Den Hoorn Texel in Texel, North Holland, Netherlands — Northwestern Europe
Beaufighter NE746 Crash Memorial
| | Oorlogsslachtoffers 1940-1945 op Texel | |
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 1, 2026
1. Beaufighter NE746 Crash Memorial Marker
Den Hoorn, Mokweg
Op deze plaats stortte in de avond van 12 september 1944 een gevechtsvliegtuig neer van het type Beaufighter met registratie NE746 MB-Q. Er waren 2 bemanningsleden.
Navigator W. B. Wardle kwam hierbij om het leven.
Piloot E.W, Tacon overleefde de crash en werd krijgsgevangen gemaakt.
Missie:
De Beaufighter viel die avond een konvooi in de haven van Den Helder en op het Marsdiep aan. Het werd verschillende malen getroffen door het afweergeschuten hierdoor explodeerde het toestel in de lucht. B. Wardle kwam hierbij om het leven. E.W. Tacon landde met zijn parachute op Texel en werd krijgsgevangen gemaakt. Bij deze aanval waren 39 Beaufighters betrokken.
Bemanning
Tacon
this page online
Wardle W.B. Engeland 23 jaar omgekomen
Ter nagedachtenis,
4/5 mei comitι Texel.
One hundred and sixty-seven young men have found their final resting place at the war cemetery on Kogerstraat in Den Burg. Almost all of them were crew members of Allied bombers and fighter aircraft shot down on or near Texel during the Second World War. Monuments made of glacial erratics have been placed at nine crash sites across the island.
Den Hoorn, Mokweg
On the evening of 12 September 1944, a Beaufighter combat aircraft (registration NE746 MB-Q) crashed at this location. There were two crew members.
Navigator W. B. Wardle lost his life in the crash.
Pilot E. W. Tacon survived the crash and was taken prisoner of war.
Mission:
That evening, the Beaufighter attacked a convoy in the port of Den Helder and the Marsdiep. It was hit several times by anti-aircraft fire, causing the aircraft to explode in mid-air. B. Wardle lost his life in the incident. E.W. Tacon parachuted onto Texel and was taken prisoner of war. Thirty-nine Beaufighters were involved in this attack.
Crew
Tacon E.W. New Zealand 26 years old prisoner of war
Wardle W.B. England 23 years old killed
In
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, June 1, 2026
2. Beaufighter NE746 Crash Memorial
4/5 mei comitι Texel.
Erected by 4/5 mei comitι Texel.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is September 12, 1944.
Location. 53° 0.5′ N, 4° 44.832′ E. Memorial is in Den Hoorn Texel, Noord-Holland (North Holland), in Texel. It is on Mokweg, on the left when traveling east. Touch for map. Memorial is in this post office area: Den Hoorn Texel, Noord-Holland 1797, Netherlands. Touch for directions.
Regionally, it is in Europe, the European Union, Atlantic Europe, the Benelux Low Countries, the Schengen Area, Western Europe, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Roman Empire and specifically also the Holy Roman Empire.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 19 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Rampspoed in het verleden / Disaster in the Past (approx. 2 kilometers away); Leo Pinkhof (approx. 5.5 kilometers away); Slag bij Kijkduin (21 augustus 1673) / Battle of Texel (August 21, 1673) (approx. 6.3 kilometers away); Molen de Traanroeier / Windmill de Traanroeier / Mόhle de Traanroeier (approx. 7.6 kilometers away); Harold E. Kious Rescued (approx. 7.8 kilometers away); Siem de Waal Returns (approx. 7.8 kilometers away); Gemaal Eijerland / Eijerland Pumping Station (approx. 18.8 kilometers away).
Also see . . . Accident Bristol Beaufighter TF Mk X NE746, Tuesday 12 September 1944 (Aviation Safety Network). (Submitted on June 8, 2026.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 8, 2026, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
