Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, Athenry, Galway, January 15th, 1943
Of all the survivable landings of foreign aircraft that
occurred in neutral Ireland during the Second World War, perhaps
the best known about is the landing of the aircraft commonly
referred to as 'Stinky".
This was the nose art at one time painted on the nose of Boeing
B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-9045. And this was the
aircraft that on January 15th 1943 was forced to make an
emergency landing on the grounds of the Agricultural College in
Athenry, Co. Galway.
On board the aircraft were fifteen American service personnel
and one British pilot of the Royal Air Force.
Much had been written about, and indeed continues to the written about, the event, due to the fact that six of those on board were passengers and were as it turns out high ranking US Army officers. The full compliment of persons on board was:
Capt Thomas M HULINGS O-437980
2/Lt J. Kemp MCLAUGHLIN O-789398
2/Lt Clyde B. COLLINS O-789458
Sgt Lorin E BLANCHARD Jr. 16048807
Sgt Johnnie J TUCKER 14068147
Sgt John W TIPPEN 14033646
Sgt Maurice L. HARRIS 15084594
T/Sgt Edward D. PARRISH 06151908
T/Sgt Laurence E. DENNIS 36048962
Sgt Reginald Charles BOLLAND 625196 (Royal Air Force)
Lt/Gen Jacob Loucks DEVERS O-2599
Maj/Gen Edward Hale BROOKS O-6657
Brig/Gen Gladeon Marcus BARNES O-2970
Brig/Gen Williston Birkhimer PALMER O-12246
Col William Thaddeus SEXTON O-15777
Maj Earle Lynn HORMELL O-22368
The 60th anniversary of that forced landing was marked by the
US Ambassador to Ireland, Mr James C Kenny, at Mellows College
in Athenry on Saturday, December 6th, 2003 when he recalled the
local response to the emergency.
Local man Paul Browne has written a great deal on the subject
and has a large website dealing with the landing, the higher
ranking officers and the subsequent memorials and events.
His website can be viewed by clicking on the link below.

The purpose of this page is to describe the wartime careers of
the nine American crew members and the British passenger.
There is a little difficulty in identifying the men as the Irish
Army only recorded them by surname and with initials in most
cases. Laurence E Dennis and Johnnie J Tucker both signed
their names in full on the autograph notebook of local student
Paddy Cloonan. The careers of the other higher ranking American
passengers can be found on the Paul Browne website linked
above. Some of the enlisted men and probably the officers
can be seen in this photo which was taken on the day of the
landing in Athenry.
From left of the photo, the first man is a local man, possibly
of the Local Defence Forces (LDF). The next man has been
identified by his family as Sgt John W Tippen. Next to him
is Laurence E Dennis with the white area on his jacket, probably
a unit badge.
Edward Parrish's son's partner identified Edward Parrish Senior
as being third from the right.
Johnnie Tucker's family recognise him as the man on the extreme right of the photo.
Laurence Dennis then in his estimation and recollection in 2010
stated he thought those in the photo were:
"L-R Unidentified Irish man, McLaughlin, Dennis, ??,
lady, ?? , Parrish, Hulings, ??. He's thinking two of
the unidentified men are Harris and Collins and perhaps the
third unidentified man is another Irishman.
Larry says during those days he often would mix up Tucker
and Harris, so he's not certain of their identity in the
picture. He figures the navigator (Collins) is probably in the
picture, but he doesn't know which one. That was the only trip
he made with Collins."
The Harris family did not recognise their father in the photo
above.
The daughter of Maurice Harris provided the photo below, a
better copy of which hopefully can be scanned in due course,
which shows probably six enlisted men. Maurice Harris is
the man kneeling on the lower right of the photo.
Comparing photos, it would seem that Lorin Blanchard is standing
at the left of the photo.

The crew which flew the aircraft too Ireland is said to have left behind four other crew men due to lack of space. The waist gun positions at left and right were decommissioned, and in photos from Athenry, these can be seen to have panels over with small windows. It is also suggested that the ball turret on the lower fuselage had been removed. It would be expected then to have had two officer pilots as well an enlisted man as engineer, a role understood to have been performed by Edward D Parrish. Laurence Dennis was the Radio Operator. At least two men would have manned the upper and tail turrets.
The Americans forming the crew of were:
Capt. Thomas M HULINGS O-437980 - PILOT
Born
on May 5 1920 in Redcliffe to Arthur F and Amy J Hulings (nee
Work). Thomas registered for the draft in Marienville, Forest,
PA and was an engineering student at the time of the draft,
working for the Marienville Glass Co. He enlisted in July
1941 as aviation cadet, serial number 13037589 and was
later commissioned as officer O-437980.
