This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
You can contribute by submitting additional or updated information.
| Date: | Thursday 30 July 1942 |
| Time: | 03:17 LT |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 142 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | Z1316 |
| MSN: | QT-H |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Heivoort, Balen, Antwerp -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Grimsby, Lincolnshire |
Takeoff at 23:52 hrs for an operation to Saarbrücken in Germany.
Homeward-bound, the aircraft was shot down by the night fighter crew of Oberleutnant Eckart-Wilhelm von Bonin & Feldwebel Friedrich Johrden of the 6./NJG 1, who were flying a Bf 110 F-4 from St Trond (Sint-Truiden) airfield.
The six dead crew members were initially laid to rest in a collective grave in the Olmen cemetery. Later their mortal rests were transferred to the Canadian cemetery at Adegem (East Flanders). Besides George Hooper and Kenneth McLennan these were the observers Ronald Bedford (20 years old) and Richard Foster (21 years old), radio operator Richard Stainforth and tail gunner Harold Oates (19 years old). On Kenneth McLennan's tombstone we read an erroneous mention of his age : 19 years. "Wrong", his sister Betty told us, "Kenneth was barely 18. He was just a boy, who had a whole life ahead of him."
Sources:
Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part three
https://luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/wellington-z1316-te-olmen
Google Maps
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-May-2020 19:26 | TigerTimon | Added |
| 26-Jun-2022 01:40 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2025 Flight Safety Foundation