Crew Lancaster LM508

Desperately looking for the families of some of the crew members of the Lancaster LM508 SR-P, which crashed on the night of June 22, 1944 just outside of Werkendam, The Netherlands.
I have info on Keogh, Horrigan and have just found family of Hingley and Gascoigne.
That still leaves Duff, Ball, Sheard and Rogerson.
No luck with the British authorities so far, so I depend on the families.
Your help is very much appreciated!

[Icare9]

Hi and welcome
You're no doubt aware of this news item from 2014?
http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Secon...ail/story.html

I therefore assume that Dutch journalist Corine Koek-Maasdam, is you?
Keogh was one of 2 crew who died, the rest survived

DUFF, THOMAS HANDLEY. Rank: Flight Sergeant. Trade: Air Bomber. Service No: 1562929. Date of Death: 22/06/1944. Age: 22.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 101 Sqdn.
Grave Reference: Row 7. Grave 1. Cemetery: WERKENDAM PROTESTANT CEMETERY.
Additional Information: Son of John Handley Duff and Annie Campbell Duff, of Glasgow.

KEOGH, JOHN EDWARD. Rank: Sergeant. Service No: 653560. Date of Death: 22/06/1944. Age: 30.
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 101 Sqdn.
Panel Reference: Panel 232. Memorial: RUNNYMEDE MEMORIAL.
Additional Information: Son of John Edward and Rose Keogh, of Hull.
(as the newspaper article is from February 2014, I'm rather surprised that if he "was laid to rest after being recovered from the wreckage" the CWGC have not yet updated to show his current resting place).

Pilot Officer G Hingley, (pilot) 175015 Prisoner of War on what looks to have been his 64th Operation. Broke his thigh caused by hitting a bridge on landing;
(No PoW number or camp, presumably in hospital recovering from his wounds)

Flying Officer T W Ball, navigator, 141980 PoW No 6385 at Luft 3; (shown on 101 as R W Ball 141986)

W/Op Sgt L V H Horrigan, 1577094, PoW No 223 at Luft 7;

Flight Engineer Sgt S D Rogerson 1567332, PoW No 234 at Luft 7;

Bomb Aimer Flight Sergeant T H Duff 1362929, missing, believed killed;

Mid upper gunner Sgt J Gascoigne 1584618 PoW;
(captured in Antwerp 24 July after escape line betrayed and PoW No 453 at Luft 7);

rear gunner Sgt J E Keogh 653560 believed killed;

ABC Operator Sgt F Sheard, 1591133, PoW No 237 at Luft 7.

Take off 2317 from Ludford Magna on Airborne Cigar (ABC) duties to jam and confuse German radio communications. Unfortunately this also allowed German night fighters to locate by direction finding where the signal was strongest. After dropping its bomb load of 8 x 500lb; 8 x 50lb and 2 x 500lb bombs ( a lighter load, but carrying an 8th crew member and to loiter over the target area to provide maximum jamming). On the return leg after successfully bombing the synthetic oil processing plant at Wesseling, LM 508 was attacked by a night fighter and crashed into mud flats in the Biesbosch estuary near Werkendam, before being discovered in 2014. In all some 40 odd aircraft were shot down during that raid. (Sources: Chorley, Footprints; BC War Diaries and internet Googling)

EDIT: 101 Squadron Log shows most of this crew were marched in on 1st April 1944 from 1662 HCU, therefore Ops total possibly only 14 if poor handwriting.
http://www.156squadron.com/101Sqn/di...1944&monthz=04

also see: http://ww2talk.com/forums/topic/1667...ervice-record/

and it seems remains were recovered, along with a lot of LM508 see You tube link here:
http://forum.keypublishing.com/showt...he-Netherlands

[wwrsimon]

BALL, Thomas William - he was a pupil at Dame Allen's School in Fenham, Newcastle from 1928 to 1934.

Regards

Simon

[Icare9]

Thank you, Simon

I contacted Eric who had posted on the other Forum and his clarification probably links in with the reason Corine wants to contact relatives of the LM508 crew.

His reply to me:-

Thank you for your message regarding Sgt. John Keogh. First of all I must tell you I was not personally involved with the effort to recover his remains (and aircraft). The excavation however was done by the same crew that also did the recovery of the Halifax (and crew) I was involved with at Wapenveld, hence my personal interest in it.

The Lancaster's location had long been public, and so was the very likely presence of Sgt. John Keogh's remains in the aircraft since the surviving crews gave testimonies that he was already dead by the time the others abandoned the stricken aircraft. Since it hit the ground intact, and at a high angle, there were no other options. It was, by the way, a very compact excavation, roughly the span of a Lancaster wide, but almost 70 foot deep, in marshy reclaimed land.

His remains were indeed found during the recovery (which was also attended by relatives of his), and formally identified shortly afterwards by the BIDKL (the recovery and identification unit of the Dutch army). They are now in secure storage, and in September the council of Werkendam (where the aircraft came down) approved a request by the CWGC and War Graves Foundation to a formal burial at the cemetery in Werkendam alongside his fellow crew member Sgt. T.H. Duff (the bomb aimer).

A date for the service has not yet been made public, but it is expected this will take place early this year. (my bolding)

Hope this information helps

That explains, to me at least, why Corine needs to locate other crew members relatives, to allow them the option to attend Sgt J Keoghs long overdue interment beside his comrade.

Any further help, chaps would be appreciated. I'm in no way related or otherwise involved, simply put some of the pieces together.

I assume the crew would have completed Liberation Questionnaires after the War, perhaps that may have addresses etc?

[hewasahero]

Hi Corine,
A Rogerson relative has just contacted me. Please see

https://hewasahero.wordpress.com/201...lm508-crewmen/

and let me know if you would like contact with them.

Thanks.