FAO - Hanno Spoelstra

[PPS]

Referring to your thread about Blok and De Ridder, I made a detour on my way home this evening (a grand total of about 3 kms)

I know the village of Eglinton quite well, and stopped at the Church of Ireland church to take a look around.

I found two more graves that appear to be Dutch alongside a number of other CWGC graves. I will try and describe as best as I can, and try and attach photo's if possible. I know that, technically, it is not strictly Canadian, but please bear with me those of you who read this thread. It may also take more than one post to get everything in.

I will transcribe the headstone details exactly as I saw them, and hopefully they will also show on the photo's.

1st grave:-

KONINKRIJK
DER NEDERLANDEN
H. C. DE JAGER
2E LT VL. M.L.
K.N.I.L. CED
NED. TR. ENGEL.
27-2-1918
18-5-1944

[PPS]

2nd grave:-

KONINKRIJK
DER NEDERLANDEN
E. H. DEN HOLLANDER
OFF. VL. 3E KL.
KM.
29-9-1922
28-4-1944

[PPS]

Unfortunately, the best photo I have of the church will not attach because it is too large.

To crop it down to fit would lose the details of it.

Paul

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Paul,

Thanks for making the detour to show us these pictures.

De Jager crashed on 18 May 1944 in a mid-air collision with F.C.M. Brogtrop (Hellcat tail numbers (JV182 and FN376).
"2E LT VL. M.L. K.N.I.L." stands for "2nd Lieutenant Airman Military Aviation Royal Netherlands East Indies Army".

Den Hollander flew Hellcat FN390 when he crashed on 28 april 1944.
"OFF. VL. 3E KL. KM" stands for "Flying Officer 3rd Class Royal Navy".

Like so many others, they got killed while training. May they rest in peace

Hanno

[PPS]

For those who were willing to give their all to defend their right to live in peace

Many thanks for supplying the details of the inscriptions. I am ex-service and respect those who have gone before, irrespective of colour, creed, or race.

Paul.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by PPS
Many thanks for supplying the details of the inscriptions.

Paul,

I forgot to add that "KONINKRIJK DER NEDERLANDEN" means "Kingdom of the Netherlands".

As for De Jager's headstone, I think it reads "GED" instead of "CED". I'm pretty sure "K.N.I.L. GED. NED. TR. ENGEL." stands for "Royal Netherlands East Indies Army, detached to Dutch troops in England".



Hanno

[PPS]

For those who were willing to give their all to defend their right to live in peace.

Hanno,

I stand corrected, it does read as you say. I made a note of the inscription and made my post from that. Mind you, it was blowing a cold wind straight off the Lough at the time I made the notes.

I have also noticed that it is possible that the same mindless morons that decorated the headstones in Ballykelly visited there as well. Look at the marks in the closed loops of some of the letters.

Paul.

[PPS]

Hanno,

In taking photo's of Canadian CWGC markers in the City Cemetery in Londonderry I came across this one.

Paul.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by PPS
In taking photo's of Canadian CWGC markers in the City Cemetery in Londonderry I came across this one.

Thanks for this, and indeed many of the other pictures, Paul!

From the Netherlands Navy commemorative roll:
"Hos, C. (1909) ltz.2 18-07-1942 Hr.Ms. Tjerk Hiddes"

I can't place the death of Lieutenant C. Hos in conjunction with the fate of torpedo-boat destroyer HMS Tjerk Hiddes. It left the UK in August 1942 for the Indian Ocean, returning in October 1944.
Another sailor killed during training? Possibly he got ill and died?

[PPS]

Hanno,

Take a look at:-

http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5495.html

Paul

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Originally posted by PPS
Take a look at:-

http://uboat.net/allies/warships/ship/5495.html

Thanks Paul, I found the same information in Dutch. Lieutenant Hos was killed sometime between commissioning and sailing for the Indian Ocean. No battle feats are recorded for that period, which is why I suggest he got killed during training or died of an illness.

Regards,
Hanno

Tjerk Hiddes (ex-HMS Nonpareil)
Commissioned May 6 1942
Part of the British Eastern Fleet's 7th DD-flotilla from August 1942.