Royal Canadian Legion

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 002 in Lahr Germany is named the Benson & Harper Branch in memory of two Canadian Flyers who were shot down during The First World War near Lahr and were originally buried in the Bergfriedhof in Lahr. Later their bodies were reburied in Niederzwehren Cemetery a Commonwealth Cemetery near Kassel, Germany. Branch 002 had a memorial created and placed in the City of Lahr Cemetery, where they hold their annual remembrance ceremony.

The story behind our "Legion Branch Name" could be better titled "The story of two brave men BENSON and HARPER".

To the left is the picture that was on a booklet created by the Branch in honor of the two fallen Comrades. The following describes the events that took place and the search for the two Canadian Flyers "Benson and Harper".

"Enemy Flyer" quotes the inscription on two tombstones of the Lahr memorial cemetery, amidst the graves of other fallen soldiers of the First World War. Here reposed once two Canadian airmen whose plane was shot down in action over Nonnenweier in the year of 1918. Death has brought them, at least for a while, in close contact with their former enemies. The Royal Canadian Legion of Lahr is issuing this documentation commemorating the 70th anniversary of this probably first, but in all aspects sorrowful, German and Canadian encounter in our native country. It contains memories and documents of the two Canadian Heroes and it also indicates the great change which has meanwhile taken place in the relationship between Germans and Canadians: "Enemy Flyers" have long since turned into friends. May this documentation, for which I wish many readers, be also accepted as atoken of friendship between our peoples. It tells of a small but significant incident in our respective histories and of the changes which have transpired in the course of this century.

Lahr/Schwarzwald in the month of November 1989.

(Werner Dietz)
Lord Mayor


The object of this article is to present an in-depth fragment of history torn from the annals of WW I and in particular to bring the reader closer to the two main personalities, Lieutenants Benson and Harper. Research takes time and time tends to obscure details. The events described in this article are as accurate as the information and available records indicate, and are presented here not as an attempt to dissect history but to allow the reader to draw their own conclusions. That these two young men deserve their place in history, along with the many others who gave their lives for their countries is unquestionable, but that they live on for posterity as the branch name of our Lahr Royal Canadian Legion, is of importance to us, their fellow comrades.

Anthony Fallon

Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die...

Tennyson.

English Translation

The Lahr Newspaper
Dated 28 June, 1918

Two enemy airmen were buried in a common grave yesterday with all military honours in our local cemetery where many a brave German hero's rests in eternal peace. The two airmen met heir death in an aerial combat. The memorial service was a very solemn one indeed. The coffins were followed by a military band playing funeral marches, a detachment of the local Garrison and members of the local officer's POW camp. Wreaths were laid down after the funeral address and prayer of the chaplain, by POW officers and by members of the German fighter squadron which defeated the foe. Three planes were circling high above the grave of the two fallen enemy fighters thus paying them the last honours.

June 28, 1988 was the 70th anniversary of the entombment of the two Canadian airmen, Lt. N. S. Harper and 2nd Lt. D. G. Benson, who met their death in combat in the month of June in 1918 near Lahr. To ask the question today, whether the death of these two young Canadians, four and a half months before the end of WW I, was helpful to the war effort or not, is quite pointless. The war was raging on. On both sides of the front the shooting was done with live ammunition and death was omnipresent. For whom the bell tolled, had to go. However it may have been, the two young heroes fell honourably while doing their patriotic duty. And this secures them a place in our hearts and prompts us to our promise: "We shall never forget you".

As we may read in the Lahr newspaper from June 28th 1918 our comrades were buried with full military honours. Their coffins were escorted among others by English officers who were prisoners of war. One can still follow their marching route from the Luisen School, which at that time was a POW camp, through the city, up to the cemetery on the hillside and to the temporary resting place of our fallen comrades. And if you, reader of these lines, also want to visit that place to spend a few minutes there, contemplating on the fate of the two young Canadian airmen who were entombed there 70 years ago, you may do so easily by driving up to the Lahr cemetery.

