - 7 crew members including 4 survivors: 2 escaped, 2 others were captured by the Germans. The 3 other crew members perished during the crash and are buried in the cemetery of POIX DE LA SOMME. This Halifax is victim of a night chaser.

"Halifax" III # LW 722 C8 © S of Squadron 640 fell east of DIEPPE - 7 crew members including 3 survivors who were taken prisoner, the others died (including the bomber who did not survive his injuries). The 4 victims will be buried in the military cemetery of GRANDCOURT.

* Report realized by M JP Ducellier with the documents coming from the Public Record Office (National Archives of Kew/London) and the information of M Pierre Ben. The photo of the crew with the identification of the airmen as well as the list of the missions were transmitted to us by Peter Gulliver historian and administrator of the site "RAF 51 Squadron History Society".

Letter from Mr. Paul Mercier to the family

of Stanley Georges MYERS, in 1961

THE DISCOVERY OF THE HALIFAX AND THE EXCAVATION

THE MEMORIAL DAY of May 25, 2016 

68 years after the fall of the Halifax III HX 350 MH Y, Mrs. Janette Cotterill, niece of P/O "Bill" Meeson (Navigator), came to pay tribute to her uncle at his burial place in Davenescourt.

She left a photo of the buried crew on Uncle Bill's grave, on which she indicated his coordinates.

A short time later, Yann Lerust, a resident of Davenescourt, discovered parts of an airplane near a water hole in the nearby marsh. He based his research on the testimony of Antoine Masson, a witness to the crash who is now deceased. Yann Lerust then contacted Pierre Ben to authenticate the parts which turned out to be those of a Halifax engine.

The excavation of the engine buried at several meters in the marshy ground takes place on June 26, 2015.  It was indeed one of the 4 engines of the Halifax III HX 350 MH Y.

A contact is taken with Me Janette Cotterill to inform her of the discovery. Janette advised Pierre Ben of her visit in the spring of 2016 with her sister and brother and his wife.

A good news, a cousin of the gunner John Smith could be found thanks to Peter Gulliver, the historian of the 51 Squadron association and he will be there with his wife.

An informal ceremony was then organized on May 25. Appointment was made at 2:30 pm at the Davenescourt cemetery, where the descendants of the airmen were received by Mr. Yann Lerust, city councilor (accompanied by his wife) and by 7 flag bearers. Pierre Ben and the members of his association are also there. After a deposit of wreaths, the small assembly goes to the place where the engine was found at 800 m from the cemetery. M Yann Lerust cleared the path that leads to the place the same morning. It is a great moment of emotion during which the descendants ask for details on the conditions of the discovery of the bodies of the airmen. Unfortunately, the last witness who participated in the transport of the victims died some time before the visit of the descendants and it is not possible to provide more information. It is however likely that the plane having exploded in flight, the bodies were found intact printed in the ground after a fall of several thousand meters.

The families were then received at the town hall of Davenescourt where the mayor Mr. Jean Claude Pradheiles paid tribute to the crew.

Janette Cotterill, niece of William Meeson, thanks the audience and gives a gift from the descendants of the crew, she is accompanied by her sister Linda, her brother Peter and his wife Lin. Christopher Marley is accompanied by his wife Eileen, he is the cousin of the rear gunner John Smith.

The friendship glass concludes the visit to Davenescourt.

Pierre Ben and his team (Dr Ducellier and his wife Jackie, Jacky Faudé, Dany Dheilly, Amédé de Franqueville, Ghislain Lobel, Patrick Houdart, Eliane Denavarre and Michel Lespagnol) then took the descendants to the association's museum in Warloy Baillon to discover the restored engine.

A surprise awaits the families: it is Georges Albert Smith, known as "Smithy", 93 years old, who flew 37 missions as a Flight Engineer on the Halifax within the 51 Squadron, of which the Halifax of Davenescourt was a part.

"Smithy was at the Snaith base at the same time as the Halifax III HX 350 MH Y crew. He admits that he does not remember the airmen who fell on their return from the mission to Tergnier. He explains that the crews met each other but that it was preferable not to sympathize, as the losses were too difficult to bear psychologically. Questions came up about the living conditions in the airfields and inside the bombers. Georges Albert Smith answered them in English as well as in French and for good reason, he was the son of a French mother from Warloy Baillon and an English father who was a soldier in the First World War. Georges was born in Warloy Baillon on December 9, 1922.

The evening continued with a visit to Thiepval and the Lochnagar crater and ended with a meal at the Tommy de Pozières.