12/13 June 1944 - Handley-Page Halifax MkIII LW675 - RAF 578 Squadron

Night of 12 to 13 June 1944

Handley-Page Halifax MkIII LW675

RAF 578 Squadron

Thieux (Oise)

Squadron 578

Mission: Bombing of railway installations at Amiens Saint-Roch and Longueau (Somme).

25 aircraft from Squadron 578 took off from Burn Airfield (Yorkshire) at around 11:15 p.m. Among them was Halifax LW675, loaded with 18 bombs of 500 lbs. The bombing, carried out at around 1:30 a.m. from an altitude of approximately 10,000 ft, proved to be relatively accurate.

During the return flight, at around 2 a.m. and probably after being attacked by a night fighter, the Halifax LW675 crashed near the village of Thieux.

Another Halifax from Squadron 578 was shot down by anti-aircraft fire during this mission and crashed in Mailly-Raineval (Somme). All seven crew members were killed.

The crew of Halifax LW675 :

P/O Clifford NEWTON	Pilot	22	RAF
P/O George Caithness LAWRENCE	Navigator	23	RAF
P/O William RENTON	Bomb aimer		RAF
F/S Sydney Evan Wallace CASS	Wireless operator	22	RAF
F/S Geoffrey Raymond DEELEY	Flight engineer	20	RAF
Sgt. James B. REID	Mid-upper gunner	22	RAF
Sgt. Robert A. HOLLOCKS	Rear gunner	20	RAF

The gendarmerie report drawn up on 13 June 1944 stated:

"On 13 June, at 2 a.m., an English four-engined aircraft crashed 700 metres east of Thieux station. Aircraft destroyed. 4 occupants killed. No civilian casualties or damage".

In fact, five bodies were found among the wreckage of the Halifax.

Only Sergeants James Reid and Robert Hollocks managed to evacuate the stricken aircraft. Having seen the bomber fall in flames and a parachutist descend, Marcel Bertin, 40, stationmaster at Wavignies, and his 17-year-old son Lucien went in search of him and found Sgt. Robert Hollocks in a field known as ‘Le Champ Renard’. They took him back to their home. The airman was comforted, fed and given civilian clothes. The next day, he was entrusted to Henriette Preuvost, where he was reunited with Sgt. James Reid. They were housed there until 28 June.

Sgt. Robert A. Hollocks Sgt. James B. Reid

Some time later, James Reid was entrusted to Edmond and Jeanne Legras, village grocers.

They were subsequently shared between different families in the village of Wavignies.

James Reid and Robert Hollocks then stayed in Thieux until 9 July, notably with Dominique and Berthe Martin and their children Jacques and Huguette. At the slightest alert, the two airmen would go down to the cellar.

Robert A. Hollocks and James B. Reid with Jacques and Huguette Martin in Thieux.

A few days after the plane went down, a religious service was held in the church in Thieux, led by priest Colineau. A large crowd sang "La Marseillaise" in the presence of Countess Colette de Baynast. The coffins of the five airmen were placed on the back of a horse-drawn cart and then taken to the cemetery. Two other vehicles followed, loaded with flowers.The ceremony was attended by representatives of the region's resistance organisations in spite of the German occupation.The ceremony was attended by representatives of the region's resistance organisations in spite of the German occupation.

The following day, Robert Hollocks and James Reid visited the graves of their crewmates.

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Left: Lucien Bertin carrying one of the coffins.

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Sgts Robert A. Hollocks and James B. Reid in front of the graves of their crewmates.

Transcription of an article published in « Le Patriote de l'Oise » on 24 February 1945:

"Thieux - It will be remembered that during the night of 12 to 13 June, an English aircraft was shot down on the territory of our village. Five of the seven members of the crew died gloriously, while two were saved and escaped enemy search thanks to the efforts of the local resistance. We also remember the beautiful and moving funerals given to our five heroes. All this in the midst of the Boche occupation".

The president of the Thieux Liberation Committee received the following letter from the mother of airman Sergeant Cass, one of the five heroes:

"Dear Sir,

Would you please accept from my husband and myself our deepest gratitude and thanks for your great kindness to my son, Flight Sergeant S. Cass who, with the other members of his crew, was shot down by enemy attack on the night of 12/13 June. He was our only child, and our hearts are broken by his loss, but how comforted we were when we heard recently of the moving funeral he had. We were deeply touched by such wonderful thoughtfulness. Please pass on to all the dear people of this village our thanks which will always be too small in comparison with what you have done. God bless you for your thoughtfulness! And for so many beautiful flowers brought by these dear people. What a comfort for us to know that he is resting in such a good place.