His local newspapers reported on his wartime career
frequently.
Warren Times Mirror on Feb 28, 1942 reported his having accepted
his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. He is mentioned in the
book "Grey Ghost" as having flown a bomber to England as one of
the first members of the 407th Bomb Squadron in late August
1942.
The Oil City Derrick on May 20, 1943 reported on his having been
the judge of a model aircraft competition for English
boys. His obituary in 1998 mentioned that on his first
mission enemy action severely wounded five of his crew and his
plane had more than 2000 holes, an incident featured in a
Ripley's 'Believe It or Not' cartoon. This mission it is
believed was the October 9th, 1942 raid on Lillle, France.
Lt Hulings was flying that day as the Co-pilot to Captain James
J Griffith Jr, when their aircraft received severe flak
damage. The story of the crew was used by the USAAF as the
basis for a widely printed newspaper release. While Lt
Hulings name is not mentioned in this widely publicized
experience, the pilot's son was able to recount his fathers war
time missions.
The Oil
City Derrick on Nov 4th, 1943 reported that he had informed his
parents that he was staying on in Europe with Bomber Command for
further duties, having previously said he would return to the
US.
Many Pennsylvania papers then on November 26th 1943 carried
reports of his completion of his first tour of duty.
He rose to the rank of Major during the war and later served as
commander of the 368th Bomb Squadron in the 306th Bomb Group
from October 1944. There he completed another 14 missions
following on from his 25 with the 92nd Bomb Group earlier in the
war. He then moved onto the British built Mosquito twin
engine aircraft flying recon missions with the 25th Bomb
Group.
His veterans compensation form in 1950 states he was overseas
from August 24, 1942 to November 17, 1945. His parents
were deceased at that time and he was married to
Katherine. He had married on October 24, 1944, to Captain
Katherine Young, Commanding Officer of the 8th Air Force
Headquarters WAG Detachment.
He later flew 14 missions with the 306 Bomb Group, then flew
Mosquito Recon with the 25th Bomb Group. After hostilities
ceased he participated in the Casey Jones mapping project On
October 24, 1944, Major Hulings married Captain Katherine Young,
Commanding Officer of the 8th Air Force Headquarters WAG
Detachment.
After the war, he worked for Dupont in technical sales for 12 years and for Hercules Powder Company for 23 years before retiring in 1985. Mr. Hulings was active in the Georgia Chapter 8th Air Force Historical Society, Silver Wings, and the Middle Georgia Soaring Association. He was an avid photographer. He passed away on the 8 July 1998 in Georgia and was laid to rest in the Cemetery in Provincetown, MASS.

2/Lt J. Kemp MCLAUGHLIN CO-PILOT O-789398
James Kemp
McLaughlin was born in 1918 in West Virginia to Almira Ballengee
McLaughlin and James Blaine McLaughlin.
He published his wartime memories in his book, "The Mighty Eighth in WWII: A Memoir"
published first in 2000 and included a chapter that told of the
his impromptu visit to Ireland.
An interview given by him in 2016 can be viewed here on youtube:
The following 1944 extract from the 92nd's records mentions the
then Major McLaughlin. 31 Officers and 40 enlisted men
completed tours of duty. On April 19, Major Julian R.
Thornton, Jr., Group Bombardier, and Major James K.
McLaughlin, Asst. Group Operations, after having completed
their initial operational tours, left on 30 day leave.
Destination: USA. Upon their return, they will
begin an additional tour.
J Kemp McLaughlin passed away in West Virginia on the 16
December 2019 in his 101st year. The following tribute
video detailing his service career, both during and after the
war.
2/Lt Clyde B COLLINS O-789458
This member of the crew was recorded by the Irish
army only by rank, initials and surname and by his position of
navigator in the crew, Lt C B Collins. Kemp
McLaughlin mentions him as Clyde B Collins and also that he had
been bunk mate of his during their pilot training. Based
on this, and the enlistment in 1941 below of a Clyde B Collins
from Kentucky, the following bio has been created with the help
of his family.
Born in 1915 to Willard and Cora Collins, nee Bentley.
His local newspapers tell much of his wartime story. He
enlisted in September 1941 at Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky as
a cadet. He is listed as a sales person upon
enlistment. His local newspaper reported on this wartime
activities during 1941 thru 1943. The Cinncinnati Enquirer
on August 24th, 1941, lists him among a list of airmen cadets
being posted to the Cadet replacement Center at Maxwell
Field, Alabama for training.