The funeral parlour where our comrades were laid out in state is still the same. Upon leaving it your turn left towards the West and follow the path till you reach a sandstone monument. Finally, on its right, you will find two tombstones with the inscription "Feindl. Flieger" which means "Enemy Flyers". The mortal remains have been removed long ago to Kassel but you may still honour the two Canadian heroes just by standing there silently for a few minutes and remembering the way they have given their lives for their fatherland so far away from it. And if you hear planes flying by, and although they may not be the single seat fighter planes of WW I honouring the fallen enemy, they are most probably planes showing the maple leaf emblem. They are bridging the time between the events of the year 1918 and today.





János de Galgóczy-Méher
Fraternal Affiliate
The Royal Canadian Legion
Branch 002 Lahr/Schwarzwald

An Experience in the War Year 1918

By Erich Hockenjos, Lahr.

In the summer of 1918 I was a student in my 5th year at the Old Lahr Secondary School, today's Eichrodtschule. Food was very scarce and the population was very poorly for food stuffs. The same applied to the military and even the horses of the former 66th Lahr Field Artillery Regiment were kept on short rations. The stables were located in today's Friedensheim and we students of the secondary school had to help gathering leaves from trees and bushes of the forests. These leaves were then mixed with the normal green fodder to stretch it. One day in June we were once again on the way in a horse drawn carriage to the Kaiserwald. All of a sudden biplanes were leaving the airfield and soon became engaged in an air battle near Wittenweier. (Translator's note. (the airfield was located approximately where today the Canadian Westend School stands). Upon our return to the stables hours later we were told that two English airmen were shot down.

Several days later the two airmen who fell in combat were interred at the Lahr Memorial Cemetery. It was officially announced that the funeral ceremonies would be held in full military honours. This meant for us older students a free day to attend the funeral. Preceding the coffins born by German soldiers was the military band of the 169th Lahr Infantry Regiment. Behind the coffins followed a detachment of Infantry and the inmates of the POW camp for English officers. After the oration of the Minster and during the laying of the wreath three salutes were fired by the infantry detachment and all the while the memorial ceremony was going on 3 biplanes of the Dinglingen Fighter Squadron were circling high above the congregation. I can still see them flying and streaming long black ribbons of mourning from each wing. The two tombstones on the memorial cemetery, which still stand, bear the inscription "Feindl. Flieger", "Enemy Flyers". The names of the two fallen officers were apparently not known in the beginning. After the war it became known that the two were Canadian officers serving in the RAF. The airmen were later exhumed.

I have mentioned that the coffins were also followed by the inmates of the POW camp for English officers. At that time the Luisen School , opposite to today's KK, was actually a POW camp for English officers. The school was surrounded by a high wooden fence topped with barbed wire. Since the prisoners were officers they did not have to work. To somewhat ease the monotony of the atmosphere of POW camp the commander gave permission to the inmates to use twice per week the sports facilities of the city. Frequented were today's LFV football field, the military swimming pool in the Sulzer Strasse and the tennis courts at the Stadtpark. The POWs were escorted to these places in small groups and I can remember that we children liked the Scots best because of their, to us, funny skirts.

The whole population was on good terms with the guests. Especially the children who sometimes gathered in the front of the wooden fence and were often rewarded with bits of chocolate or cookies thrown out of the windows by the English officers and which always caused a ruckus among the children.

The Fighter Squadron stationed in Dinglingen was later deployed and was replaced by an anti-aircraft battery on the Striegel.

Translation of Police Report and Commandant's Reply in regards to the conduct of the POW's in Lahr

31 July 1918

Re.: Behavior of the English POW Officers in the Prison camp Luisenschule. Lately there are constant complaints against the English POW Officers interned in the Prison camp. They often seem to play the piano as late as 10:30 PM they are said to be singing, shouting, banging tin lids together and such things, with one word they are bothersome. During one of the recent bombings one sounded a trumpet and others were singing and shouting thus showing their approval of the event. Neighbors and passers by found this behavior quite annoying. For the sake of public interest and considering the hard times we are living in, these grievances in the prison camp should be stopped.


