Public Contributions:

The attached file gives details of a special memorial erected in honour of Ivan Cain in Brakkenstein, Netherlands. [Record since amended with some details - NZWGT]

Submitted by: Nick Lambrechtsen

Relationship to casualty: researcher

6 RNZAF BIOGRAPHY OF W/O CAIN This biography is a copy from the file references, with my additions in square brackets. Ivan CAIN was born on 24 November 1923 at Auckland [NZ] and received his second...ary education at the Seddon Memorial Technical College , where he studied, among other subjects, electrical technology, passing stage one of the City and Guilds of London examination. He also attended evening classes in aeronautics and physics at the same college. His sporting activities included roller-skating, swimming and hockey. W/O Cain applied for service with the RNZAF on 26 February 1941 and enlisted at Rotorua [NZ] on 7 March 1942. On satisfactorily completing his initial training, he was posted to No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School, New Plymouth [NZ], and thence on completion of the course at this school, to No. 2 Service Flying Training School, Woodbourne [NZ]. Here, on 19 October 1942, he was awarded the flying badge and [later] promoted to the rank of Sergeant [see picture below]. He was promoted to Flight Sergeant on 19 June 1943, and one year later to Warrant Officer. Sailing for the United Kingdom [via Canada] on 16 January 1943, he was on arrival posted to No. 7 Advanced Flying Unit, Peterborough, Northamptonshire. On completion of his training with this unit, he proceeded to No. 59 Operational Training Unit, Milfield, Northumberland, where he carried out training on Master and Hurricane aircraft. He finished this training with the same unit at Brunton, Northumberland, a satellite aerodrome for Milfield and was posted in January 1944 to No. 1 Tactical Experience Unit, Tealing, Angus, Scotland. After a course of approximately two months, he proceeded to No. 3 TEU, Annan, Dumfries-shire. From here he was posted to No. 1697 Aircraft Delivery Letter Service, at Hendon and at Northolt, Middlesex. After a short period, he returned to No. 3 TEU at Annan, in June. Towards the end of June, he proceeded to Honiley, Warwickshire, where he converted to Hawker Typhoon aircraft. On 24 July 1944, W/O Cain was posted to No. 83 Group Support Unit, Bognor Regis, Sussex, from which he was posted [on 28 July] to No. 175 Squadron, Camilly-le-Fresne [B-5], in France. In August, he moved with the squadron to St André [B-24], and during the following month to Beauvais [Tillé B-42], Vitre [Vitry-en-Artois B-50], Antwerp (Belgium) [Deurne B-70], and Volkel (Holland) [B-80], respectively. From all those bases he made numerous operational flights and sorties over enemy territory - carrying out rocket projectile attacks on enemy tanks, motor vehicles, artillery and troop concentrations. W/O Cain, on the morning of 6 October 1944 took off - together with seven [actually five] other aircraft - from Volkel on an armed reconnaissance sortie over a target in enemy-occupied Holland. [This is not quite correct: that sortie was mainly over Germany]. On the return to base, all the aircraft encountered heavy flak. W/O Cain's aircraft - a Typhoon 1B - was badly hit and failed to return to its base. In consequence of this, W/O Cain was reported missing, and was subsequently reported to have been killed in action. He was [initially] buried at Mariënbosch Cemetery, Nijmegen, Holland [see picture above]. [It may be noted that there is a black cross on this cross. This indicates that this person is a Roman Catholic, but IWC’s personal file shows that he was a Presbyterian. However, although he had died, he was still given absolution, see page 24, section 10D. This may explain the confusion.] Read More