In September 1941 the Mountain Eagle paper reported on him as
follows:
"Clyde B Collins Goes Into Training At Maxwell field.
Army Aviation Cadet Clyde B Collins, son of Mrs Cora
Collins, 371 Woodland Ave., Lexington, Ky., has started
pre-flight training at the Initial Training School, Maxwell
Field, Ala., it was announced last week at Fifth Corps Area
Headquarters, Fort Hayes, at Columbus, Ohio.
Enlisted at Fort Thomas, Ky. Collins will spend one month
at Maxwell Field with others of the October Aviation Cadet
class before transferring to a primary pilot school. The
pre-flight course is designed to equip cadets with fundamental
schooling in military and scholastic subjects thus giving them
more time for actual flying at air schools.
Collins was graduated from Whitesburg High School, at
Whitesburg, Ky., and attended Georgetown College and the
University--' of Kentucky. He has been associated with the D.
J. Davis Co., Lexington.
Army Aviation Cadet scholarships, worth $25,000 each, are
awarded to'single men at least 20 years old and not yet 27,
who are physically and educationally qualified. More than 325
of these scholarships are awarded each month to eligibles in
Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and West Virginia."
On 2nd July 1942, the Mountain Eagle was reporting on his
wedding:
"The wedding of Miss Susan Baker Stivers, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Stivers, to Lieut. Clyde Bruce Collins, son of
Mrs. Cora Collins of Lexington, was solemnized at 10 p. m.
Saturday, June 20 at the home of the Rev. Claud T. Ammerman at
Sarasota, Fla. The home was beautifully decorated with ferns
and a profusion of garden flowers.
The bride was becomingly attired in a sheer "white dress
with white accessories and a shoulder bouquet of pink
rosebuds.
The attendants were Lieutenant and Mrs. Richard G. White,
Jr., and Lieutenant and Mrs. C. W. Knops.
Miss Stivers attended Henry Clay high school in Lexington
and Lieutenant Collins attended the University of Kentucky.
The couple will reside in Springfield, Mass., where
Lieutenant Collins is now stationed.
Note - Mr. Collins who is well known here is a grandson
of Uncle Elberson Bentley of He is a graduate of the
Whitesburg High School."
The last mention of him found so far was this from early
November 1943:
"Clyde B. Collins of Lexington, who is now an instructor in
navigation with the United States Army Air Forces stationed in
Ireland has been promoted from first lieutenant to
Captain. Captain Collins has been In the air forces two
years and and overseas 13 months. He has taken part in several
raid over enemy country."
In 1937, directory for Lexington appear to have him working as a clerk at the McAdams and Morford chemical company. The 1940’s census has him living at home with his widowed mother Cora and sisters Jean and Bernice. Throughout the 1940’s and 1950’s Lexington Kentucky directories list him and wife Susan living in the city, with Cora his mother also living nearby. Employed by the Lex Signal Depot.
Clyde passed away on 9th December 1968 in Fayette. His
headstone is marked as Lt Col, Clyde B Collins, with service
attributed to WW2 only. He had remained in the Air Force
reserve post war raising to the rank shown on his
gravestone. The photo below shows him standing next to a
Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcar transport of the US Air Force.
Sgt Lorin E BLANCHARD Jr. 16048807
Lorin was
born 16 Mar 1914 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Lorin and Ruby
Blanchard. In 1940, he is living with his widowed father
in Milwaukee, and working as a clerk in a Life Insurance
company.
He enlisted in January 1942 into the Army Air Corps. He is
believed to the the airman widely published in American
newspapers as "S E Blanchard" in November 1942, in a news story
about the 9th October 1942 raid on Lille. The article can
be seen above in Thomas Hulings bio.
After his return to combat he was awarded the Air Medal and
listed in the June 1943 copy of Air Force News.
The Lake Geneva Regional news of Dec 3rd 1942 reported on the
award of a "Hero Medal" to a Copr. Lorin B Blanchard, son of the
late Ruby Dowes Blanchard from Milwaukee.
The 92nd Bob Group history lists a S/Sgt Lorin E Blanchard
having a reclassification Military Occupation Speciality (MOS)
in daily order for January 24th 1945 while serving still with
the 407th Bomb Squadron.
He married Jane Baynard Martin in 1948 but the marriage broke
up and Lorin moved to Detroit, Michigan where he died 30 Nov
1980. He lived for many years on a houseboat
in the Detroit River and never remarried.