MAGEL
Police Sergeant.

1 August 1918

To be forwarded to the Commander Lahr Garrison for further action.

DR. ALTFELIX
Mayor

2 August 1918, Commander Lahr Garrison, file No.668 - secret -.

To be forwarded to CO Prison Camp for further action.

DEININGER

Lahr, 6 August 1918

To City Administration Lahr.

From: Commander POW Camp Lahr, Baden File No.703.

My answer to the above police report, dated 31 July 1918, which sounds to me more like gossip and tavern prattle, is the following:

The complaints worded in the report are not based on facts but are the manifestation of bad mood in the population caused by the recent bombings of the city. The assertion that the imprisoned Officers often play piano as late and even later than 10:30 PM is not true. The Officers have to retire to their respective rooms by 10:00 PM. and have to be in bed by 10:30 PM. Admittedly it is quite possible that the imprisoned Officers sometimes become somewhat noisy but never so much that it would disturb the surroundings of the camp. It is true that one of the imprisoned Officers once, and only once, amused himself by banging two tin lids together. But this was immediately forbidden. Let me add something for the sake of German patriotism: This camp is neither a prison for criminals nor one for retaliation but it is a camp for captured Officers who are prisoners of war. The camp was installed upon the insistence of the City of Lahr. In other words: If the city wants to enjoy the benefits going with a POW camp then it must also take along the shortcomings.

The sounding of the trumpet is a roll call, a military measure, to be criticized neither by the citizens nor by Police Sergeant Magel. And neither the Camp Officer nor the sentry have observed anything like singing or shouting among the prisoners during the recent bombings, thus manifesting their approval of the event. The statement of a German Officer is here confronted with uncontrollable foul rumor.

The last sentence of the report:, to stop these grievances occurring in the camp, is considered an insult and is therefore rejected. This should be made very clear to Police Sergeant Magel!

The measures taken in the camp (by German Military Authorities) make such incidents as mentioned in the above police report barely possible. But, should there be in the future reason for complaints, then report them to me personally and immediately, together with unimpeachable witnesses. I shall then find means and ways to remedy the complaints.

HEERMANN
Major
Commanding Officer

The bombing of Lahr 60 years ago

Witness and recorded by Erich Hockenjos.
article written in September 1977

Bombings of Lahr in WW I was rare. Karisruhe, Mannheim and Freiburg have suffered quite often through bombings but Lahr remained untouched in the beginning years of the war. It happened just once in the year 1914 that one reconnaissance plane flew over Lahr. It passed very low, had blue, white and red rings on the underside of her wings and was named by the Lahr population "The Spy".

When enemy planes were approaching Lahr so called alarming bombs were detonated in the artillery barracks. Air defense? In the beginning there was an anti-aircraft cannon on top of the Galgenberg but the alarm was usually over before the cannon was ready to shoot.

Around 1916 or 1917 a fighter squadron was stationed in the dirigible hangar in Dinglingen. Plans for the stationing of a war dirigible could not be realized because of the outbreak of the war. The one seater biplanes were once engaged over Wittenweier in an Arial Combat. An English plane was shot down. Two fallen airmen were interred with full military honours in the Lahr memorial cemetery. The tombstones bear the inscription "Feind. Flieger", "Enemy Flyers". After the re-deployment of the fighter squadron an anti-aircraft battery was stationed on top of the "Striegel".

