Crash information JN884 Slootdorp

During World War II more than 40 different bombers and jet fighters have crashed within de county borders of Hollands Kroon. The crashes were mostly on land, in the Ijssel lake and the Wadden sea.

Few crew members were arrested after using their parachute to reach the ground, others could flee with the help of the Resistance. However, the majority lost their lives and did not return home safely to their family and loved ones.

Crash Halifax MKII JN884 NP-F of 158 Squadron at the Dolfijnweg near Slootdorp

The evening of 25 July 1943 at 22:39h the English Halifax bomber took off from Lissett airport

The 3rd mission for the crew who were led by pilot, Kenneth Larkin.

That night Larkin and his six crewmembers flew with 704 other bombers to the Kruppfactories in Essen. The following morning the Halifax didn’t return to Lissett airport and the entire crew was reported as missing. It was on the way there that the bomber was shot out of the sky by a German night hunter at 00.17h. The six fallen crew members were buried that same day on the general cemetery of Middenmeer.

Only Jack Loudoun was able to get out of the burning plane in time by using his parachute just seconds before it exploded. Miraculously, he survived that crash and the war.

The crew

Kenneth Richard Larkin	Sergeant	Pilot	22 years old	UK
James Stewart	Sergeant	Flight engineer	20 years old	UK
Percy Fisher Watson	Flyer Sergeant	Navigator	28 years old	NZ
Edward Raymond Bray	Sergeant	Bomb aimer	20 years old	UK
Roy Desmond Raven	Sergeant	Radio officer	21 years old	UK
Ronald Joseph Wyatt-Matthews	Sergeant	Gunner	33 years old	UK
Jock Ernst Loudoun	Sergeant	Gunner	21 years old	UK

Name	Role
Mark Hakvoort	Chairman
Chris Dijkshoorn	Treasurer
Martin Blaauw	Secretary