Historical Information (Source: CWGC)

The cemetery contains 30 Second World War Commonwealth war graves. A number of Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in the fighting which liberated Gorssel in April 1945 were buried in the British plot at the time. They have since been moved to the Canadian War Cemetery at Holten.

Served with

• Australian (1)
• Canadian (11)
• New Zealand (1)
• United Kingdom (17)

Served in

• Air Force (30)

Halifax V DK190 – 427 Sqdn – 26 June 1943

Took off 2328 25 June 1943. Shot down by a night-fighter.

Crew

Pilot Officer Harold Garfield FROUD (J/18454) Air Gunner RCAF          

Warrant Officer Francis Joseph HIGGINS (R/98109) Pilot RCAF

Sergeant Fergus John HUNTER (1345736) Flight Engineer RAF

Warrant Officer William KASHMAR (R/119924) Air Gunner RCAF         

Flying Officer George Theodore MATYNIA (J/13072) Navigator RCAF

Warrant Officer Robert Randolph STICKNEY (R/103778) Wireless Operator RCAF

Warrant Officer Archibald Kawy YOUNG (R/102677) Bomb Aimer RCAF

Halifax III NA516 – 432 Sqdn – 17 June 1944

Took off 2316 16 June 1944 from East Moor Homebound shot down from 18000 feet by a night-fighter approaching the Dutch coast crashing at Almen (Gelderland) S of the Twenthe Kanaal 7 km WSW of Lochem.

Crew

Pilot Officer John Markey JOHNSTON (J/90924) Air Gunner RCAF

Flying Officer Hugh Francis MORROW (J/28294) Pilot RCAF

Pilot Officer Jack Laverne SHANKS (J/86809) Air Gunner RCAF           

Prisoners of War for Halifax BIII NA516

Sergeant Victor Raymond HERRICK (R/225262) Stalag Luft L7 Bankau near Kreuzburg, Upper Silesia

Flight Officer James Alfred SLIMMON (J/25049) Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria

Other Occupants in Halifax BIII NA516

Pilot Officer R GELFAND (J/90462) Evader          

Pilot Officer LR MCELROY (J/87223) Evader

Lancaster III JB603 – 100 Sqdn – 5 January 1945

Took off 1910 5 Jan 1945 from Grimsby. Crashed 2300 near the hamlet of Haarbroek (Gelderland) 7 km SE of Gorssel where all were buried in the General Cemetery 11 Jan 1945.

Crew

Sergeant Bernard George ALDRED (1492353) Air Gunner RAF

Flying Officer Reginald BARKER (179071) Pilot RAF

Flight Sergeant Frank Shackleton ELLIOTT (1672286) Navigator RAF

Sergeant Eamonn GILLEN (2221440) Air Gunner RAF

Sergeant Alastair Stewart GORDON (1825828) Flight Engineer RAF

Flight Sergeant Albert Arthur LAW (1621232) Air Bomber RAF

Pilot Officer Jack Murray Clyde WILSON (410405) RAAF

Lancaster II LL694 – 115 Sqdn – 25 March 1944

Took off 1837 24 Mar 1944 from Witchford. Shot down by a nightfighter.

Crew

Sergeant Robert Leslie COULTER (R/157337) Air Gunner RCAF

Flying Officer Edward John DEEMER (J/22055) Air Bomber RCAF

Sergeant Arthur DIGGLE (1536835) Flight Engineer RAF 

Flight Sergeant John Laurence DUFFY (413046) Navigator RNZAF

Sergeant John Edwin HAMMOND (1576457) Wireless Operator RAF

Sergeant Alexander John HULL (1890106) Air Gunner RAF

Pilot Officer Thomas Elliott VIPOND (54224) Pilot RAF

Wellington III Z1593 – 150 Sqdn – 10 August 1942

Took off 0225 10 Aug 1942 from Snaith. Shot down by a night-fighter

Crew

Sergeant Norman Victor BICKERTON (1496595) Observer RAF

Sergeant John Alfred HUGHES (1295212) Pilot RAF

Sergeant Herbert Gwyn JONES (1199275) Wireless Operator RAF

Sergeant Edmund James McCANN (656642) Observer RAF