Hit by stray bombs were, among others, the police station in the Turmstrasse, the Hebelstrasse, the House of Carrots which stood on today's City Hall Square, the house Billet in the Schutzenstrasse and the area of the Hug nursery in the Moltkestrasse. Only material damage was done. The heaviest attack occurred 60 years ago on September 4, 1917. It was a clear and sunny day. Without air alert a heavy attack started between 11 and 12 o'clock. Bombs detonated everywhere. They fell into the courtyard of the Schwarz concrete mixing plant in the Hildastrasse, they exploded in front of the Imperial Bank, (today Land Central Bank), and in the yard of the Rhine Credit Bank on the corner of Schiller and Kreuzstrasse. The walls collapsed and the rooms were wrecked. Bank messenger Schmieder and bank apprentice Sehoch were killed. Later they were interred in the memorial cemetery. Badly wounded was, among others, director Derndinger. Money, business books and other things covered the street. It was very soon cordoned off by infantry. During the war I was a student of the old Secondary School, today Eichrodt School. Upon air raids we had to take shelter in the cellars. "His Worship" director Fecht saw to it that order was maintained. Janitor Johann Stöffier, who carne from the lowlands, was posted at the staircase to stop students from leaving the shelter. Danger was reported by his wife. Her cry: "Johann", they are shooting! meant that the gunners on the Striegel were going into action.

This spare time in the cellars also had its good points. Were we just working on an essay and an air raid was sounded the marks automatically became better because of "heroic stop of work" and the theme was also marked with "Air planes".

THE SEARCH FOR LIEUTENANT'S BENSON AND HARPER

On 25 June 1918 fighters scrambled from Dinglingen airfield, to intercept a group of Royal Air Force Aircraft. One enemy was shot down and the two airmen, Lt. Harper and Lt. Benson, were killed. They had "Canada" badges on their uniforms. They were buried with full military honours in the Lahr cemetery, but the bodies were later moved to Kassel.

Those were the bare facts known about a First World War incident, when CFN's Bill Peterson began material for the script of the TV series Brucker's Lahr. The story intrigued him because it was ironic that Canadians now work at the airfield.

Bill started to find out more about the story by writing a letter to the Directorate of History, NDHQ Ottawa. The reply had a few scraps of additional information. An extract from a history of Canadian airmen during the First World War described Harper and Benson's mission to bomb the rail yards at Offenburg and mentioned that the pilot, Lt. N.S. Harper, was from Kamloops, B.C. and the observer, 2nd Lt. D.G. Benson, came from Aylmer West, Ontario. They were flying a De-Havilland DH-9. There was also some information on the DH-9 and it's markings and an address for the Air Historical Branch in London.

Bill's inquiry now followed two directions. He wrote to the mayor's office in Kamloops, B.C. and telephoned the Air Historical Branch in London. The phone call resulted in receiving a package in the mail, including an extract from the history of 99 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force, Harper and Benson's unit. There was also a picture of a DH-9 from 99 Squadron. Bill now knew that the number of Harper and Benson's airplane was D5570, and that the plane had been manufactured at Waring and Gillow. Artist Tony Fallon now could work on a depiction of the battle, since details of the plane's markings was available.

From Kamloops there was a letter saying that nothing could be found. That's the most usual response to such inquiries; the family might have left the Kamloops area long ago. However, some weeks later a surprise came in the mail. A Mr. R.M. Wilcox, a member of the Kamloops Royal Canadian Legion, had found out, that N.S. Harper went under the name of Stuart and had been an active youth in Kamloops. He was the son of a local hardware merchant. Pictures were available from the Kamloops Museum Association. Since TV is a visual medium, the pictures brought Stuart Harper to life in a way that no words could.

Meanwhile Lahr archivist Joachim Sturm was following his own leads. Many documents had been lost, but he finally found a record of a claim for compensation for damage from the crash, which had occurred just outside Nonnenweier. A visit to Nonnenweier produced a witness, Mr. Wilhelm Kern, who was 12 years old at the time of the crash. Although Mr. Kern is nearing 80, he is lucid and articulate and remembers the incident well. A second witness was made available when Bill's former landlady in Nonnenweier, Heidi Raus, volunteered her mother, Frau Schiff, who also recalled the crash. Dr. Brucker interviewed the two witnesses for Brucker's Lahr.

