Aalst Communal Cemetery  

History Information (Source: CWGC)

The British Expeditionary Force was involved in the later stages of the defence of Belgium following the German invasion in May 1940, and suffered many casualties in covering the withdrawal to Dunkirk. Commonwealth forces did not return until September 1944, but in the intervening years, many airmen were shot down or crashed in raids on strategic objectives in Belgium, or while returning from missions over Germany.

Aalst Communal Cemetery contains six Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. The graves are in the Belgian pelouse d'honneur.

The British soldiers on the same field of honor who died on 10 May 1940 were killed in the Stuka attack on the Zeeberg Bridge. A few rows to the back are still civilian victims of the Second World War. On a number of tombstones it can be read that they too fell under the aerial bombs and shelling.

 

Served with

  • United Kingdom (5)
  • Australian (1)

Served in

  • Army (5)
  • Air Force (1)

Gunner Francis William HOPKINS - 824894

2 Regt. Royal Horse Artillery

Died 10 May 1940 Age 30

Colonel Aeneas Francis Quinton PERKINS - MM

Royal Engineers

Died 10 May 1940 Age 47

Corporal Thomas Baird ANDREWS - S/97042

Royal Army Service Corps

Died 10 May 1940  Age 21

Driver Ernest WILSON - T/73630

Royal Army Service Corps

Died 10 May 1940  Age 31

Private John STEVENS - 4345860

5th Bn. East Yorkshire Regiment

Died 05 September 1944  Age 24


Flying Officer William Ward OSBORNE - 430047

Royal Australian Air Force

Died 09 November 1944  Age 22

 

NAA_ItemNumber5251900 Osborne
PDF – 10,1 MB

Typhoon Ib JP937 - 247 Sqdn

The Hawker Typhoon 1b of the 247 "China-British" Sqdn crashed on November 9, 1944, the 22-year-old pilot was killed. He had engine trouble above Aalst while transferring the newly overhauled Typhoon from Westhampnett to Eindhoven. Instead of using his parachute, he tried to land his plane. At low altitude the plane began to spin and crashed to the ground. The pilot was killed.