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Memorial Reflects Bomber Crew Sacrifice
Saturday, February 04, 2012
Source: Cliff Caswell: MoD Oracle
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The crew of a bomber which crashed in Holland during an op to attack an oil plant in the wake of D-Day have been remembered with the unveiling of a memorial plaque.
In a special ceremony at Kessel, the men from Lancaster HK569 of 75 (NZ) Squadron RAF were saluted for their courage and sacrifice in a ceremony that included representatives of Germany, the UK and the Netherlands.
Flt Sgts Henry Hiscox and Neil Davidson died alongside Sgts Robert Sloman, Arthur Goddard and Raymond Lang when the aircraft crashed in a river on July 21, 1944.
The seventh crew member, Sgt Thomas Little bailed out before the Lancaster went down. Although severely injured, he survived to become a PoW.
Of those who died, only the body of Henry Hiscox was recovered – for 45 years his grave was looked after by one of the town’s residents, Tiny Claessen.
The campaign to create the memorial was the brain-child of former RAF Serviceman and MoD Oracle Moderator Chaz Walbran, who sadly died last year, and friend Barrie Davies. Funding was provided by Kessel Council as well as residents.
During the ceremony, Peel en Maas Mayor Wilma Delissen-van Tongerlo said that the plaque would be a lasting memorial of the crew’s courage for future generations.
She told those at the ceremony: “I am convinced that this memorial tablet will contribute not only to our commemoration of both the heroic deeds of our liberators, but also in the wars in which soldiers are fighting and dying today.”
Usula Kwansy, the Mayor of Grevenbroich in Germany, shared the sentiment. She said: “I truly welcome today that people of both sides can remember together.
“The immense suffering of so many people during the Second World War has finally motivated people and countries to fight for peace, and that is what counts most.
“To remember also means to give a face and name to men that died so young and to ask yourself how it could have come to all this war and violence.
“They must have felt fear, for they knew their mission was dangerous, but that would not keep them from doing their duty, even if life was the price to pay.”
Watch the releated video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9Wv7TheLQs
To make a donation to the Bomber Command Memorial and collect a wristband please contact: bombercommandnl@gmail.com
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