Roy's Story - A Tribute to F/O Roy E. Carter  
Webmaster's Note:

Of the many tragic stories of Canadian airmen serving with RAF Bomber Command perhaps none are as heartbreaking as the events that befell F/O Roy Carter of 431 Squadron in July of 1944.

 
Born in Blackstock, Ontario on the family farm in 1921, Roy Edward Carter joined the RCAF on May 22, 1942. He trained at No. 6 ITS (Initial Training School) and and No.4 AOS (Air Observer School) in London, Ontario. He was awarded his Navigator's wing upon graduation and embarked for overseas on Aug 26,1943.

Following overseas training at #24 Operational Training Unit, Long Marston and 1666 Heavy Conversion Unit, Wombleton, he was posted to 431 Iroquois Squadron (Croft Yorkshire,UK) on May 22,1944

After completing 6 Ops ( sorties), including one on D-Day to St.Lo, he and his crew were shot down on 16/17 June, 1944 in Halifax NA514 coded "SE-B."

The aircraft was downed by a German nightfighter near Nistelrode, Holland during a night trip to bomb Sterkrade in Germany. All of the crew, except the pilot, F/O Blachford (died in the crash), were able to bail out. Two died in the fall( F/O Lough and Sgt. Gould), two were captured almost immediately (Sgt. Hattey and Sgt. Kennedy) . Sgt. Tom Masdin and Roy managed to evade the Germans. Tom was caught and taken as a POW.

Apparently ,they had trouble opening the escape hatch in the cockpit, but eventually Roy was able to jump out of the burning aircraft. He landed safely in a field near Boekel, Holland, a fair distance from where the plane actually crashed. Thus he had a chance since the Germans would only search the immediate area of the crash. He buried his chute ( as recorded in Roy`s ` line-shoot`-left at a safe house in Erp) and contacted a local farmer where he was given refuge. Thus began his trek to freedom using many hiding places under the guidance of the local resistance groups.

On Sunday, July 9th the Nazi S.D., having stopped and forced the original car 

Roy Carter in front of a Whitley at 24 OTU

to talk, arrived at the door dressed in their black trenchcoats and carrying machine guns. The three airmen were having breakfast in preparation for their escape to Belgium and then to one of the `freedom lines`.

Against all principles of the Geneva Convention concerning POWs, the Gestapo burst into the room and herded the 3 officers into the backyard, lined them up against a brick wall and shot them numerous times, despite the fact they were unarmed. Roy was badly wounded but was able to get into the house. He was killed in the doorway leading to the kitchen. (The doorway was pointed out to his mother, years later (1964) when she travelled, accompanied by her daughter Isabel, and along with other `Silver Cross` mothers, to Holland on a pilgrimage).

The S. D.(Sicherheitsdienst or Security of Den Bosch)/Gestapo now ordered the 60 year old Coba Pulskens to fetch a sheet to cover the still-warm bodies. In an act of defiance she went upstairs and brought down a new and large Dutch flag, which she had been keeping for the day when the Netherlands would be liberated from the barbaric occupation of the Nazis ( radios and Dutch flags where forbidden in occupied Holland).

It should be noted that Coba lived on a busy street corner and all of this action was being witnessed by neighbours, many to be called later to the trial of the murderers. Coba herself was arrested, spent seven months in solitary confinement and then carted off to the notorious Ravensbruck concentration camp where she died in the gas chamber in the spring of 1945 at the age of 61. She is remembered as a heroine in Holland and England. According to survivors in the death camp, she had voluntarily stepped forward to take the place of a young mother, with children, in the hope of saving their lives. She apparently had said earlier. `If someone has to give his life, I hope to do it. I can better be missed than others`.

The bodies of the three airmen were first taken to a nearby hospital (where an alert doctor took photos of them) and then removed to the concentration camp at Vught.,near S`Hertogenbosch. They where cremated, presumably to remove any evidence of the crime that had taken place in Tilburg.

Because the remains of the three airmen were never found, they are listed officially as `missing in action`.

A plaque in memory of Coba Pulskens and the three airmen was erected at her house in Tilburg in 1947. It can still be seen there at 49 Diepenstraat..

On Oct 27,1994 a large granite monument was unveiled on Coba Pulskenslaan in Tilburg to honour the three airmen, heros to the Dutch in their terrible years of occupancy by the hated Nazis. The dedication was part of the events marking the 50th anniversary of liberation.

Relatives of the three airmen from Canada, Australia and England attended the unveiling ceremony in Tilburg. Brothers Robert and Fred represented the Carter family.

Roy and his fellow evaders had the opportunity at any time to turn themselves in and become POWs. They chose not to and to the Dutch people, who where eventually liberated by Canadians in many towns and cities, these airmen were heros and are still remembered today. School children from a nearby elementary school look after the granite monument and a service of remembrance is held every year.

There is a footnote to this story of heroism in Nazi-occupied Europe during the last world war.

The S.D. (Dutch Nazis) and Gestapo men who carried out the arrests and executions on July 9th ,1944 where eventually tracked down and tried in front of a British Military Court(Allied Special Court for War Criminals) in Essen, Germany (June 7th ,1946 formerly Krupp Hotel, Essen).

On evidence of former Dutch resistance workers and Coba`s family, and the photos of the bodies taken by Dr. Borman of St. Elizabeth`s Hospital in Tilburg( the Dutch police had taken photographs also and had the identity disc belonging to F/O Carter J28855)

Four of the ten Nazis, were found guilty of murder and sentenced to death by hanging. The others were acquitted. They were to be hanged to death in Sept of 1946. The Carter family has no definite proof that the sentence was carried out.

The Blachford Crew while at 24 OTU, Long Marston
The Dutch flag, used by Jacoba Pulskens to cover the dead airmen`s bodies at the time of the shooting, was brought to England thanks to the effort of Jan van den Driesschen of Rotterdam, Holland and Ron Low ( 83 Pathfinder Squadron-RAF) of the UK ( both men are historians and authors). The flag was dedicated in the Airman`s Chapel in the Church of St Michael, Coningsby on the 8th of May,1983. There are plaques on the wall with the names of the airmen and Coba Pulskens, along with words of dedication. Along with families of Walker and Nott, the Carter family was represented by brothers George and Robert along with cousin Marjorie Carter from Yorkshire,UK.

Church of St Michael, Coningsby

The three airmen are also commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial(Englefield Green,Egham,Surrey, England) in separate panels along with the thousands of veterans without known graves.

Additional memorials, awards  and tributes to F/O Roy Edward Carter

1) Mention In Despatches ( M.i.D). Award from King George effective 13 June, 1946 as per London Gazette of that date and AFRO 726/46 dated 26 July 1946.

2) The Cenotaph in Blackstock listed with a number of his Cartwright friends who also lost their lives in WWII.

3) The gold Cross in the sanctuary of St. John`s, Blackstock, Ontario

4) The Runnymede Memorial

5) The Memorial Rock in Tilburg, Holland

6) The Airman`s Chapel in Coningsby, England

7)On an `Ad Astra Stone` in the Memorial Walkway at the RCAF Museum in Trenton, Ontario

8) At the Juno Beach Centre in France ( Roy`s brick is along side those of his two brothers, Lance-Corporal George Carter and Private Robert Carter, both of whom fought for Canada in WWII)

9) The Roy Carter Street in Burketon, Ontario.

Roy and his flight at #4AOS London, Ontario. Roy is 2nd from the left in the back row.

 

The contents of this page are from the files and information held by Fred Carter, bombercrew.com graciously acknowledges his contribution to this website.