Frederick Arthur Lane

1002 Port Operating Coy was based in Antwerp to run the port which had been taken from the Germans in September 1944. They were responsible for the loading/unloading of supplies and shipping operations.

Antwerp was a major port in Beluim and had become a crucial hub for Allied forces during the North-West Europe Campaign. Antwerp was taken in September 1994 but it wasn't until the end of November 1994 that the port became full fuctionong after the waterway to the North Sea was cleared and secured. Antwerp was the focus of a major V1 and V2 campaign. 6000 rockets fell on Antwerp and its surrounding area between October 1944 and March 1945. However on the 16th December the deadlist attack occured, when a V2 landed on the Cinema Rex. The 16th December was the day that the German Army launched the Ardennes Offensive with Antwerp being a major target. They need to retake Antwerp to cut off the Allies' supply lines and to split their forces.
The Cinema Rex, on De Keyserlei 15, Antwerp, was opened in 1935, designed by Leon Stynen it was based on the large American movie theatres of the times. It was 5 stories tall and all 5 floors collapsed in on themselves after the V2 crashed through the roof. It took almost a week for all the bodies to be dug out of the rubble. The V2 was launched at 3:17 pm from Batterie 500 from it's base at Hellendoorn, The Netherlands and landed 6 minutes later at 3:23pm. There were 1100 people in the cinema for a showing of "The Plainsman" starring Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur. Many were servicemen but there were also local civilians including children in the audience. 567 were killed, of which 296 were Allied servicemen, with another 194 servicemen were injuried. 74 children died in the attack.
In the aftermath the Belgian government banned all large gatherings and ordered the closure of large entertainment venues.
It being the deadliest V2 attack in the whole of the war.