206276 Sgt Thomas John Jack Wilson Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 428 Sqd. from:Belfast, Northern Ireland. (d.28th Sep 1943) My Mother has given me a "Missing in Action" letter dated Sept 29th 1943 Royal Canadian Airforce Overseas, from S/L W.B.Jennings R.C.A.F.Chaplain at Middleton St George, about her cousin T.J.Wilson. I believe he was born about 1922 in Northern Ireland, at one time she was close to him but as she is now 83, she doesn't remember too much. It has always troubled her that she never found out what happened & exactly where he is buried. I have a small Box Brownie type photograph that shows his & his crew's burial plots which I believe are somewhere near Arniem in the Netherlands. I have been searching for information no avail. She lost track of him when she was evacuated in Scotland U.K. and had not realised that he had even gone to Canada.
Editor's Note: Thomas was serving with the RAFVR, and was flying with 428 Squadron RCAF. The squadron had a mix of Canadian, British and other Commonwealth nationalities, so it is likely that Thomas did not actually go to Canada. The aircraft, Halifax EB215 NA-T took off from RAF Middleton St George at 19:17 on the 28th of September 1943. They were shot down by Flak over Holland and crashed at 17 minutes past midnight at Oosterhof, near Vaassen. There was only one survivor, Sgt Griffin who was taken POW.
The crew were:
- Sgt J.E.Farmer
- Sgt J.W.Satchell
- Sgt D.A.J.Griffin
- Sgt T.J.Wilson
- Sgt E.T.Springett
- Sgt A.Stuart
- Sgt W.E.Mussen
Thomas and his crew mates are buried in the Epe General Cemetery at Vaassen, 7 kilometres north of Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.
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