On the night of 16–17 June 1944, the British Lancaster ME840 was returning from a bombing mission over Germany. Over the Achterhoek it was attacked by a German night fighter. Flying Officer Leslie Pulfrey was the first to leave the burning bomber, above Barlo. He did not survive the jump.
Returning from Sterkrade
The Avro Lancaster ME840 of 550 Squadron, Royal Air Force, had taken off from North Killingholme in Lincolnshire on the evening of 16 June. Seven crewmen were on board. Their target was at Sterkrade, where installations serving Germany’s synthetic oil industry were attacked.
On the return flight the aircraft was intercepted by a German night fighter. A fuel tank in one wing caught fire and the Lancaster could no longer be saved. The crew were ordered to abandon the aircraft.
A jump over Barlo
Leslie Pulfrey was the first to jump. Exactly what happened next cannot be established with certainty. He may have struck the aircraft, or his parachute may not have functioned properly. Early on 17 June he was found dead in a field in Barlo by Johan van Eerden of nearby Nieuw Kolstee farm.
His body was still attached to the parachute. The canopy had a large tear and Pulfrey had become entangled in the lines around his head. One flying boot was missing. His identity disc established who he was.
Six dead, one survivor
The burning Lancaster eventually crashed near Heelweg, behind Oude Lieftinck farm. Six of the seven crewmen were killed. Only flight engineer Roy Kay survived. With help from the local resistance he avoided capture and later reached England.
Pulfrey and the other crewmen who died were buried in Varsseveld.
A memorial in Barlo
A memorial now stands on the spot where Pulfrey was found, on Gandvoortweg. In June 2014 he was commemorated there again with a fly-past by four F-16s.
Thea Onnink recorded her memories of Leslie Pulfrey and the commemoration. Herman Onnink reads her account in the recording below.
Sources
- Old Aalten, Monument to Leslie Pulfrey
- Nationaal Onderduikmuseum, account of Roy Kay
- RAF 550 Squadron / RAF casualty records, Lancaster ME840
- Memories of Thea Onnink, read by Herman Onnink