Wreath Laying Ceremony For Six Hawker Typhoon Pilots Who Drowned In Channel Near Island

A wreath laying ceremony is to take place next Wednesday to honour six men who died in waters off the Isle of Wight during the Second World War.

In June 1944 the six brave men, aged between 22 and 24, were flying their Hawker Typhoon aircraft in ground attack roles against various targets in Normandy off the south coast.

Unfortunately for various reasons - mainly aircraft damaged by German defensive groundfire - they all went down in the English Channel close to the Island.

The wreath laying ceremony will take place on Wednesday October 30 at 11:15am at Parkhurst Military Cemetery.

The Roll call of the lost are:

• Squadron Leader David George Ross
  193 Squadron
  Lost on June 5 in Typhoon MN761 having attacked radar installations and been hit by Flak, bailing out 15 miles off Sandown. Unfortunately, he did not make it into his dingy, drowned and his body was never recovered.
   
• Pilot Officer George Rendle
  RAAF 181 Sqn flying Typhoon JR244
  Hit by ground fire near Caen, limping back with damaged aircraft close to the Island, to drown within 30 minutes of being in the water. Lost on June 7.
   
• Pilot Officer Cecil Leitch
  RCAF 175 Sqn flying Typhoon MN481
  Conducted 17 combat missions before lost on June 15. Was 15 miles out from The Needles when he developed a technical fault, turned for home and was just three miles out when he had to bail out. Also drowned within 30 minutes.
   
• Flight Sergeant Arthur Ernest Holland
  266 Sqn lost flying Typhoon MN953 on 19 June.
  Had attacked a target near Cherbourg (believed to be a V2 launch site) and subsequently fell back on return journey, lost height and attempted to ditch but dropped a wing and crashed into the sea bursting into flames.
  Body not recovered.
   
• Sergeant Peter Sayer Barton
  198 Sqn Lost flying Typhoon EK218
  On 23 June he was flying an armed Recce off the Mezidon-Argentan area attacking railway assets, before being hit by flak ditched in the Channel close to the Island.
  Sadly his body was not recovered.
   
• Sergeant Kenneth George Hodnett
  181 Squadron
  Lost in Typhoon MN760 on 25 June was returning from a mission in bad weather and descended to get a bearing on his position, crashing into the sea, unfortunately his body was not recovered.