Some additional correspondence that was exchanged during the search

THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
1110 VICTORIA STREET, KA'LOOPS, B.C. V2C 2C5
KAMLOOPS BRANCH 52

Canadian Forces Network
CFN CFPO 5000
Belleville, On

Attention: Mr. William I Peterson

Gentlemen

Subject: Late Lt. N. S. HARPER, KIA, June 25, 1918

Your letter of October 26th to Mayor Mike Latta of Kamloops, after a circuitous route via the Museum, then to our Branch came to me.

It has been an interesting search. Ottawa, London England, and then back here to find that your pictures were on the file at the local museum all the time. Wrong clues the first time through the good crew at the museum. He was referred to by his second Christian name, Stuart.

The Harper family moved from here in 1920 after their other son returned from overseas service. They left no connections behind them that I could locate. One sister, a Mrs. Gowland who I had wondered if she was still around Vancouver. I was going after that when this last bit turned up.

Mr. Dick Hughes, the college Librarian dug out the books on the 99 Squadron. They will no doubt be of great interest to you. The specific details an a daily basis in the History of the 99th when related to Lt. Harper's personal records that I dug out of Ottawa tell a very interesting story. From Salisbury, England, flying to St. Omer with a rough landing in a ditch put him in the hospital from May 3rd until May 27th. The trails and tribulations of the equipment they were experimenting with should be of great interest to other service men.

Stuart Harper seems to have been a very active young man in the community here with pictures of him on a Lacrosse Team and also the local hotshot baseball team. His Father, a local Hardware Merchant, was also a Major with A Squadron, Royal Mounted Rifles from 1908 on. I Have access to the two local papers from 1900 until the present time and am willing to read and search them further about the Harper activities. It will be time consuming, but Xerox copying is available from the microfilming at a low cost. It was finding his High School graduation reports that led me back to the pictures in the museum.

I have turned all the material over to the curator of the Museum, Mr. Ken Favrholdt, to forward to you.

If you do not receive it from them shortly please contact me and I will see into whatever problems there are.

Sincerely

R.M. WILCOX
Immediate Past-president


NationaI Defence Headquarters
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0K2

1325-500/00 (D Hist)

4 October 1983

Mr. William I Peterson, CFN
Canadian Forces Network
CFN Lahr
CFPO 5000
Belleville, Ontario
KOK 3R0

Dear Mr. Peterson:

Thank you for your letter of 8 September which Bruce Smith has handed to me. The action in which Lieutenants Harper and Benson were killed on 25 June 1918 has been described in vol.1 of the Offical History of the RCAF. A xerox of the relevant page is enclosed.

Benson and Harper were flying a DH9 of 99 Sqaudron, RAF. I have enclosed a photo and xeroxes showing DH9s. Unfortunately, we have only a general description of DH9 markings, copy enclosed. For information on 99 Squadron markings I suggest you contact.

Air Historial Branch (RAF)
Ministry of Devense
Lacon House, Room 421
Theabalds Road
London, WC1X 8RY
England
(Tel. 01-430-6710 ext 6158)

Yours sincerely,

for W.A.B. Douglas Director
Directorate of History

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
Lacon House Theobalds Road London WC1X 8RY

AHB 5/99 Squadron

18 October 1983

Mr W M Peterson
CFN
Jammstrasse 9
7630 Lohr
West Germany

Dear Mr. Peterson

I refer to our telephone conversation of 14 October1983, in which you enquired about the two Canadians Lt. N S Harper, and 2nd Lt. D G Benson, who were members of No 99 Squadron in 1918.

I can confirm the details outlined by you, in that these two officers were the crew of a DH 9 of No 99 Squadron when they were posted missing on 25 June 1918. They were last seen dropping out of the formation during a raid on Offenburg. We have no reports as to what happened to them after this last sighting, ie, whether or not they were shot down, or killed in an attempted crash-landing. Their DH 9 had the serial number D5570, and I enclose a Xerox copy of a DH 9 photo, along with an item from the 99 Squadron history which I mentioned during our telephone conversation. This DH 9 photo has been attributed to 99 Squadron; if not one of their aircraft, No 99's would have been similar to that shown. The deaths of these two airmen were notified to the British authorities via the International Red Cross on 28 September 1918.

