Missing Wingcommanders

[Chris Goss]

Hold on Andy-don't jump to conclusions! The CWGC do not hold casualty files but the AHB does so only the latter might be able to confirm what could have happened to Cooper and if any investigation was made when the grave was exhumed. These files are not of general relesase to researchers but are to NOK/incidents when they are trying to identify remains

[Andy Mac]

Thanks Chris, I didn't know that . . .neck wound in!

[Hans Nauta]

Gents,

I don't want to spoil your enthousiasm but it's unlikely that W/Cdr Cooper washed ashore near Noordwijk for geophysical reasons:

The main current of the North Sea along the Dutch Coast is South to North. That's the reason that bodies of an aircraft which crashed into the North Sea wash up along the coast to the North.

The crash site of W/Cdr Cooper's Beaufighter is almost 100 kilometers North of Noordwijk! It's almost impossible that his body would have drifted against the current so far to the South...

Regards,
Hans Nauta

[Andy Mac]

Thanks Hans - is there a map of some sort, or a site that shows graphically tides and currents . . .? I would imagine a tide direction would be good circumstantial evidence, amongst other pieces information if some one were to ask the CWGC to name an Unknown airman and ammend a headtsone.

What does anyone else think ?

[Chris Goss]

Andy: Circumstantial would not be sufficient-look at the work that went into identifying Wg Cdr Warburton's remains

[Dennis Peschier]

Hello everybody,

First of all I want to thank all for their input!
Hans Nauta has a strong point, have a look at the map at the top of this page

http://www.nioz.nl/vleet/content/ned/index.php?item=vleet&pageid=NED0009.HTM&use_templa te=vleet_template.html

Most body’s in my search area indeed floated up along the coast, but not all.
Furthermore I again want to point out that the Wingcommander rank is not confirmed at this moment . I have sent my letter to the CWGC in Ieper (B), they replied that they would sent it to their headoffice in Maidenhead(GB). The letter ended with "No doubt they will send you a reply soon".

Chris, I gues that AHB is the air historic branch, but what are NOK/incidents?

I wanted to give some more details but I am at work at the moment.

Dennis

[Chris Goss]

AHB=Air Historical Branch; NOK=Next of Kin

[ssg keay]

Hans, I am no expert here...but I know of a case where four crew members washed onto beaches near the Dutch/Belgian border and the plane crashed of Rotterdam, so that would be a southern current. So it is not completely impossible, though makes the case a bit more interesting. Looking at the majority of bodies washed up, they did indeed go north!!!
Danny

[Dennis Peschier]

Danny,

Hans is on holiday so I’ve taken the liberty to respond to your remark.
Sometimes severe storms were more powerful than the currents and tides. Halifax BB324 is presumed to have crashed off Zandvoort, 2 casualties washed up at Zandvoort, but 1 and possibly 2 bodies washed up at Katwijk, roughly 40 km south. So there are indeed exceptions.

Dennis