Hextell, G J E
Warrant Officer George Joseph Edwin Hextell
From: JANICE BISSELL
Sent: 01/23/13
Subject: Stalag VIIIB
I should be grateful if you would please add my father’s name to the list of names in Stalag VIIIB. He was a flight engineer on a Halifax which was shot down on 27th January 1943 in Holland. 3 of the crew bailed out and ended up eventually in Stalag VIIIB. The rest of the crew are buried in the cemetery in Uden. We took dad there around 10 years ago – such an emotional experience,
My father was Flight Engineer George Joseph Edwin Hextell – the names of the other two prisoners were George Farmer and Jack Hardie (New Zealand Air Force who went on the mission as an observer to gain some experience)!
My father was on that long march (he called it a rabble not a march) when the camp was evacuated.
My father had various items which he had in the camp one of which is a wonderful picture drawn on a white handkerchief sent to him by his mother and drawn by one of the inmates who was a wonderful artist. It was done with ordinary-coloured pencils and shows Dad’s Halifax on fire. At the bottom are the names of the crew and at each side is a parachute showing Dad’s name and that of George Farmer. Dad had this framed, and it occupied pride of place in his living room. It also has the name of the place where the crew were heading to – Dusseldorf and the date 27th January 1943.
From: Mark Wydall,
Date: 30 January 2017
Subject: We salute you
I am writing to report the death of W/O George Hextell (5.3.1921 – 25.11.2016)
He was a flight Engineer in 51 Squadron and was shot down over Holland by a Bf 110 of 1.NJG1 (Venlo) at 20.15hrs on 27Jan 1943. His aircraft was Halifax DT705 MH-S on its way to Dusseldorf. George spent the war in Stalag VIIIB Lamsdorf and finished it on the Long March.
Mark Wydall
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