Van STOCKUM WJ
van Stockum, Willem Jacob Died
Personal Information
| Rank | F/O |
| Forename(s) | Willem Jacob |
| Surname | van Stockum |
| Gender | M |
| Age | 33 |
| Date of Death | 10-06-1944 |
| Next of Kin | Son of Col. A. J. Van Stockum, Formerly of The Royal Netherlands Navy, and Olga E. Van Stockum. B.A. and Large Gold Medallist (Trinity College, Dublin), M.A. (Toronto), Ph.D. (Edin.). of Holland. |
Aircraft Information
| Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax III |
| Serial Number | MZ684 |
| Markings | ZA-B |
Memorial Information
| Burial/Memorial Country | France |
| Burial/Memorial Place | Laval (Valfleury) Communal Cemetery |
| Grave Reference | E. Sub-Sec. D. Row 1. Grave 42944. |
| Epitaph | GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THAT HE LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS |
IBCC Memorial Information
| Phase | 2 |
| Panel Number | 257 |
Enlistment Information
| Service Number | 144600 |
| Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Group | 4 |
| Squadron | 10 |
| Squadron Motto | Rem acu tangere (To hit the mark) |
| Trade | Pilot |
| Country of Origin | Netherlands |
Other Memorials
| Location | On D233, Les Poiriers, Entrammes, 53 - Mayenne Prefecture |
| Country | France |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed memorial stone |
| Memorial Text |
En mémoire de l'équipage du Halifax MZ684, tombe ici à La Ferme des Poiries Entrammes le 10 juin 1944 à 00h30
Translation "In memory of the Halifax MZ684 crew, shot down here in La Ferme des Poiries Entrammes on 10th June 1944 at 0030 AM" |
| Location | Melbourne, East Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Brick Memorial Stone & Plaque |
| Memorial Text | No 10 Squadron, 4 Group Bomber Command, WWII 1939-1945. This memorial was erected at the entrance to the former RAF Station Melbourne by ex Members and Friends of the Squadron to honour the memory of all personnel who died in the service of their Country during WWII and as a tribute to the many friends in the Villages of Melbourne and Seaton Ross for their many deeds of kindness. |
| Location | Melbourne Airfield, East Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Runway Light in Concrete Base |
| Memorial Text | Let this landing light be a memorial to all those 1,000 aircrew and 120 aircraft that left this very point never to return so that we may return again and again in freedom to enjoy York Motor Sport Park |
| Location | Roadside location (off E6), Fættenfjord, near Åsenfjord, Trøndelag Fylke |
| Country | Norway |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed memorial stone atopped with inert aerial sea mine and Tirpitz anchor chain link |
| Memorial Text |
For Frihet Til minne om Allierte Flymannskaper fra RAF drept under angrep pa det tyske slagskipet Tirpitz i Fættenfjord 1942
Translation "For freedom In memory of the Allied Aircrews from the RAF who died in attacks on the German Battleship Tirpitz in the Fættenfjord 1942 " |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Memorial Gardens, Propeller, Inscribed Marble Tablets |
| Memorial Text | In everlasting homage to the courage of those who have found their winged victory through the skies of Yorkshire |
| Location | Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Propeller Unit & Inscribed Marble Tablets |
| Memorial Text | They made the supreme sacrifice so that you & I may go in peace with freedom. 4 Group 1939 - 1945. |
| Location | Heslington Hall, York, North Yorkshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
| Memorial Text | Heslington Hall 1941 - 1945, 4 Gp Headquarters Bomber Command. In remembrance of those Air & Ground personnel who made the supreme sacrifice that we all may walk in peace with freedom |
Miscellaneous Information
| A brilliant scholar with a BA and Large Gold Medal from Trinity College Dublin, an MA from Toronto University and a PhD from Edinburgh University |
| Willem was born 30 November 1910 in the Netherlands. His father, Abraham van Stockum was a first cousin to Vincent Van Gogh and served with the Dutch Royal Navy. At the end of the 1920s, together with his mother Olga, brother Jan Maurits and sister Hilda, he moved to Ireland. He studied mathematics at Dublin University before moving to complete research for his PhD at Edinburgh University. Hoping to further pursue his studies with Albert Einstein he moved to the US. During his time here he made an important contribution to Einstein’s theory of relativity. This solution is known as Van Stockum dust and is linked to the idea of time travel. This theory is still studied today. |
| When war broke out Willem’s skills in mathematics were in great demand and he was even asked to join the Manhattan project. This was the research and development program undertaken during WW2 to produce the 1st nuclear weapons. Willem, however, wanted to play a more direct role to support his family and friends suffering in Holland and chose to train as a pilot. To do this he needed to leave America and join the Canadian Airforce. He commenced training in January 1941 in Canada and received his wings in July 1942. His skills were once again in demand and due to the combination of scientist and pilot he was ‘grounded’ at the Test and Development department Rockliffe, Ottawa. Here he tested and evaluated aircraft and their flight instruments. Willem’s passion to support in a more direct role made him move yet again and he left the Canadian Airforce to join the Dutch contingent of the RAF. Willem moved over to Great Britain and started his training on heavy bombers. In spring 1944 he made his first flight in a Handley Page Halifax and was posted to 10 Squadron RAF Bomber Command, based in Melbourne, Yorkshire. |
| Willem’s first operational flight was as second pilot 19/20 May to the railyards at Boulogne. This was in preparation for the D Day landings. Willem, as pilot, then flew on operations to the strategic radio station at Ferme D’Urville, Cherbourg and the railway yards at Trappes, where 10 Squadron lost 2 crews, before operations on D-Day itself. In the very early hours of D Day Willem and his crew left Melbourne airfield at 02.27am. The 23 Halifax bombers from Melbourne joined the many other Squadrons on route to Normandy that day. 10 Squadron’s target was the German Gun batteries at Mont Fleury, Ver sur Mer above Gold beach. Disabling them would help support the troops landing on Gold beach later that morning. After successfully bombing the primary target at 04.41 he returned to base at 07.08am. It was a quick debrief, some food and brief sleep before setting off on another operation later that day to bomb the railway station and power station at St Lo. In a letter sent to his mother dated 7th June 1944 Willem writes – “I cannot tell you how great the satisfaction was to be one of those who dropped the first bombs during the Normandy invasion..... My crew is perfect – calm, matter of fact, and one cannot find among them any signs of being nervous. I sometimes have the feeling I am the only one who is – but perhaps they think the same of me.... I feel everyone here is experiencing a great upsurge in morale. The whole station comes to see us off with their thumbs up in the air and this is a pleasant experience.” |
| He was also related to Walraven Van Hall, better known as the 'Resistance Banker', who helped fund the resistance. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
| Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/145/12 |
| Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/145/12 |
Fellow Servicemen
Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.
| Name | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Beales F (P/O) | Died |
| Daniel G (F/O) | Died |
| Ellyatt J (F/O) | Died |
| Marshall R K (F/O) | Died |
| Mason A (Sgt) | Died |
| Perkins A C (Sgt) | Died |
Last Operation Information
| Start Date | 09-06-1944 |
| End Date | 10-06-1944 |
| Takeoff Station | Melbourne |
| Day/Night Raid | Night (88% moon) |
| Operation | Laval- to bomb the airfield. Part of a 401 strong bomber force to bomb airfields to the immediate south of the Normandy battle ground, to scupper any attempt to bring reinforcements in by air now the road and rail system was ineffective. All the individual targets were successfully hit. 2 losses (0.5%) |
| Reason for Aircraft Loss | Shot down by flak and crashed at Entrammes, SE of the target |