Relatives attend ceremony for crew of bomber shot down in 1943

[Hanno Spoelstra]

We will remember them.

From the Dutch Embassy in Canada: “This week, a ceremony was held in Almere, the Netherlands to unveil a new statue tributing the brave men who lost their lives in the crash of the Short Stirling BK716. Two Canadian service men were part of the crew of this RAF war plane that went down over the Netherlands after a mission to Berlin during World War ll.

Princess Margriet attended the ceremony to formally unveil the statue, as well as Canadian Ambassador Lisa Helfand and many other dignitaries. Relatives of the Dutch, Canadian and British crew were also in attendance.

We remain eternally thankful for the sacrifices of all these brave men and women, who paid the ultimate price to secure our liberation.

More details on the ceremony can be found here: https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2021/1...-down-in-1943/. A documentary detailing the uncovering of the remains and the search for the surviving relatives has been made and can be found here: https://vliegenoverpolderlijnen.com/”

[Hanno Spoelstra]

"One of the highlights of the ceremony was the unveiling of a sculpture, Rise, by British-born local artist Laura O’Neill. It depicts an airman in uniform sitting on the wreckage of the engine, with his gaze fixed on a tree planted in the garden in memory of Anne Frank."