The McCauley Family: Sixteen Children, Two Sons Lost in War
Overloon War Cemetery rests two young British airmen who died during World War II: Flight Sergeant Denis Alphonsus McCauley and Sergeant Fred Seddon Langton.
On 21 February 1945, their Lancaster bomber of the 50 Squadron of the Royal Air Force took off from Skellingthorpe for a mission over Germany. The aircraft was shot down and crashed near Helenaveen. Six of the seven crew members were killed. Denis and Fred were reburied at the Overloon War Cemetery in 1947.
Denis McCauley, born in Londonderry, Ireland, was only 20 years old when he died. Fred Langton, from Southport, Lancashire, was 22. Their graves lie side by side, a silent testament to their shared commitment and sacrifice.
Denis came from a large family of 16 children. The McCauley family had to make a heavy sacrifice: in addition to Denis, their son Mack McCauley also died. Mack served in the Royal Navy and was killed when his ship hit a mine. He is buried in Dieppe, France. Pictured above are Mack McCauley, their father Francis McCauley and Denis McCauley.
The story of Denis, the McCauley family and the remarkable story of Fred and his family show us once again the personal tragedies behind each grave.
After the war, the mothers of Denis and Fred visited each other to share their grief.
Both graves were adopted and cared for immediately after the war by the Overloon families Verhoeven Vogelsangs and family Vloet Goemans, and contact was maintained for many years.
Read more about the lives of Denis and Fred and the mission that killed them in these moving biographies.
