Cyril V. Laing                                                                                            Updated: 22 NOV 2021

Airman: o888132.htm Surname: Laing Init: C V Rank: Sgt? Service: RAF Sqdn: 299

P_link: p418r.htm Plane: STI LJ942 Operation: Drop in DK Crash_site: Roskilde Fjord

Crash_d: d030445 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

Natten til den 3. april 1945 styrtede STI LJ942 i Roskilde Fjord her nord for Frederikssund. Flyet blev ramt af flak og styrtede i vandet. Se Google Map p418r.
Se også www.gunnarmarboe.dk om Besættelsen og hverdagsliv 1940-1945 og især Pilot under jorden om Dillon og andre flyvere fra dette fly.
3 flyvere nåede Sverige, 2 blev krigsfanger og 1 blev begravet i Kirke Værløse. (Kilde: FT 88-44-51) Her er uddrag af den lange historie:

Natten mellem den 2. og 3. april 1945 skulle tre Stirlings nedkaste våben til et større dansk modtagehold på Orø (her) i Isefjorden. Flyet ramte vandet (her) 600 meter nord for Stenø og ca. 100 meter fra land (nærbillede her). F/Sgt. Harold Joseph Farmer (flight engineer) slog hovedet mod kontrolpanelet og var bevidstløs i nogle minutter. Ud over et større sår i ansigtet havde han pådraget sig hjernerystelse.  Cyril Victor Laing (wireless operator) havde brækket en finger og et ben. Flyet var landet på ca. 1 meter vand, og halepartiet var brækket af og lå ca. 200 meter bagude. De fem søgte mod land, hvor de fik hjælp hos fisker Alfred Olsen. De tre sårede flyvere blev afhentet af en ambulance og bragt til Frederikssund sygehus (her). Farmer og Laing havde det rigtig dårligt.

Tyskerne fjernede øjeblikkeligt Farmer og Laing fra Frederikssund sygehus. De blev transporteret til et tysk lazaret i nærheden af Værløse (her). Farmer blev
hurtigt sendt videre til Lübeck (here), hvor han blev befriet af britiske tropper. Laing oplevede befrielsen på lazarettet i Værløse, og blev kort efter sendt til Cosford
RAF Hospital i England, hvor han mødte Farmer.  Se mere om hele besætningen i
den lange historie.

On the night before 3 April 1945 STI LJ942 crashed into the Roskilde Fjord here north of Frederikssund. The plane was hit by flak and crashed into the water.
See also www.gunnarmarboe.dk about a family 1940-1945 and Pilot under jorden about Dillon and other airmen from this plane. In Danish but with some photos.
See Google Map p418r. 3 airmen evaded to Sweden, 2 became POWs and 1 one buried in Kirke Værløse. (Source: FT 88-44-51) Excerpts from the long story:

In the night between 2 and 3 April 1945 three Stirlings were to drop weapons to a large Danish team who were ready to receive them in Orø (here) in the Isefjorden.
The plane crashed heavily into the water (here) 600 metres north of Stenø and about 100 metres from land (at close range here).

Harold Joseph Farmer (flight engineer) hit his head against the control panel and was unconscious for some minutes. In addition to a severe injury in his face he also had a concussion of the brain. Cyril Victor Laing (wireless operator) had broken a finger and one of his legs. The plane had landed in water about 1 metre deep, and the tail section had broken off and now lay about 200 metres behind them. The five airmen went ashore and got help from fisherman Alfred Olsen. The three wounded airmen were taken in an ambulance to Frederikssund Hospital (here). Farmer and Laing were in a really bad condition.

The Germans immediately removed Farmer and Laing from Frederikssund Hospital. They were taken to a German army hospital near Værløse (here). Farmer was
very soon transferred to Lübeck (here), where he was liberated by British troops. Laing experienced the liberation in the army hospital in Værløse. Shortly after
he was taken to RAF Hospital Cosford in England, where he met Farmer.  See more about all of the crew in
the long story.