"BB329 Halifax bomber crash in Beemster, Holland. May 22nd 1943."

Crew of BB329 with Short Stirling in background. Far left:-A.W.Mureph 1382356 Wireless Operator/Air Gunner. Airman with cigarette:-P.B.Norris 1291204 Pilot. Other Airmen believed to be:-S.Boothroyd 636558(K),Flight Engineer. W.H.Wild(K) 1504089 Tail Gunner, J.H.Dixon 113264 Navigator, L.W.Tomlinson 656415 2nd Navigator, F.W.Green 1323355 Despatcher.

BB329 NF-Z left Tempsford Airfield on the night of May 21/22 1943 on mission Marrow 35 & 36 to drop seven containers and two packages (agents) on each target (targets Putten & Elspeet) hit by flak, they crashed on their return from the successful mission at 02.00 hours on polder Noordbeemster, five of the crew were taken prisoner while the other two crew members were killed. Unfortunately the four agents were executed by the Germans. It is understood that after the crash, injured and suffering from burns, the survivors walked to a farmhouse eleven hundred metres away where they were looked after by the occupants until being picked up by the Germans and taken to Wilhelmina Hospital, Amsterdam prior to transfer to POW camp. Norris 42782 in Kopernikus, Dixon 119 in Heydekrug, Mureph 42784 in Sagan, Green 152 in Kopernikus. Subsequently the farm where their wounds were dressed was renamed "Five Airmen Farm". Eye-witness accounts confirm that BB329 crash-landed between two farmhouses only 40 metres apart. No mean feat considering a Halifax Bomber has a wing-span of 31.75 metres. I would prefer to believe that the Pilot (my father P.B.Norris) showed extreme skill in crash-landing the aircraft between the two farmhouses but perhaps it was just luck. We may never know.

This is my R1155 receiver, identical to that which Arthur Mureph 
used on BB329. It is un-issued and fully working. 
I use it every day in my office. Not bad for 60 plus years old!  
The transmitter used in conjunction with the R1155 was the T1154.

18/19 May Halifax R Cockle 14/23 Privet 4 France 5C 2L on Cockle 23 no reception

In the evening of May 21^st 1943 two Halifaxes of 138 Squadron were detailed to drop agents and supplies in occupied Holland. One Halifax captained by Sgt Brown had to drop 3 agents, Mink (codename polo), Punt (codename Squash) and De Brey (codename Croquet) at the dropping zones coded Marrow 34 and 37. These dropping zones were at a large area called the Veluwe in the middle of The Netherlands. The other Halifax, BB329 NF-Z was captained by F/Sgt Norris and was also detailed to two dropping zones, Marrow 35 (52.16.40N, 05.40.46E) near the village of Putten and Marrow 36 (52.18.42N, 05.47.56E) near the village of Elspeet. At each of the dropping zones they had to drop 7 containers with supplies and 2 packages. Packages normally was a code name for .agents. and this seems to be acknowledged by the presence of a despatcher among the crewmembers of BB329. However, in official documents nothing can be found about these .agents.. These missions were still part of the so called Nordpol Spiel or England Spiel, a contra espionage by the Germans.

The outbound route was presumably low over sea to the Frisian Islands Texel/Vlieland, between those two Islands towards the causeway Afsluitdijk, across the Ijsselmeer and then to both droppingzones where the Halifax had to drop at 01.10 hrs and 01.29 hrs. After leaving the dropping zone the Halifax flew the route towards the peninsula of Marken, between Edam and Hoorn, using both church towers as pinpoints, then crossing North-Holland and leaving the coast near Petten with the sea dike as pinpoint.

However, over the IJselmeer or the westcoast of the Ijsselmeer the lowflying Halifax was hit by anti-aircraft fire. It happened very fast as Sgt Wild didn’t have time to leave his rear turret and to crawl towards the crashposition just aft of the wingspar. From Northern direction the Halifax crashlanded between the two farms of families B. J. Velzeboer and K. Hoogetoorn at the Oosthuizerweg in the polder Beemster. These farms were just 120 ft apart, the Halifax having a wing span of 98.10 ft! The Halifax cut one tree at the Oosthuizerweg, 4 fruit trees at the farm of Velzeboer and 8 fruit trees and two fences at the farm of Hoogetoorn, where also one window was broken. The wreckage came to a halt over a small ditch which separated the meadows of both farms. The tail turret with Sgt Wild and probably the rest of the tail section had broken off the wreckage and was lying in the garden of the farm of Hoogetoorn. Sgt Wild only had a small head wound, but was killed on impact.

Sgt Tomlinson got up after the crashlanding and found Sgt Green, who was also looking for survivors. Turning back they found F/Sgt Norris, Sgt Murpeh and Sgt Dixon. All three were badly burnt and wounded. The body of Sgt Boothroyd was heavily burnt and laid nearby the burning wreckage.

The five men then walked down the Oosthuizerweg in Western direction, Sgt Tomlinson and Sgt Green taking two others on their back, while the third walked in between them. This was a tall person who was badly burnt, skin hanging off face and hands.

They knocked at the door of the farm of Reijer Gerardus Meissen, Oosthuizerweg 81, but the inhabitants didn't dare to open the door, being afraid it were Germans. The neighbour did open and gave the wounded crew members some towels. Getting anxious fam Meijer also opened the door and saw the wounded crewmembers laying on the road. The decided to let them in and led them to the in-house stable. As the farms didn't have a phone connection, one of the sons, Piet Meissen took his bicycle and drove to the auxiliary post-office in Noord-Beemster where he called a doctor.

Doctor Goossen together with nurse Groot arrived on the scene and treated the injured airmen. The Germans also appeared and nurse Groot managed to convince the Germans that the crewmembers had to be treated before being led into captivity. After the doctor and nurse had left one of the two German guards tried to kick one of the wounded crew members on his feet. This was seen by a just entering German doctor, who punched the soldier between his ribs, with such a force they he almost tumbled between the wounded crew members. After that the crew was helped into a truck which took them probably to Amsterdam.

In Amsterdam, the wounded airmen were treated in the Wilhelmina Gasthuis. F/Sgt Norris leaving it almost a month later at 12^th July 1943. He also spent a long time in the hospital of the POW camp Kopernikus at least till 4^th October 1943. His prison number was 42782. Sgt Tomlinson and Sgt Green were also held as prisoners in this camp respectively having prison numbers 51 and 152. For some reason Sgt Dixon was in POW camp Heydekrug as number 119 while Sgt Mureph was kept as number 42784 in Sagan.

The bodies of Sgt Wild and Sgt Boothroyd were buried at Bergen cemetery at 24^th May 1943, the heavily burnt body of Sgt Boothroyd as unidentified English pilot.

The farm of the Meissen family got the name The Five Pilots after the war, however this name disappeared when the farm was sold.

This translation of a meeting held at Purmerend Town Hall in August 2001 is by kind courtesy of Hans Nauta of The Aircraft Recovery Group. 1940-1945.

More photos and maps to follow as soon as I have sussed out how to put them in without slowing everything down even more!

I would like to thank all those, who in a very short time, supplied such a volume of information concerning this mission. A special thank you to the people of Holland for their hospitality, enthusiasm and detailed knowledge.