I hope the above information will be of assistance.

Yours sincerely

EAMUNDAY
Air Historical Branch 5 (RAF)

FROM THE HISTORY Of 99 SQADRON

The weather was very cloudy on the 24th, but two formation, led by Capt's Thylor and Beecroft respectively set out to bomb Dillingen. C flight found their objective and bombed through a small gap in the clouds, being unable to observe results. The leader lost his way on the return journey and the formation finally landed after being in the air for over 4¼ hours.

Capt. Beecroft with B Flight was unable to see Dillingen, so bombs were dropped on Saarbrücken, which was visible through a gap, a few bursts being observed on the railway and town. Ten machines completed the raid out of the twelve detailed.

Offenburg station and sidings 45 miles over the Line, were bombed for the first time by A and C flights. Three machines dropped out of formation before crossing the Line; Lieut.'s Freeland and West with minor engine trouble, and Lieut. Underwood was feeling unwell. The remaining machines reached their objective, where they were attacked by seven hostile scouts while bombs were being dropped. Lieut. Harper, with Lieut. Benson as observer, had his engine disabled in the course of the fight and was last seen going down under control in the Rhine Valley. Lieut. Jenkin, who was flying with Lieut. Snders, was hit in the head by a piece of antiaircraft shellcase, and was dead when lifted out of the machine on return to the aerodrome. These were very serious losses for the Squadron.

Four direct hits on the siding were reported, of which one on the track and one in the Goods Yard were shown in a photograph (99 D.A. 60). The bursts were reported as scattered, one having hit the Barracks a considerable distance from the objective. This was probably accounted for by the hostile attack at the time of bombing. The Squadron was now reduced to only fifteen pilots available for duty over the Line, there being considerable sickness at this time.

The next day twelve machines left at 10 a.m. for Karlsruhe, Capt. Thom and Lieut. Sanders, in the absence of Capt. Beecroft through sickness, led the two formations; but five of the latter's formation did not cross the Line, and the sixth filled a gap in A flight's formation. The following pilots were compelled to return for various reasons Lieut. Sanders with a cracked cylinder head;
…end of Exerpt

CANADIAN FORCES NETWORK

June 2 1984

Mr. R.M. Wilcox
21-931 Gleneagles Drive
Kamloops, B.C.
V2E 1K4

Dear Mr. Wilcox,

I thought you might be interested in what we've found out about Kamloops' Stuart Harper and his co-pilot Benson.

The city archivist, Mr. Sturm, got interested in the story and started to look for information from the German end. Unfortunately the German military records for the area were removed by the French at the end of the Second World War. But Mr. Sturm did find a damage claim for the crash, which pinpoints the exact location.

One rainy day last week, Mr. Sturm and I drove to Nonnenweier, a village to the west of Lahr on the Rhine. There we met an old man, Mr. Wilhelm Kern, who had witnessed the crash. Mr. Kern was a 12 year old boy at the time. He said that one flier (he didn't know which) had fallen or jumped from the aircraft and he showed us where the body landed in a potato patch near Mr. Kern's parents home. That had been at the edge of the village, but now it seems more like the center.

Then we drove in the rain and mud to the edge of the present village, where Mr. Kern showed us a tobacco patch where he said the plane with the other flier had crashed. The owner of the field had filed a claim for damage compensation.

Mr. Kern, by the way, looks considerably younger than his years, and still runs a metal working business in Nonnenweier.

We still haven't gotten the pictures we ordered from the Museum Association. I'm enclosing a letter I wrote to Mr. Stewart in this regard.

All the best


Yours truly

William I. Peterson
Producer, BRUCKER'S LAHR
CFN CFPO 5000
Belleville, Ont
KOK 3R0