Flying Officer Christopher William Saunderson (157140) served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve during the Second World War. He was the son of Captain WR Saunderson MC and Mrs. Saunderson of Rodebank, Cushendall Road, Ballymena, Co. Antrim.
Saunderson died on 13th May 1944 while taking part in a mission to attack railway marshalling yards at Hasselt, Belgium with RAF 76 Squadron. He was an Air Gunner on board Handley-Page Halifax MX575 MP-W that took off at 2225hrs on 12th May 1944 from RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Yorkshire.
The mission was far from successful. The Royal Air Force lost 9 Halifax bombers and 1 Lancaster bomber. Many of the bombs dropped missed their targets and landed in open fields. Oberleutnant Frederick Tober of 8/NJG2 shot down the Mark III bomber over Hadschot near Geel, Belgium. The plane crashed near the hamlet at 0037hrs on 13th May 1944.
Remembering the crew of MX575
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcombe | Jack | Flying Officer | Pilot | RAFVR 135399. MiD. Killed aged 22 years old. |
| Shove | Nathanial Leslie | Squadron Leader | Navigator | RAFVR 67050. DFC. Killed aged 29 years old. |
| Crouch | Alan John | Flying Officer | Flight Engineer | RAFVR 149983. DFM. Killed aged 22 years old. |
| Stewart | Charles Hume | Flying Officer | Air Bomber | RAFVR 138825. DFC. Killed aged 21 years old. |
| Reeder | Harold Downs | Flying Officer | Wireless Operator / Air Gunner | RAFVR 978731. DFC. Injured. Prisoner of War. Aged 21 years old. |
| Reading | Roy | Flight Sergeant | Air Gunner | RAFVR 988635. Injured. Aged 22 years old. |
| Saunderson | Christopher William | Flying Officer | Air Gunner | RAFVR 157140. Killed aged 26 years old. |
Christopher William Saunderson’s grave is in Section 4A, Row E, Grave 36-42 of Schoonselhof Cemetery, Antwerp, Belgium. The dead from this incident were first buried at Antwerpen-Deurne Cemetery on 15th May 1944. On 27th September 2014, Belgian historian Benny Ceulaers and the Planehunters Recovery Group erected a memorial at the crash site. Saunderson’s name is also on a war memorial at St. Mary’s Church of Ireland, Donnybrook, Dublin.