His family very kindly provided the wonderful wartime photo of
him above where the
Sgt Johnnie J TUCKER 14068147
Born
in North Carolina in 29 Apr 1919 to Hallie V and Joseph C
Tucker. His full name was Johnnie Joe TUCKER
During the war, his next of kin was his wife, Edith M Tucker
(nee Munford), living at 514 Carr St, Durham.
He enlisted in January 1942 at Fort Bragg and at that time was married and working as a salesman.
He was shot down on 14 May 1943 flying on B-17F 42-30003 under
1/Lt Lowell W Walker. They were taking part on a bombing
raid against the U-Boat pens in Kiel, Germany. Records for
the loss are poor, other than 407th Bomb Squadron/92nd Bomb
Group records state: "The ship was last seen circling
down under control toward Amrum Island with one engine out and
a stabilizer shot off." Missing Air Crew Report
16055 was filed for this aircraft and a copy is sought.
He is pictured here with his wife Edith in 1940.
A set of photos kept by his relatives were likely taken some
time in 1942 perhaps after graduation from his Army Air Forces
training. They show him with his mother Hallie and his
brother Grover in the grounds of Duke University, Durham, which
was near his mothers home.
News paper reports of his capture in June 1943 recorded his
address as 909 Virgie St, West Durham.
Johnnie spend the remains of the war as a POW in Germany and
after his release, arrived back in New York on the SS Monticello
3 Jun 1945. On that shipping manifest his address is given
as 810 Vickers Ave, Durham, N.C.
Johnnie passed away 28 December 1978 in Durham, NC, and he was
buried in Liberty Christian Church Cemetery, Epsom, Vance
County, North Carolina. Edith, his wife, died on 15
March 1998.
In this photo, Johnnie is seen with an unidentified colleague,
which the family understand might have been taken at Fort Bragg.
Sgt John W TIPPEN 14033646
John was born 1921 in
Birmingham, Alabama, to Mabel and John Tippen.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in November 1940 aged 19 and
his service continued through until September
1945. During the time he appears to have
remained within the 92nd Bomb Group, moving between Squadrons
during 1944.
He had arrived back in the US at the port of New York on the
19th of July 1945 on the SS Aquitania. On the manifest for
the arrival, he is recorded as having a Military Occupation
Speciality (MOS) of 911, which indicated Aircraft
Armourer. He had married in June 1942 in Florida and in
1945 was living at 1248, 15th St, South West Birmingham.
It was only upon he arrival back home that he was required to
register for the draft and he did so again in Birmingham,
Alabama in September 1945. He listed himself as
unemployed.
He passed away on 6 Jan 2003 and is buried in Elmwood Cemetery,
Birmingham, Alabama.
Sgt Maurice L. HARRIS 15084594
The identity of the airman recorded by the Irish army simply as
"Sgt L Harris". McLaughlin in his book does record him as
Maurice L Harris. His daughter was able to say in 2011
that he had kept various newspaper cuttings dated in November
1942, recording his air medal award. Based on this
information it was determined that he was the airman described
below.
Born on Dec 27 1918 in Indiana to Arthur and Harriet (Nee
Thornberry) in Vigo County, Indiana. Arthur, his father
died in January 1924 in a rail road accident and his mother
remarried Grover Stephens. He in 1940 is found on the
census, XXXX. His enlistment was on 5th January 1942 in
Fort Benjamin and was into the Army Air Corps, at that time
getting the Army Serial Number 15084594 . In November
1942, American newspapers reported on his award of the Air Medal
for gallantry in action. At that time his address is given
as Rural Route 2, Shelburn. Among the information in the
newspaper clippings are that he had enlisted in December 1941
and had departed for his training base on January 3rd,
1942. His army serial number was recorded on some of his
surviving documentation, and he also that he was a rear gunner
and had flown at least 25 combat missions. He had also
kept a group of ten postcards of Algiers.
Maurice passed away on 19 March 1969. He is buried
alongside his widow, Elizabeth L Harris, who died in 2000.
T/Sgt Edward D. PARRISH 06151908
With no serial number recorded, this mans name was recorded by
the Irish Army as E D Parrish or Edward D Parrish.
Following contact made with a family member, it has proven
possible to confirm Edward D Parrish as the airman described
below.
