Name: |
VAN DER MERWE |
Given Name: |
NICHOLAAS PETRUS |
Initials: |
N P |
Service No: |
778400 |
Trade: |
Pilot |
Rank: |
SergeantOther Casualties of this Rank |
Regiment: |
Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Date of Death: |
1941-09-20Other Casualties on this
Date |
Age: |
21 |
Cause of Death: |
Killed in action, Hampden I P5314, crew of four took off from Croughton which is the satellite airfield for Upper Heyford on a night flying exercise. Unfortunatly for this crew they were unaware of a lone German JU88 night-fighter which was sharing the same air space! Oblt. Paul Semrau (I/NJG2) and his crew had picked out the airfield of Upper Heyford for their next target and released their bomb load which fell in a line across the airfield. At the same time, Sgt, Van Der Merwe was preparing to land back at Croughton after completing their exercises - it is not known if the pilot had been informed that there was a German night-fighter operating in the area. Witnesses on the ground heard a burst of cannon and machine gun fire, before they saw a Hampden catch fire in the air. Sadly, the aircraft crashed near the airfield where it was totally destroyed, killing all four crew |
Additional
Information: |
Son of Pieter Jacobus Theron van der Merwe and of Stoffelina Cornelia van der Merwe (nee Maartens); husband of Beryl Gwendolyn van der Merwe (nee du Barry), of Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia. |
This information was last verified for accuracy: 2022-05-03
