HE164 Wellington X HD-B
  
14th February 1943
home         
  Pilot F/L W J R Kirk
       
  2nd Pilot P/O J E Mason  
         
  Navigator F/S W E Smith  
         
  Bomb Aimer Sgt R E Bentley - P.O.W.  
         
  Wireless Operator & Air Gunner Sgt N A Leonard - P.O.W.  
          
  Air Gunner Sgt T W Reynolds - P.O.W.  
     
Take off :-   18:32 Base :- RAF Leconfield Mission :- Koln
     
Details :- HE164 crashed at 20:30 after being shot down by a night-fighter flown by Ofw Hermann Schönthier of 2/NJG1, 2km South East of Meerhout (Antwerpen). F/S Smith died during the attack. F/L Kirk and P/O Mason died whilst trying to crash-land the aircraft and avoid housing, they were unable to bale-out as their parachutes had caught fire which extended from the main wing spar to the tail.
     
  Those who died are buried in Schoonselhof Churchyard at Antwerpen.
     
 

The tail of this aircraft (minus fabric) is mounted on a stone plinth with a memorial plate inscribed with the crews names.
         
    Sgt Bentley - PoW number is 27559 in camps 8B/344.
    Sgt Leonard - PoW number is 27647. He spent several weeks in a Brussels Hospital then onto camps 8B/344.
    Sgt Reynolds - PoW number is 27579 in camps 8B/344.
         
 
Photo's of F/L W J R Kirk and F/S W E Smith kindly donated by Jenny Green
 
Photo of Sgt R E Bentley kindly donated by Denise Hood
 
Any further information then please contact me using the address below.
 
halifaxlv827@yahoo.co.uk