THE THREE WHO ESCAPED

All three landed safely. Where? That’s is almost impossible to find out after 48 years, despite several indications.

Sgt WOOD Robert Thomas, the second pilot of the RAF, R. 67594, crew member of the cited RAF squadron, was wounded and captured by the Germans. He was put in a prison camp up to the end of the war. In 1970, he lived in Dallas (Texas). We wrote three letters but there was no reply ...

Sgt John William HUTTON, rear gunner, 1378696, got back home safely via Hasselt, Brussels, France and Spain. But after going back into service, he was killed above Calais on June 12, 1944, six days after D-Day.

Sgt WARBURTON Leonard Arthur, 2nd wireless operator - air gunner returned safely to England. He wrote down his story and sent it to me. He landed safely somewhere in a wooded area and started immediately to bury his parachute when suddenly some curious Flemish people on their bikes turned up. They wanted his parachute and then they took the airman to a place nearby where Sgt Hutton had landed. The airmen asked the road to the west and set off. They crossed a railway track and passed a cabin (a hideout shelter?) in which people were talking. They went through a small village or town center where they saw some German soldiers but they passed them without difficulty and even exchanged a "Gute Nacht"

They slept in a potato field behind a hedge until daylight. They were awoken by the voices of two German soldiers on the other side of the hedge; they were carrying jars and went to a farm for milk. When the situation looked safe, they got up and looked around. It was most amazing to them that at the end of the field, they saw a farmhouse on which façade was written "Vive le RAF" (I can’t hardly believe that this was possible in our country; WARBURTON may confuse with a farm in France.)

Both WARBURTON and HUTTON, decided to go and knock on the backdoor of the farmhouse. They acquainted themselves and were very warmly treated. The farmer’s wife gave them some milk to drink while her little daughter was curiously looking at them. The little girl gave WARBURTON a scapular, a small piece of textile sewn with a piece of a relic of a saint in it. He still wears it in his wallet: "It is my lucky charm!" The farmer took them to the barn where they both fell asleep. They were awakened by two young girls (women couriers). They brought them civilian clothes and two bicycles.

After about 3 km of cycling, WARBURTON guesses, they were taken to a house in Hasselt, where they were questioned by a gentleman who spoke English quite well. WARBURTON was welcomed by COLARIS, who kept a drugstore in the Diesterstraat 11 in Hasselt; he offered the Englishman shelter in his house during 14 days or so. (WARBURTON is still is in touch with the daughter of Colaris.) It was COLARIS who transferred him to Brussels by train where he stayed on different addresses until about December.

WARBURTON quotes: "They were true patriots of the Belgian Resistance, and in Brussels or in the environment, I stayed one or two days, once or twice a fortnight. The Belgian Resistance was amazing and I will remain grateful to them forever. It is sad however that so many had to die on this ‘job’, but they will never be forgotten. Only after a few days he saw Jack HUTTON back. The Comète line provided a safe haven in Brussels and took care of their transit through France and Spain. In 1946 WARBURTON returned to the family COLARIS in Hasselt and also visited the crash site in Genk.

Comments (4)

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Hello,<br />Thanks to Martin for the improvement in the name.<br />Martin, is there a death notice or reminder card on the death of your uncle, available? If so, we would be able to receive a digital scan them to be included in the archive. They...

Hello,<br />Thanks to Martin for the improvement in the name.<br />Martin, is there a death notice or reminder card on the death of your uncle, available? If so, we would be able to receive a digital scan them to be included in the archive. They are also perhaps pictures of the period during his military service or the years immediately after the liberation? Here, too, a digital scan if possible.<br />Sorry for my bad English.<br />greetings<br />Claes Guy (member Heemkring Heidebloemke and Heide Cross)

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Claes Guy
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Hello,<br />Thanks to Martin for the improvement in the name.<br />Martin, is there a death notice or reminder card on the death of your uncle, available? If so, we would be able to receive a digital scan them to be included in the archive. They...

Hello,<br />Thanks to Martin for the improvement in the name.<br />Martin, is there a death notice or reminder card on the death of your uncle, available? If so, we would be able to receive a digital scan them to be included in the archive. They are also perhaps pictures of the period during his military service or the years immediately after the liberation? Here, too, a digital scan if possible.<br />Sorry for my bad English.<br />greetings<br />Claes Guy (member Heemkring Heidebloemke and Heide Cross)

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Claes Guy
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Leonard Arthur WARBURTON (not Walburton) was my Uncle. His name is spelt incorrectly as Walburton throughout the article ‘THE CROSS IN THE HEATHER OF BOXBERGHEIDE – GENK’. My uncle died in 1989. Whilst the facts in the article agree with what I...

Leonard Arthur WARBURTON (not Walburton) was my Uncle. His name is spelt incorrectly as Walburton throughout the article ‘THE CROSS IN THE HEATHER OF BOXBERGHEIDE – GENK’. My uncle died in 1989. Whilst the facts in the article agree with what I know, there are some facts that are new to me.

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Martin Warburton
This comment was minimized by the moderator on the site

Leonard Arthur WARBURTON (not Walburton) was my Uncle. His name is spelt incorrectly as Walburton throughout the article ‘THE CROSS IN THE HEATHER OF BOXBERGHEIDE – GENK’. My uncle died in 1989. Whilst the facts in the article agree with what I...

Leonard Arthur WARBURTON (not Walburton) was my Uncle. His name is spelt incorrectly as Walburton throughout the article ‘THE CROSS IN THE HEATHER OF BOXBERGHEIDE – GENK’. My uncle died in 1989. Whilst the facts in the article agree with what I know, there are some facts that are new to me.

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Martin Warburton
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