Leeuwarden (Ljouwert)
Noorder Begraafplaats, Leeuwarden
Ljouwert
Leonard Arthur Townrow
Flight Sergeant L. A. Townrow - RNZAF 415041
Son of Walter Howard Townrow and of Ruth Townrow (née White), of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Son of Walter Howard Townrow and of Ruth Townrow (née White), of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Lancaster B.III ED821
Flight Sergeant Len Townrow was captain of Lancaster ED821 'HW-A', 100 Squadron, RAF, and took off from RAF Grimsby at 22.32 hrs on 27 May, 1943. 'A for Able' was intercepted by a Luftwaffe night fighter and was subsequently shot down. The aircraft crashed at 01.45 hrs in the morning of 28 May in a field near the village of Witmarsum. Five crewmembers died in the accident: Sgt J. P. Fitchett (RAF), F/O S.A. Bishop (RCAF), Sgt E. Short (RAF), Sgt P. M. Cosgrove (RAF) and Sgt A. E. Chapman of the RAAF. They found their last resting place in the Witmarsum Protestant Churchyard.
P/O J. Bolderson was injured and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Len Townrow was severely injured and was taken to the Sint Bonifatius Hospital in Leeuwarden. He finally succumbed to his injuries on the 24th April 1944. He was laid to rest here in the Noorder Begraafplaats in Leeuwarden.
P/O J. Bolderson was injured and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Len Townrow was severely injured and was taken to the Sint Bonifatius Hospital in Leeuwarden. He finally succumbed to his injuries on the 24th April 1944. He was laid to rest here in the Noorder Begraafplaats in Leeuwarden.
Sources
BCL, Vol.IV, 1943, p.165
100 Squadron ORB, Dec 1942 - Dec 1943, in AIR27/796, TNA, Kew.
Leonard Arthur Townrow - Online Cenotaph, Auckland War Memorial Museum
Four Airmen of the 1939 - 1945 War
On 31st July, 1941, human remains found at the crash site of an RAF aeroplane were taken to the Noorderbegraafplaats for burial. It was thought, that the remains of four or five airmen, placed in one coffin, were of the aircrew of RAF Wellington B.Ic R1397 of 103 Squadron, based at RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire.
Recent research by the Stichting Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation (SMAMF) has learned, that the aircraft at the Klaeiterp crash site is indeed Wellington R1397. The crew of this Wellington consisted of: Sgt Mervyn Sydney Lund, RNZAF Sgt Arthur Edward Owen, RAFVR Sgt John James Cox, RAFVR Sgt Roy Penry Williams, RAFVR Sgt Alfred John Le Poidevin, RAFVR Sgt Frank Gordon Walker, RAFVR |
At 23.40 hrs of 24th July, 1941, Wellington B.Ic R1397, in service with 103 Squadron, took off from RAF Elsham Wolds in Lincolnshire for an air operation against targets in Emden, Germany.
Captain of this aircraft was P/O Mervyn Sydney Lund, 40979, Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was the son of Gustav Emanuel and Mary Ann Lund of Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand.
Captain of this aircraft was P/O Mervyn Sydney Lund, 40979, Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was the son of Gustav Emanuel and Mary Ann Lund of Mount Eden, Auckland, New Zealand.
P/O Lund and his crew have found their last resting place here at the Noorder Begraafplaats. They are buried in Collective Grave 1, Row, 1. On 15 September, 2015, two headstones with their names was placed at the grave, one with the names of John James Cox, Alfred John Le Poivedin and Mervyn Sydney Lund, the other headstone with the names of Arthur Edward Owen, Frank Gordon Walker and Roy Penry Williams.
From left to right:
Row 1, Collective Grave 1
Headstone One: John James Cox, Alfred John Le Poivedin and Mervyn Sydney Lund.
Headstone Two: Arthur Edward Owen, Frank Gordon Walker and Roy Penry Williams.
The third headstone: An Airman of the 1939-1945 was, a sergeant Royal Air Force, 4 August 1941.
The fourth headstone: W H Walker, RAF, 2 August 1941.
The fifth headstone: H H M Barton, RAF, 15 August 1941.
The headston on the right Leonard Arthur Townrow, RNZAF, 24 April 1944.
Row 1, Collective Grave 1
Headstone One: John James Cox, Alfred John Le Poivedin and Mervyn Sydney Lund.
Headstone Two: Arthur Edward Owen, Frank Gordon Walker and Roy Penry Williams.
The third headstone: An Airman of the 1939-1945 was, a sergeant Royal Air Force, 4 August 1941.
The fourth headstone: W H Walker, RAF, 2 August 1941.
The fifth headstone: H H M Barton, RAF, 15 August 1941.
The headston on the right Leonard Arthur Townrow, RNZAF, 24 April 1944.
An Airman of the 1939 - 1945 War, a Sergeant