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By Søren C. Flensted |
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Wellington IA P9218 crashlanded in Limfjorden 21/4-1940.
During the attack on Aalborg West airfield Wellington P9218 was hit by flak from
5./Res. Flak Abt. 603 in one engine, and had to ditch in the Limfjorden 500
meters east of the Aggersund bridge at 21:50 hours.
The crew were shaken but more or less unhurt apart from minor bruises. They left the aircraft and waded ashore and knocked on the door at a nearby house. The owner of the house, Registered land surveyor A.C.H.Monrad asked them in, and called for the doctor from the hospital in Fjerritslev to come and treat the pilot F/O F.T.Knight for a scratch on the forehead and the wireless operator AC2 James J.Eldridge for a bruised ankle. The remaining crew were Sgt W.G.McDonald, Sgt G.E.Forsyth, AC2 Blackburn and AC1 W.J.Thew. They realised that their chances to escape were limited and chose to give themselves up. At two o`clock in the morning they were picked up by Luftwaffe personnel from Aalborg West and taken there.
On the morning of 22/4 F/O Knight enjoyed the company of Gruppenkommandeur I./ZG 1 Hauptman Wolfgang Falck for a few hours before the Englishmen were sent to Germany and prisoner of war camps.
Crewmembers with Germans outside the control tower at Aalborg West
The flyers boarding the JU52, which would take them to Hamburg After interrogation at Dulag Luft at Oberursel Forsyth, Blackburn and Thew were sent to Stalag 357 Thorn in Poland. Eldridge was sent to Stalag Luft VI Heidekrug. They all returned to England after the war. It is unknown as to where McDonald was sent, but it is believed that he also returned to England. Knight was sent to Stalag Luft Barth Vogelsang where he became ill with tuberculosis. On 6/2 1945 he was repatriated to England, where he died shortly after.
The Wellington en route to Aalborg
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