Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945

						F/Sgt. Edmund James (Ed) Downing was the navigator of Halifax LW433. The bomber was shot down by a nightfighter and crashed near Rucphen. Downing was one of the four survivors. Not much is known about his evasion. According to one source he was handed over by the resistance group Jongmans from Roosendaal in The Netherlands to members of the White Brigade at the other side of the border. More probable is that he landed near Loenhout, just across the border in Belgium with a wounded thigh. He found a hiding place at the farm of Josef Veraert at Heiend (a hamlet near Loenhout). Here he was nursed for five days by Modeste Mathilde Vanderreyd. On 23 June he was escorted to a certain 'Vermeulen' at the Lange Nieuwstraat at Antwerp. In the Belgian harbor city he met one of his crewmembers, Sgt. John Hanham (Jack) Dougherty (E0554) again. Downing and Dougherty possibly moved the same day to the house of Hermine Scheire at Boomgaardstraat 29 in Antwerp. They remained here until 5 July. They then moved for two days to the house of Ms. Marie and Angile Kuppens at Bredalaan 525 I at Antwerp-Merksem. Downing was still treated here for his wounds, this time by Dr. Castel from Merksem. On 7 July Downing and probably also Dougherty were picked up by a certain André Rosseeuw and taken to a café. Here they met a woman who took them across the street where two men were waiting in a car. What they didn't realize was that the escape line they used was infiltrated by the 'Abwehr'. The two were victims of Belgian traitor René Van Muylem ('Alphonse') and his fake KLM-line. The two airmen were arrested and taken to Antwerp prison. On 13 July Downing transferred to a hospital in Brussels. He remained here until 18 July. On 20 July he was put on transport to Dulag Luft. He first went as PoW to Stalag Luft VII near Bankau, before being moved to Stalag III-A near Luckenwalde. They were liberated here by Russian troops on 22 April 1945.