Herbert William Jennings

This memorial page is dedicated to Herbert William Jennings, one of more than 725 war victims connected to the municipality of Deurne documented by Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers. The municipality of Deurne and the surrounding villages of Liessel, Vlierden, Helenaveen, Neerkant and Zeilberg were liberated in the autumn of 1944 during heavy fighting. Victims fell on all sides: Allied soldiers from countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand, and German soldiers.

But the archive covers more than just the combat victims on Deurne soil. Residents of Deurne who lost their lives elsewhere are also commemorated: civilians who were murdered in concentration camps, forced labourers who died in Germany, people who were executed or succumbed to the effects of persecution and oppression. In addition, residents of Deurne who entered German military service and were killed elsewhere are also included.

Stichting Oorlogsslachtoffers has been documenting the story of all these people since 1995, without distinction of nationality, side or background. The goal is to give every person a name and a face, and to keep their memory alive.

Additional information

Grave location: VIII. C. 11.

On 24 September 1944, an Avro Lancaster Mk.III (QR-K), with serial number LM718, crashed near the Zandbos on Helmondseweg in Deurne. The aircraft was en route to Ladbergen, near the Dortmund-Ems Canal, on a bombing mission, but shortly after reaching the Dutch coast, it came under fire from a German night fighter, a Messerschmitt Bf 110.

The German night fighter broke off its attack after two gunners on board the LM718 opened fire on it. Shortly afterwards, however, they were spotted by German anti-aircraft defences (‘Flak’) (Flugabwehrkanone) and tracked by searchlights. To evade these searchlights, the Avro Lancaster descended from 20,000 feet to 10,000 feet (3,100 metres), but this manoeuvre unfortunately caused them even greater difficulties. The control column failed to respond, causing the aircraft to lose altitude at an increasing rate, and the order to abandon the aircraft was soon given.

Herbert William Jennings and Flight Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) George Twyneham did not survive the crash; Flight Officer J.C. Webber and Flight Officer J.P. Wheeler were taken prisoner by the Germans. Sqdn.Ldr. H.W. Horsley, Pilot Officer C.A. Cawthorne and SGT R.T. Hoskisson managed to escape in time.

The sisters Tony, Miet and Ria van Hout at the wreckage of the LM718. Photographed by Leo van Hoek, one of the initiators of the commemorative plaque.

Johannes Andreas (Jan) Hoonings kneeling by the field graves of Herbert William Jennings and George Twyneham.

Below is the account of how Royal Air Force Warrant Officer Reginald Hoskisson experienced this crash; he wrote this account on 9 January 1947 in a letter of thanks to his rescuers. A Dutch translation follows.

“I was a tail gunner in the RAF and was flying in a Lancaster.

The crew members were: Squadron Commander H. Horsley A.F.C. (Pilot), 2nd Lieutenant J. Wheeler: Navigator, J. Webber: Mechanic, Sgt. Twyneham: Radio Telegrapher, Sgt. Jennis: 1st. Tail gunner, and myself.

On the night of 23 September 1944, we were on a bombing mission near the Dortmund-Ems Canal.

At 8.45 am, we were flying over the border between the Netherlands and Germany and were experiencing engine trouble, causing us to lose altitude. As we were losing altitude very rapidly, the pilot ordered the bombs to be dropped at a safe location so that the aircraft would be lighter.

Once the bombs had been dropped, the navigator calculated a new course towards our base. But once again we lost altitude and the engines stopped responding. The pilot ordered us to abandon the aircraft; I carried out his order immediately.

Once I’d recovered from the initial shock, I didn’t like the look of things, as some might well imagine, and as I approached the ground, I saw small orange and yellow flames coming up towards me from below; I watched them carefully.

Suddenly, I heard a bullet whizzing past the ropes of my parachute. I soon realised that the shooter down there didn’t like me. I got closer to the ground and noticed that I was no longer descending but gliding through the air at high speed. I saw trees and fences whizzing past beneath me

Then suddenly my feet hit the ground and I landed. It took me a moment to get my parachute off; I buried it, along with my skydiving jumpsuit, and decided to flee as quickly as possible. When I jumped out of the aeroplane, I lost my boots; I was left with only my felt slippers. After walking a few hundred metres, my feet were freezing cold

I spotted a building that looked like a small farm. I decided to take a good look to see if there might be any German soldiers there, but I couldn’t see any signs of them. I pressed my ear against the window and heard children’s voices, so I decided to ask for help

At first, no one dared to open the door, but after a while a woman opened it and let me in. It took a while to make it clear to her that I was a British pilot, and she didn’t understand the term ‘RAF’ at all. Eventually she asked, ‘Tommy?’, and I nodded.

From that moment on, I was among friends. They gave me bread and cheese, a boiled egg and a little milk; small children came to look at me and kept repeating: ‘English Tommy’, and they told me they were Dutch.

I took out a map of the Netherlands and a little girl named Berta pointed out on the map where I was. The place where I’d landed was called Deurne, just behind the German line; the British had just liberated Eindhoven and Deurne would soon follow. I had to take off my uniform and was given the farmer’s clothes (I think it was his best suit) and a pair of shoes. I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen next, but I was allowed to stay until the following morning.

During the night, the farmer left his house a few times, and in the morning he returned with a man who spoke very good English. He told me that he would take me to another location, a little further away. I had a bit of Dutch money, which I gave to the farmer’s wife, and then I left them. The man told me that he was a member of the Dutch Resistance, and he also said that they were expecting the Second British Army to come and liberate them at any moment.

It was already getting light and I saw lots of German troops on the move. My new friend suggested we go to church as it was Sunday morning. After the service, we went to the house where he was staying. I was introduced to the man and woman of the house, and afterwards we had breakfast. They gave me a Dutch identity card and a Dutch name. From the kitchen window, I had a clear view of the street and the fields. I saw German troops crossing the fields in tactical formations. I noticed that they were very dirty, unshaven and looked tired. My friend spoke to them in German and they told him that they had been marching for over twenty hours without food or drink.

They also said that all their food had been destroyed during an air raid by British Tycoons on their convoy

At that moment, the British Army opened fire on the area for 24 hours. We took shelter in the cellar and the Germans returned fire with mortars but were forced to retreat further. I slept very well that night, which nobody could understand. My friend woke me up at 7.00 am on Monday morning, shouting that the British had arrived. I got up and went outside to look at the British tanks. It was just about time for breakfast; I spoke to the first British soldier I saw, and he told me he was from Birmingham. He asked me when I was going back to England so that I could tell his family he was all right.

The people of Deurne were very happy, and I saw that the German mortars had scored a direct hit; the Germans had been killed. A dead cow lay by the side of the road; a woman was milking it. My friend told me his name: Jo Brouwers, and he was from Gulpen. The farmer with whom I stayed the first night was Jan Hoonings, Walsberg D 120, Deurne.

I was taken to Brussels, where I met up with my pilot and mechanic; the other two had been taken prisoner. The radio operator had been killed, as had the signalman and the tail gunner; they had jumped out of the aeroplane too late. That wasn’t the end of it: whilst I was on leave in November, I met Jo Brouwers; he was now a sergeant in the Dutch army. I also received a few letters from Jan Hoonings; I would like to thank everyone who helped me back then. Once I’m back on my feet, I’d love to visit the Netherlands, and I’d also like to say that I will never forget the Dutch people.”

Survivor of the crash, Flight Officer J.C. Webber

View all persons in the category: Allied soldiers killed in action