P/O John E Holden RAFVR and crew – 103 Squadron – RAF Elsham Wolds – 1944
Failed to Return – 3/4th May 1944 – Avro Lancaster III – ND411 – Op Mailly-le-Camp
John Holden ( pictured below ) came from Bankfoot, Bradford, Yorkshire and trained as a pilot in North America
John and his crew were posted to 103 Squadron at RAF Elsham Wolds on the 13th April 1944 from 11 Base. Sadly they were lost on their first operation. See below :-
03-May-44 – Mailly-le-Camp – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O JE Holden – FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Beauchery-St Martin, France.
A reliable source has informed me that years ago he contacted both Martin Drewes and Rolf Ebhardt about the two Lancasters that crashed around Beauchery that night. From this correspondence it was clear that Martin Drewes shot down Holden’s crew. Drewes’ crew member saw a Lancaster at 12,000ft and attacked from underneath. After a burst of fire the tail came off and the bomber went straight down crashing in a field to the north of Beauchery.
Ebhardt shot down the Carter crew of 12 Squadron who were on the 19th op of their tour. Ebhardt picked up the Carter Lancaster flying home (as was Holden) some way prior to Beauchery and made a few attacks until sufficient damage was done to bring the Lancaster down. This Lancaster unfortunately crashed upon a house in the village with a female occupant and her small daughter killed as well as the crew. Septamus Johnson the rear gunner being the only survivor.
Having said that another source credits the Holden crew to Oblt Rolf Ebhardt of 8/NJG1.
Theo Boiten suggests that this aircraft was claimed by 1-4/gem Flak Abt 593. Crashed at Beauchery at 01:05. Per John Jones
Both Holden and Carter crews are buried in Beauchery Cemetery and co-incidentally both pilots came from Bradford in West Yorkshire
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P/O John Edgar Holden RAFVR – Pilot - 20 – 103 Sqn - Son of Percy and Trixie Louise Holden of Bankfoot, Bradford, Yorkshire – Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
Sgt James Ernest Moore RAFVR – Flight Engineer - 103 Sqn - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
Sgt Terence William Sykes RAFVR – Navigator - 20 - 103 Sqn - Son of William and Constance Maud Sykes of Northampton - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
Sgt Arthur Arnold McCallum RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner - 103 Sqn - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
F/S Clifford Samuel Gay RAAF ( pictured below ) – Air Bomber - 27 - 103 Sqn - Son of Samuel Archibald and Florence Annette Gay; husband of Dorothy Mavis Gay of Murrumbeena, Victoria, Australia - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
Sgt Robert Arthur Wilson RAFVR – Wireless Operator - 103 Sqn - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
Sgt Fred Carson Hoxford RCAF ( pictured below ) – Air Gunner - 103 Sqn - Beauchery Communal Cemetery, France
F/S Clifford Samuel Gay RAAF
Sgt Arthur Arnold McCallum RCAF
Sgt Fred Carson Hoxford RCAF
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03-May-44 – Mailly-le-Camp
This attack is described the Mailly-Le-Camp Article in the relevant section.
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Lancaster – ND411
This machine was lost on its 15th operation. All the others were flown by P/O K W Mitchell and crew. See below :-
24-Feb-44 – Schweinfurt – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell
25-Feb-44 – Augsburg – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell
15-Mar-44 – Stuttgart – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell - Landed at Burlingthorpe
18-Mar-44 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell
22-Mar-44 – Frankfurt – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell
24-Mar-44 – Berlin – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell
26-Mar-44 – Essen – Lancaster – ND411 – Sgt KW Mitchell
30-Mar-44 – Nuremberg – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell - Landed at Hunsden
09-Apr-44 - Gdynia Bay – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell
10-Apr-44 – Aulnoye – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell
23-Apr-44 - Borholm & Pomeranian Bay – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell
24-Apr-44 – Karlsruhe – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell
26-Apr-44 – Essen – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell
01-May-44 – Lyons – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O KW Mitchell
03-May-44 – Mailly-le-Camp – Lancaster – ND411 – P/O JE Holden - FTR - Night fighter victim. Crashed at Beauchery-St Martin, France.
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Beauchery-Saint-Martin Communal Cemetery.
About 10 years ago the Mailly le Camp Commemoration Group visited Beauchery-Saint-Martin to lay wreaths in memory of the 2 crews laid to rest there. See photos below.
Above - The late Tim Nicoll on the left gives a presentation address to the 2 local dignitaries representing the community of Beauchery-Saint-Martin. On the right Janet Marsden who translated.
Above - The graves of the 2 crews at Beauchery. The graves on the left are collective graves with 2 names on each. John Holden is commemorated on the grave stone 2nd from the left. The lady is a relative of one of the 12 Squadron crew. There are 3 representatives of the ATC, 3 Mailly RAF veterans and the 2 representatives of the Beauchery-Saint-Martin community who hosted the event so splendidly.
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Item compiled by David Fell with thanks to Martin Whitcombe and the Holden family for photos of John Holden and the Rolf Ebhardt and background info. The Beauchery photos came from my archive. Thanks to John Jones for his input
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