Studiegroep Luchtoorlog 1939-1945

						Sgt. Thomas (Tom) Inverarity was the mid upper gunner of Halifax LW433. The bomber was shot down by a nightfighter and crashed near Rucphen. Inverarity was one of the four survivors and landed on Belgian soil near Essen. Shortly after he was found 'in his garage' by Geeraard Brouwers at Kleine Horendonk 29 at Essen. That same evening (probably 17 June) he was escorted to the farm of Gerard Loos at Kleine Horendonk 19 at Essen. Inverarity would remain here no less than three months. In the last phase before the liberation he moved to the Netherlands, as it had become too dangerous to stay in Belgium after Dolle Dinsdag ('Mad Tuesday') on 5 September. Two days later, on 7 September, he was first guided by Adeline Anne Marie Schuermans to the house of resistance worker Arthur Frenay, also in Essen. From here Frenay and Jozef Loos (one of the sons of Gerard Loos) helped the Canadian to cross the border where he was handed over to  (a) Dutch resistance worker(s). Probabbly 'veldwachter' (patrolman) Vermeeren in the Dorpsstraat at Achtmaal was involved because Inverarity ended up at his house in Achtmaal. Willem A.H. van der Horst (Wouwseweg 33 at Roosendaal) picked him up here and took him on the back of his bike, escorted by Vermeeren, to Wernhout where he found a new hiding place at a farm at Heidestraat B 307 (nowadays Grote Heistraat 30) at the outskirts of the village. This farm was owned by widow Katrien van den Berg-Kerstens and her seven children. He arrived here, according to some sources, shortly after Dolle Dinsdag ('Mad Tuesday') on 5 September 1944. At the farm of Van den Berg-Kerstens he was joined on 15 October 1944 by first F/Lt. M.G. Ridley-Martin (E0857) and then on 21 or 23 October by F/Lt. O. Smik (E0642). Eventually two American airmen, Lt.Col. Frank X. Krebs (E0683) and Maj. Howard W. Cannon, (E0682) joined the three aforementioned airmen on 25 October. Shortly after, the farm was in the crossfire between the Germans and Canadians. Krebs reported afterwards: 'During the shelling and the Canadian's advance we hid in a silo under a woodpile.' On Saturday 28 October the farm was overrun by American soldiers of the 104th US infantry Division (Timberwolves). The five were free again. 

After the war Inverarity took over his parents farm and married. He and his wife had six children and lived on the farm in Lucky Lake until 1977. Thomas Inverarity passed away on 14 January 1990. He is buried at Dinsmore Cemetery, Battleford Sensus Division, Saskatchewan, Canada.