June 8 1944

On the evening of June 7th the crew left Tempsford Airfield on a SIS Operation, Periwinkle and Walt 3 flying on Halifax NF-R LL306. The mission was to supply the resistance in support of the D-Day landings. The crew crashed at 03.12 hrs on June 8th at Veauville-les-Baons, Seine Maritime, France.They are buried at Veauville-les-Baons Churchyard.

An eye witness to the crash stated that the crew came under attack from a nightfighter and following a fire fight between the two aircraft there was a large explosion and Halifax LL306 fell to the ground. Russian prisoners were ordered to dig a grave in the middle of the field where the plane fell and the remains of the seven crew were at first buried in a collective grave. After several attempts the villagers of Veauville-les-Baons persuaded the local German Commander to permit internment in their churchyard. The funeral and a memorial service that followed was attended by large crowds with a great number of wreaths and flowers being laid on the grave. The inscription on the grave read: "ICI REPOSENT LES RESTRE DES AVIATEURS ANGLAIS TOMBES LE 8 JUIN 1944. R.I.P." 

Four days after the crash Pat received a letter from Mrs Kemp, mother of Douglas Kemp, in it she wrote: 

"Judging from my son's conversations they always seemed such a united crew. So well up in their different  jobs that we feel if there was a way out at all they would find it". 

Do not despair For Johnny-head-in-the-air,

He sleeps as sound As Johnny underground,

Fetch out no shroud for Johnny-in-the-cloud,

And keep your tears for him in after years,

Better by far for Johnny-the-bright-star,

To keep your head and see his children fed

HC Jones DS Johnstone HA Monsen-Elvik GB Moore DJA Kemp FW Herbert JG Chadwick

For Freedom 138 Squadron

To the memory of F/Sgt JG Chadwick and the crew of Halifax LL306