Interned in Belgium, 1940

[Nick Colley]

Folks, it occurs to me that Belgium's neutrality early in WW2 - and all the obligations that go with that status -  is usually forgotten. so I thought I'd show you this.

This is an item from Flying Officer C.M.Kempster of 21 Squadron in March 1940, interned in Belgium. He and his crew took off from Metz at 07h55 on 3rd January 1940 in a Blenheim I on a reconnaissance mission. They were attacked by a Hurricane (!), and survived. However, they were badly damaged by Me 109s near Aachen, after which they crash landed near Raeren in Belgium (still neutral at this time), just over the border from Aachen. One of the crew, AC1 Harris, was killed, but Kempster and the third crew member, Sgt Smith survived. They were interned in Terlaenen Camp, near Overyssche ca.20 kms SE of Brussels. They were released when the German offensive in the west started on 10th May.

(Data source is Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War by W.R. Chorley (the 1939-1940 volume))

I think this qualifies for our next Zoom meeting on the 18th, so I'll try and sneak it in there :-)

Nick

[Chris Grimshaw]

Interesting item Nick

Do we know the sort of numbers of British Airmen who were internees at this time in Belgium.

Chris

[Nick Colley]

No (or put another way: I don't), but we might deduce that there were sufficient to cause the Belgians to set up the accommodation (and bureaucracy) to deal with them. There aren't many in the Bomber Command losses book noted as interned, but that's only Bomber Command.

chrs
N