KILLED IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 14 October 1941, Page 5

KILLED IN AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT

COMMANDER OF NETHERLANDS INDIES ARMY Lieutenant-General (I. .1. Berenschot. Commander-in-Chief of the Notherland Indies Army since 1939. was killed this afternoon in an aircraft accident. The five occupants of the plane, including Wing Commander Watkins. of the R.A.F.. were killed and seven native occupants of the house on to which the plane crashed were also killed. The left engine of the aircraft failed a few minutes after taking off from Batavia's aerodrome and it crashed on to a native house near the aerodrome. The plane burst into flames and set fire to the house. The blaze was so fierce that the fire brigade and rescue squad were unable to save any of the occupants of the aircraft. The bodies were completely charred and Lieut.-General Bereschot's could only be identified by the spurs he wore. Only this morning Lieut.-General Berenschot conferred with Air Chief Marshal Sir Robert Brooke-Popham, Commander-in-Chief in the Middle East. In view of the death of Lieut.-General Berenschot, Major-General Ter Pool - ten. Chief of Staff of the NetherlandIndies Army, who arrived in Manila today to begin a series of talks with the United States defence chiefs in the Philippines, has been asked to return immediately. Major-General II I. Maurer will be Commander in Chief • the Netherlands Indies Army lint . Major-G( neral T< f orten return When a Netherlands naval aircraft crashed at Malang in Java two mem bers of the crew were killed, one injured and five out of seven civilianstruck bv the plane seriouslv injured —U.P.A.