VAN EECKHOUDT, Albert Madeleine Leopold

Stats:

rank: F/O
status: survived
airforce: RAF    (no: 168777 )
born: 1916-07-25 Vollezele Belgium

added by: Adrian Dwyer

Albert van Eeckhoudt was at the Aé Mil when War broke out. Deploying to France after the invasion of Belgium he returned home on capitulation. He eventually escaped to England via Portugal, arriving on July 13th, 1942. Sent initially to the Belgian Congo, he commenced flying training with the SAAF. Promoted P/O on 30 August 1943, he then transferred to the RAF and arrived in the UK in the October of 1943. Wounded whilst at 53 OTU, he was promoted F/O on 1 March 1944, and posted to 350 (BE) Sqn on 1 October 1944 (with which he flew until the end of the War). The Squadron diary notes the following:

29/09/1944 - Transfer to Lympne, A. van Eeckhoudt joins the Squadron, L. Siroux is put on rest

24/04/1945 - S/Ldr H. Walmsley, Flight CO of 130 (Punjab) Squadron, takes over the command of 350. In the afternoon, a He-111 is shot down by P/O D. Watkins and A. Van Eeckhoudt, executing an Armed Recce. in the sector Rostock - Pritzwalk. The same evening a Sweep in the region of Wismar sees the CO destroying a Fw-190, as did his wingman, F/Lt G. de Patoul. A few minutes later G. de Patoul is hit by flak off of Blankensee airfield and has to bail out near Ratzeburg, making him POW and also the last loss of the Squadron on operations.

01/05/1945 - An Armed Recce. to Schleswig-Holstein sees a formation of 6 Spitfires destroying an Arado 234 on the approach of Hohn Airfield. This victory being shared by F/Lt P. Bangerter, P/O D. Watkins, A. Van Eeckhoudt and A. Kicq. This was also the last aerial kill obtained by 350 Squadron.


Albert van Eeckhoudt left 350 (BE) Sqn on 9 May 1946. He joined the Belgian Air Force and retired with the rank of Colonel. He Died on 6 January 1997.

His claims in combat are :
21/04/1945 1/2 He-111
02/05/1945 1/4 Ar-235 Hohn Airfield

[Note: date of enlistment into RAF subject to confirmation]