One day, when all will be over, we'll come to see it and also to thank you for your wonderful kindness. We'll always remember those dear French people. I'm sure that if I had to do it all over again, my son would happily give his life for your freedom. We are alone now, but we are proud of his life and his memory. Above all, if there are any expenses for the upkeep of the grave, flowers etc., please let me know and we will gladly reimburse you when possible. Our heartfelt thanks to those who so nobly brought the flowers and attended the religious service; we heard about it from the two comrades who returned.

We are very, very grateful and thank you once again. God bless you all.

May you long enjoy the freedom for which our son gave his life, that is our wish.

Yours sincerely

A. H. E. J. Cass"

Robert Hollocks and James Reid were later taken in by the Ansauvillers resistance group. Louis Delamare took them in for two months, until the Liberation.

Louis Delamare

In May 1971, Georges Jauneau certified:

"I, the undersigned Captain Georges Jauneau, former FFI departmental leader, former Oise departmental leader of the FN-FTPF Resistance movement, President of the FFCI Departmental Committee, certify on my honour that Mr Louis Delamare, born on 21/1/1920 in the 18^th arrondissement of Paris, had been a member of the Oise Resistance since December 1942.

Incorporated into the “Jacques Bonhomme” detachment, he played a very active role in the Resistance in his sector: recruiting patriots for combat groups, recovering and refurbishing weapons abandoned during the many engagements that took place in this part of the area in 1940, building up stocks of weapons and ammunition as well as those we brought back in April 1943 from Noyon in a van with Messrs Delamarre and Julien Sorel, from Valescourt, these weapons coming from several parachute drops received by the OCM in the Noyon region and some of which had been made available by the OCM's Departmental Headquarters. The main depots were located at the Château of Wavignies and the Catillon-Fumechon cemetery.

Main missions carried out:

- April 1943 - With Mr Bertin, Wavignies group leader and stationmaster, and Mr Delafolie Clotaire: distribution of weapons in the various sectors.

- February 1944 - Destruction (5 times) of underground lines between Saint-Just-en-Chaussée and Breteuil.

- May 1944 - Destruction of the telephone line on the road from Saint-Just-en-Chaussée to Catillon.

- May 1944 - Attack on a German convoy between Wavignies and Saint-Just-en-Chaussée.

- July 1944 - Some of the weapons dropped at Valescourt were transported to Froissy, Crèvecœur-le-Grand and Breteuil in a van from the Wavignies sugar factory.

In June 1944, he was personally appointed military commander of the sector (Wavignies-Ansauvillers-Sérévillers-Gannes) with the rank of second lieutenant.

From 9 July to 9 September 1944, he sheltered two British parachutists in his home, which he kept despite the presence of three SS soldiers occupying his house.

During the Liberation battles, with 50 men, he liberated the communes of Sérévillers and Ansauvillers and took 17 German prisoners.

Mr Delamare was called in to reinforce the Wavignies group, which was fighting a large German unit. He and his men fought in the outbuildings of the château, which the Germans had set on fire after killing Mr Vincenot, the deputy military commander, who was defending the entrance with his comrades.

During these operations, Mr Delamare's detachment took 70 prisoners and seized three lorries, two light vehicles, a motorbike and a tracked vehicle. This equipment was handed over to me and stored at Saint-Just-en-Chaussée, where the Oise military subdivision took possession of it after the Liberation".

Robert Hollocks and the Delamare family.

Testimony from Thérèse Peton, who was 10-year-old at the time and lived in Ansauvillers:

"One day, the two airmen came with the Delamarre family to have lunch with us. The menu included mashed potatoes, a real treat in those wartime days! Earlier, my parents and I had been invited to the Delamares' house, where they were introduced to us as cousins. One of them had a French vocabulary of no more than about twenty words... and with an accent that astonished me".

After the Liberation of the region, they flew back to England from Beauvais airfield.

Thieux Cemetery

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13 September 2025 - Ceremony in memory of the crew of Halifax LW675

Accueil English Airmen 12/13 June 1944 - Handley-Page Halifax MkIII LW675 - RAF 578 Squadron - Thieux (Oise)