Edward
Dexter Parrish was from Saugus, Essex County,
Massachusetts. Born in April 1925, he was the son of
Robert and Lilla Parrish. The U.S., Department of Veterans
Affairs BIRLS Death File on ancestry.com lists him having an
enlistment date of 19 December 1939, and a release of 1 October
1945, with the Air Force indicated as the branch of
service. The US Archives enlistment data records him
having reenlisted in 1945. He remained in the services
after the war and the photo shows him in US Air Force uniform in
Japan in the early 1950's.
He passed away in October 1997 in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Edward married Marrietta Clara Beeck in 1949 and they are seen
below with their only son Edward Junior in Japan in
1952.

Edward again in uniform but in a more relaxed setting seen
again in a post war photo.
It was originally thought he was Edward Daniel Parrish was born
on 11 Nov 1922 to Joseph Parrish in Georgia. He was also a
prewar enlistee, having joined the colors in January 1941.
His record on the BIRLS database on ancestry.com as well as
medical records indicated that he was released from the service
in March 1943. He passed away in Union County, Florida on
13 March 1982.
T/Sgt Laurence E. DENNIS Jr 36048962 POW
This airman's name is confirmed as being aboard the aircraft
from his own testimony later in life.
Laurence was born in 1928, the son of Laurence Sr. and Alice
(Harrison) Dennis. He graduated from Farmington Community High
School in the class of 1936.
He was like the other crew members posted to the 92nd Bomb
Group.
He was the radio operator on aircraft when it landed in
Galway. Laurence in his recollections in later years
remembered General Devers being on the flight. In his own
words: Most of the time he rode in the nose and bothered the
navigator. But he came back to the radio room and asked if I
had contacted anyone yet? I told him "no"—his answer. "What
the G__ D__ hell kind of radio operator are you??!!" I offered
him the headphones but he wouldn't listen—went back up front.
I figured it was a bit unusual for an Air Corps radio operator
to have his butt chewed out by a Tank Corp general, so I've
never forgotten it. We had nothing but rain and fog for 4 or 5
hours on that trip. Static was terrible.

In the photo above, Laurence can be seen nearest the camera,
with an unidentified airman inboard. On the nose of the of
the B-17 one can read the numbers 45, which makes it most likely
that the photo shows the aircraft which landed in Athenry, B-17E
serial number 41-9045.
He recalled also in the 1990’s that after the landing, the
local school master brought the whole group of children to see
the aircraft and the crew were able to share with them a carton
of oranges they had in the aircraft.
After the stint flying between North Africa and the UK, he
returned to combat duties in April 1943 with the 92nd Bomb
Group. He and his crew were forced to ditch their B-17 in
the English Channel on the 6th of September 1943. He was
forced to bailout over Norway on the 16th of November 1943 when
the 407th Bomb Squadron aircraft he was crew on, began the
suffer technical problems, his 23rd mission and was a POW for 18
months at Stalag 17B. The photo below is his German
prisoner of war 'mugshot' from this time.
Laurence passed away 9 Dec 2015 in Peoria, Illinois in his 97th
year.
In his book, The mighty Eight, J Kemp McLaughlin records that the Radio Operator on 41-9045 when it landed in Ireland was "Edward E Teaford". In the 92nd Bomb Group at this time there was a S/Sgt Everett K Teaford who was later shot down and taken prisoner with Johnny J Tucker in May 1943.
In 2011 Laurence was able to return to the skies in a B-17
when the he was able to take a flight in the B-17 'Sentimental
Journey' flown by the Commemorative Air Force.
Among the passengers on the aircraft was a lone British pilot, returning from a tour of duty abroad.
Sgt Reginald Charles BOLLAND 625196
The final name found to have been a passenger on the aircraft
is described by the Irish Army report variously as, "Sergt. R.
Boland, R.A.F." and Pilot-Sergt. R. Boland R.A.F." The
report filed by General Devers mentions him as follows: "A
British sergeant in the RAF who had been stationed at Malta
had been put on the plane (without authority) for
transportation to England."
J Kemp McLaughlin describes this man in his book published in
2000 as "One of our passengers was British Flying Sgt. R.C.
Bolland, hitchhiking his way home from a three year tour as
Spitfire pilot on Malta."
It would seem most likely that he was Reginald Charles Bolland 625196, a fighter pilot who went missing in October 1944 while flying with 504 Squadron.
He was one of the pilots who flew off HMS Furious on 11th August 1942 in a Spitfire to reinforce the defense of the island of Malta. His posting in to 185 Squadron is mentioned only briefly in the ORB, in so much as three named officers and "four Sergeant pilots report for full flying duties with the squadron."
