Koolstra, Meindert Died

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Personal Information

Rank Sgt
Forename(s) Meindert
Surname Koolstra
Gender M
Age 27
Decorations Bronzen Kruis
Date of Death 06-09-1944
Next of Kin Son of Jan Koolstra and Baukje Koolstra (née Braaksma).
KOOLSTRA M

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V
Serial Number Z9428
Markings NF-F

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Austria
Burial/Memorial Place Mauthausen Concentration Camp
Grave Reference Memorial Plate

IBCC Memorial Information

Phase SP
Panel Number 272 (not yet erected on site)

Enlistment Information

Service Special Operations Executive
Group 3
Squadron 138 (Special Duties)
Squadron Motto For freedom
Trade Agent
Country of Origin Netherlands

Other Memorials

Location Village Green, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stone Memorial with inscribed Marble Tablets
Memorial Text In honour of the men and women of Special Duties Sqns stationed at RAF Tempsford
Location "The Barn" Gibraltar Farm, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Plaque & Framed Scroll
Memorial Text To commemorate the men and women of different nationalities who flew from RAF Tempsford to aid resistance forces in occupied Europe
Location St. Peter's Church, Tempsford, Bedfordshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Tablet, Wooden Boards, Brass Plaques & RoH
Memorial Text Remembering all those who flew from RAF Tempsford including those of the Royal Australian Air Force

Miscellaneous Information

Born 14 June 1917 in Rinsumageest, Friesland. Originally employed in his father’s bakery, Meindert joined the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee Brigade (Mounted Police), Breda, where he served until the German invasion and forced capitulation of the Dutch Forces. On 15 May 1940, Meindert fled via Belgium to Bordeaux, France where, on 11 June 1940 he left for the UK. On arrival in London, Meindert was appointed to Queen Wilhelmina’s Bodyguard in London. In June 1942 Meindert volunteered for service with the SOE (Dutch) Section.
Following training at STS 6 West Court, Berkshire, STS 17 Brickendonbury Manor, Hertford, Hertfordshire, STS24 Knoydart, Mallaig, Scotland and STS 31 Beaulieu, Hampshire, Meindert was allocated his operation - “Celery”, the training of resistance groups in the handling of weapons and explosives and awaited a drop date.
Training Name: Meindert Kolff Field Name : Minnie Klein Code Name: Murk; Celery A

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
Andrews A V (Sgt) Died
l'Hommedieu G M (F/S) Died
Mellor R H O (P/O) Died
Morgan R B (Sgt) Died
Reid W C (F/S) Died
Macare H M (Sgt) Died
Steeksma H R (Sgt) Died
Kamphorst P (Sgt) Died
Pals M (Sgt) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 21-10-1942
End Date 22-10-1942
Takeoff Station Tempsford
Day/Night Raid Night
Operation Operation Pumpkin
Reason for Aircraft Loss Successfully dropped at the drop zone at Ermelo, Gelderland, Netherlands, the Gestapo were waiting. Unbeknown to SOE, the Germans had infiltrated the Dutch Section and were operating a very successful counterintelligence operation, known as "Englandspiel". Immediately arrested, Meindert was interrogated by the SS and transferred to the SD prison Haaren in North Brabant. Following the escape of prisoners from Haaren on 29 November 1943 the remaining agents, including Meindert, were first transported to the prison in Assen, then in 1944 to Rawicz. Most agents were then transferred to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. Meindert was executed, along with 22 other SOE agents, on 6 September 1944.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.