Date:	Wednesday 9 July 1941
Time:	03:35
Type:	Handley Page Halifax Mk I
Owner/operator:	35 (Madras Presidency) Sqn RAF
Registration:	L9521
MSN:	TL-Z
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 7
Other fatalities:	4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Rijksweg 187, Mook, Limburg -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire (EGXU)
Destination airport:	RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire (EGXU)

Narrative:
Halifax L9521 "TL-Z" was one of seven No. 35 Squadron aircraft detailed to attack the Synthetic Oil Refinery at Leuna, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, on the night of the 8th/9th July 1941. Took off from RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 22:33 hrs. Shot down by a night-fighter (Lt August Geiger of the 9./NJG 1, who was flying a Bf 110 from Rheine airfield, Germany) and crashed onto the home of the Arts family at Rijksweg 187,Monk (Limburg), 10 km SSE of Nijmegen. It is reported that four Dutch civilians died, along with three of the seven crew of the Halifax. According to a post war eyewitness report from Sgt Kiddley: "“there was a tremendous explosion and the whole of the aeroplane was in flames behind me. And the pilot said, ‘Out you go ‘ and four of us managed to bale out."

Sgt Bradbeer was very seriously injured and it was necessary for one of his legs to be amputated. On the 19th June 1946, the remains of Flt Sgt Albert Hammond, Sgt Noel Coleman and Sgt Thomas Parkes were exhumed, identified and re-interred at Uden War Cemetery, Noord-Brabant.

Crew:
Sgt L W Bovington DFM (POW)
Sgt T A Parkes (KIA)
Sgt A R Kiddey (POW)
Flt Sgt G D Barry (POW)
Flt Sgt A E Hammond (KIA)
Sgt H S Bradbeer (POW)
Sgt N E H Coleman (KIA)

Flt Sgt G.D.Barry survived the crash and was captured, interrogated and imprisoned for the remainder of the war. It is likely that he was imprisoned with Sgt Bovington and Sgt Kiddey in the same PoW camps. However, he was sadly killed by friendly fire whilst on the “long march” on 25th April 1945 (Gresse Incident). He was 27 years old. He was buried at Diepholz Cemetery, Germany. On the 7th June 1947, George’s remains were exhumed and re-buried at Hanover War Cemetery, Lower Saxony, Germany.

Sgt Kiddey and Sgt. Bovingdon survived the war, and were repatriated back to the UK at the end of May 1945. Sgt Bradbeer survived the crash but was hospitalised immediately after being captured. The Bomber Command Loss card shows that he had his leg amputated. It is not known if he was repatriated before the end of the war or was held until liberation in 1945.

Sgt Kiddley died on Thursday, January 8, 2015 at his home in Wilford, Nottinghamshire, following a short illness. He was 96.

1. http://www.nimh.nl/nl/images/1941%20sec_tcm5-7282.pdf
2. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/11456.php
3. https://35squadron.wordpress.com/world-war-two-years/aircraft-wwii/handley-page-halifax-2/halifax-incidents-and-losses-1941/halifax-l9521/
4. Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War 1941 Page 86.
5. The Handley Page Halifax Mk. I By Phil H. Listemann Page 10
6. http://www.ipswichwarmemorial.co.uk/albert-edward-hammond/
7. http://www.nottinghampost.com/post-old-raf-bomber-pilot/story-25859240-detail/story.html
8. Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part one

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

26 July 1943

JB787

35 (Madras Presidency) Sqn RAF

4

west of Kirchhellen, Bottrop, Nordrhein-Westfalen

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
18-Apr-2014 16:53	gerard57	Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
01-May-2016 18:02	Red Dragon	Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Mar-2017 20:56	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Mar-2017 21:01	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
03-Mar-2017 21:03	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
03-Mar-2017 21:19	Dr.John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
23-Dec-2017 17:20	Nepa	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator]
26-Oct-2018 18:34	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
08-Jul-2019 11:28	TigerTimon	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]