The passing of Fred Haldenby, WWII veteran

[liams mom]

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my uncle, Fred Haldenby, a veteran of WWII.  Fred was a pilot during the war and was shot down, losing several members of his crew. He was eventually captured and was a POW.  The full history of his flight crew is available at the following link:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/stories/15/a8510915.shtml


FRED HALDENBY Frederick Haldenby passed away suddenly at home on Sunday, August 8th, 2010. Age 86 years. Beloved husband of Maggie Haldenby. Loving father of Wayne and his wife Tina Haldenby. Dear Grandpa of Mark and his wife Dawn Marie Haldenby; Kristi and her husband Jason Will; Amy Haldenby; and Great Grandpa of Boston, Jaxon, and Kyler Will; and Connor and Molly Haldenby. Dear brother of Bernard, Gayle, Roy, Victor, Christine and the late Clara, Phyllis, Mildred, Glen and their families. Fondly remembered by his nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Resting at the Logan Funeral Home , 81 James Street, Parry Sound, (746-5855) where the family will receive visitors on Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 from 2:00 - 4:00 & 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Funeral Service in the Logan Memorial Chapel on Thursday at 11:00 a.m. Cremation. As expressions of sympathy, donations to the Kidney Foundation or the charity of your choice would be appreciated. To send an on-line condolence please visit www.logansfuneralhome.com

 

[armyvern]

Liams mom,

My condolances to your family on the loss of your uncle.

His service and sacrifice is appreciated.

 

[wildman0101]

Rest in Peace Sir,
Your sacrifice will not be forgotton.
Scoty B

 

[mariomike]

"The next evening, Friday 16th June 1944, they set off on what was to be their final mission. When the destination was announced, all crews were dismayed that their target was the Sterkrade-Holten synthetic oil plant on the north-western outskirts of Essen. Located within the heavily defended Ruhr Valley, this guaranteed a very difficult operation and one from which, almost inevitably, some would not return."

"321 aircraft - 162 Lancasters, 147 Halifaxes, 12 Mosquitos - of 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 Groups attacked the synthetic-oil plant at Sterkrade-Holten - despite a poor weather forcast.
The target was found to be covered by thick cloud and the Pathfinder markers quickly disappeared. The Main Force crews could do little but bomb on the diminishing glow of the markers in the cloud. R.A.F. photographic reconnaissance and German reports agree that most of the bombing was scatterred, although some bombs did fall in the plant area, but with little effect on production. 21 Germans and 6 foreigners were killed and 18 houses in the vicinity were destroyed.
Unfortunately, the route of the bomber stream passed near a German night-fighter beacon at Bocholt, only 30 miles from Sterkade. The German controller had chosen this beacon as the holding point for his night-fighters. Approximately 21 bombers were shot down by fighters, and a further 10 by Flak. 22 of the lost aircraft were Hallifaxes, these losses being 13.6 of the 162 Hallifaxes sent on the raid."
Source: The Bomber Command War Diaries. page: 530.

My sincere condolences.

 

[liams mom]

Thank you. Mario Mike I appreciate you locating this other resource. The funeral is tomorrow and I feel so sad to have lost this wonderful man.

 

[nickager]

Hi there,
I was very sorry to learn of Fred's passing when I saw this post and please accept my condolences.
My name is Nick Ager, nephew of Fred's crewmate Peter Ager who was killed on the 17th June 1944 over Holland.
As you have seen I posted a summary of Peter's story on the BBC Website a few years back and I have a fairly extensive set of additional information about the crew, including Fred, which I would be happy to share with yourself or other members of Fred's family. If you are interested please do not hesitate to get in touch.
With kind regards.
Nick