His first apparent mission was on the evening of 25 August
1942, on a 10 aircraft patrol.
He was previously flying with 242 Squadron in the UK and is
listed along with two other pilots, Sgt Sullivan and Harrison,
as being posted overseas as of 3rd August 1942. In 242
Squadron he appears to have been mainly training.
The Squadron Operations Book of Royal Air Force 285 Squadron on
the 2nd February 1943 recorded the posting in of 625196 Sgt
Pilot R C Bolland from 2 PDC for flying duties. This unit was a
non front line Squadron that was tasked with flying target
towing duties and other support missions using a variety of
aircraft types. Reginald was twice commended while serving
with the unit.
On the 13th of April, he was flying a Defiant tug when it
suffered an engine failure above cloud. He managed to
bring the aircraft in for a safe landing at Ringway aerodrome
with no damage.
The 10th of July 1943, while based at RAF Woodvale with a
detachment of the Squadron, Sgt Bolland again displayed his
piloting skills. The ORB records as follows: "...a
transatlantic Liberator in difficulties owing to fog and
?????? and was endeavouring to land at Woodvale, after being
homed by a nightfighter. 625196 F/Sgt Bolland ?.?. of
this unit offered to go up in an Oxford and bring the
Liberator in. He was refused permission at first but was
eventually allowed to go and he brought the Liberator in
successfully and without mishap.
His luck turned the following month when he suffered an
accident while flying Miles Martinet MS507 leaving him
injured. On 28 August 1943 while taking off from Woodvale
in the Martinett target tug when his engine cut out at 250
feet. He attempted to land in a field but due to lack of
height, he instead crashed into a barrack hut in Harrington
Barracks, Formby. He was rescued from the cockpit by three
solders, Sergt. G. R. Elkin, of the East Lancs Regt.; Pte. J.
Conroy, of the King’s Regt, and Private T. Kennedy, South Lancs.
Regiment. Newspapers of October 1943 carried the story of
the three soldiers rescue efforts, noting that they found the
pilot on the wing of the burning aircraft. He was posted
out on the 22 October 1943 to RAF Station Uxbridge.
The now Warrant Officer R C Bolland was posted to 504 Squadron
on the 1st of September, 1944 from 53 OTU. On the 13th
September, he flew an escort mission to Osnabruke. He flew an
escort mission on September 17 supporting the airborne landing
at Arnhem. He flew one weather recon mission in Spitfire
PL432 on the 18th September. He flew a Ramrod mission
escorting Halifax bombers to Duisberg on 14th October with 11
other aircraft and pilots.
On 19th October 1944 W/O Bolland took off in Spitfire PL432 in
the morning at 07:30 hours on a weather Recce mission with F/O G
Strange. F/O Strange flew from the 504 Squadron base at
Manston, Kent to, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Orfordness and then back
to base. W/O Bolland however disappeared and is simply
recorded as F.T.R., failed to return.
The ORB summary recorded as follows:
WEATHER: cloudy with strong winds, improving towards
evening. OPS. two early morning weather recce were flown
by "A" flt. Yellow Sec. covered the area Ghent-Maastrect-XXXX,
without incident. Red Sec. (FO Strange & W/O
Bolland) covered the Rotterdam-Amsterdam area. On the
return journey, when about 25 miles off Ijuiden, at 15-20,000'
in heavy XXXX conditions, F/O Strange's R/T set was rendered
u/s. It is thought that W/O Bolland's set was affected
in the same way as he did not call up to say that he was in
trouble.
His remains were never recovered and thus his name is recorded
on the Runnymede Memorial. The CWGC available records
don't list any next of kin. However, the surname spelling
being somewhat unique, compared to 'Boland', points towards a
man born in Fulham district, London in 1919 to a couple named
Edith Phyllis (nee Barnes) and Reginald Cass Bolland. His
father, Reginald Bolland, died in 1919 however.
Reginald is found in the 1939 Register as a 20 year old RAF
Aircraftman 1st Class living with a couple, Charles and Fanny
Bolland Mount Road, Wallasey, Cheshire, assumed to be his
grandparents. Interestingly, his serial number is written
on the register entry. In August 1930 his widowed mother
was found to have married, in Amsterdam, one Mathieu van den
Abeelen. One witness to the marriage was a James Patrick
Power, a well known artist of his time and who may have been
married to a sister of Reginald's but it is unclear if he was
related.
Compiled by Dennis Burke in 2022, with the kind help of the
families of the crew of B-17 41-4095.