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Halifax III MZ793 crashed at Sdr. Asmindrup 14/2 1945.
The aircraft belonged to RAF 10 Sqn. Bomber Command and was coded ZA-X.
T/o 18:07 Melbourne. OP: Gardening
the Baltic and the Kadett Channel.
When MX793 was flying outbound over the island of Sjælland it was attacked by a
German Ju 88 G-6 nightfighter coded D5+ZB of I./ NJG 3 piloted by
Gruppenkommandeur Major Werner Husemann and with the crew of Bordfunker Hans-Georg Schierholz, Bordschütze Feldwebel Willi Möller
and Second Bordfunker Feldwebel Hein Fehmann.
Pilot F/O John Grayshan tried to avoid the attack by means of a port corkscrew
and believed to have lost the attacker. Suddenly however the Halifax was
attacked from beneath and hit in the port wing where a fire erupted.
The order “bale out” was given, and somehow Tail gunner F/S James Petrie, Mid
upper gunner F/S Horace Lesley Mills, Flt. Engr. Sgt Roy Maddock-Lyon, Bomb Aimer
P/O Stanley Chaderton and W/OP Sgt Peter Frederick Andrews managed to bail out or were
thrown clear of the Halifax when it came apart in the air and landed in their
parachutes.
(Via Finn Buch)
At 20:41 hours the Halifax fell to the ground. The main part of the fuselage
fell near the old peoples home “Søgaard” between Asmindrup and Ny Kro while the
rest of the aircraft was scattered around the area.
(Via Finn Buch)
Five members of the crew
The body of Navigator F/Sgt Albert James Berry was found before midnight and was taken to the hospital in Holbæk while the dead body of
F/O John Grayshan with an unused parachute was found in a
field in the morning. On 16/9 at 21:00 hours they were both buried in Holbæk
cemetery by the Germans without ecclesiastical assistance.
Andrews landed safely but had pains in the groin from the parachute straps and
was bleeding from his hands. He made contact to local people in the night and
was shown to a house, but received no help from the people living there and
continued to a smallholder’s house where he was treated for his wounds.
Propeller and engine
Chaderton landed safely and entered a nearby barn. He suffered from pains in the
ribs and was bleeding from his head. He saw a woman in the house and approached
her. She was chocked to see the bleeding flyer but took him to the doctor’s
house in the nearby village Sønder Jernløse to see Doctor Schlippe. The doctor’s
wife washed his wounds, gave him something to drink and called for an ambulance
to take him to the hospital.
The ambulance arrived shortly, to pick up Chaderton and after a short drive the
car stopped and also Andrews was picked up. They were taken to the hospital in
Holbæk where they were treated for their wounds.
The Germans picked them up and took them to a Marine station where the were
placed in the basement.
After two days they were taken to Fliegerhorts Værløse where Chaderton was taken
to the Lazarett for treatment. After about a week they were sent to Dulag Luft
at Oberursel for questioning. After a while they were sent to Stalag XIIID near
Nürnberg. Soon after arrival they were sent on a march that would last two weeks
before they ended up in Stalag VIIA Moosburg.
On 29/4 1945 they were liberated
by American troops.
Maddock-Lyon landed in a field near Skovvejen and started walking. He soon met
Smallholder Ejnar Næsholt Sørensen who took him to his farm. The flyer was
washed and was laid to bed. Sørensen arranged for the local milkman Johannes
Helms to pick Maddock-Lyon up in the evening, which he did at 18:00 hours. He
took the flyer to his house at Havremarken and hid him inn the attic while
arrangements were made for his further escape.
Friday morning Maddock-Lyon was guided
by Helms to Tølløse and then by train to Charlottenlund where he was handed over
to Syrach-Larsen who hid him in a small house next to his own house. The next
day he was picked up by Paul Prom who took him to the apartment of Ege where the
flyer was given a set of false ID- papers. The next couple of days were spent
sightseeing København. On 19/2 he was taken to Havnegade and on board the
Steamship “Carl” bound for Bornholm. When the steamship passed thru the
Falsterbo Channel, Maddoch-Lyon was transferred to a pilot boat and sailed to
Sweden.
He was taken to the British Embassy in Stockholm.
Mills landed in a three, and after having released himself from the parachute
harness he walked towards Sdr. Asmindrup where he met with Vera, the wife of
Blacksmith Karl Petersen. He was invited to their house, and since they had no
English they called for Priest Johannesen to translate. Johannesen had
underground connections and a false ID card was made up for Mills. He was now
farmhand Hans Hansen. On Thursday Hill was taken to the railway station in Vipperød and on the train to Roskilde handed over to the next link who would
take him to Head of school Nørfelt. Hill was given a bed in Nørfelt`s apartment.
The next day the flyer boarded the train for København with Nørfelt and
Christian Kirkegaard. They took him to the home of Richard Ege who would take
care of the next step. On 17/2 he was taken to the harbour and shipped off to
Sweden onboard the coaster “Clytia”. He landed in Varberg and was sent to a camp
near Stockholm.
On 10/3-1945 he was back in England.
Petre landed safely and buried his chute in a small wood and started walking
away from where he had landed. He knocked on the door at Smallholder Larsens
farm and was let in. He was given milk, eggs and bacon and shown to the hayloft
to sleep for the day. Larsen contacted member of the resistance Count Scheel who
arranged for the flyers further transport. At noon Petre was picked up by a taxi
and taken to Roskilde where he was housed in a summer house at Roskilde Fjord.
The next day saw him in København, where he at Hotel Hafnia was handed over to two members of the resistance who
much to his surprise took him on sightseeing in the town. After a day or two he
was moved to another apartment where he spent the next nine days. On 28/2 he was
shipped to Sweden onboard “Dagmar”.
On 7/3 he was back in England.
(Via Rolf K. Larsen)
A memorial was inaugurated on 4/5 2005
Present were Horace Lesley Mills
(Jimmy), James Petre (Jim) and Peter Frederick
Andrews (Andy)
F/O John Graysham
Navigator F/Sgt Albert J. Berry
Sources: “Syv englændere I Danmark fortalt af de fem” by Dan C. Christensen,
LBUK.
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