Hi All - I am repeating this message on several forums as I hope it may be of interest to some of you . . . .?
A Merlin Mk 3 from 78 Sqn, RAF Benson flew to RNLAF Woensdrecht last Friday (15th Oct) On arrival in The Netherlands, we were met by senior staff of the "Konnilijke Luchtmacht" (Royal Netherlands Air Force) Aircraft Recovery Unit, and also the Base Commander of "Vleigbasis Woensdrecht"
The purpose of our trip was to collect a propeller unit from 78 Sqn Halifax Mk III - LV905/EY-W "Willie" that crashed at Hank at 0130 on 25th May 1944 with the loss of all seven crew.
This 78 Sqn Halifax had departed RAF Breighton, Yorkshire at 2255 the previous night (24/5/44) and it was on the return flight from a raid on railway marshalling yards at Aachen when it was attacked & shot down by a Me110 Night Fighter
When it crashed the aircraft broke in two and two of the crew were thrown clear. The two (one identified, one not were buried locally soon after)
The front half (with the other five still on board) plunged approx 30 feet into the soft Dutch soil and there it and they remained there for 62 years
Three years ago the local Dutch community raised a staggering 250,000 Guilders by VOLUNTARY COLLECTION!! This was given to the RNLAF in order for them to recover the crew. This project took five weeks, the other five crew were located and postively ID'd which meant by default the "unknown" 6th airmen was formally identified. The five - along with the other two were all reburied with full military honours in Jonkerbos War Cemetary, Nijmegen
The RNLAF have very graciously donated the propeller unit (complete with one blade and gearbox) back to 78 Sqn. The unit has been treated and respayed but NOT repaired. It will form the centrepiece of a yet to be built memorial outside our Hangar at Benson to all personnel who have lost their lives whilst serving on 78 Sqn (WWI=7, WWII=979, 1945>=30+)
Yesterday (16th Oct) the Merlin departed Woensdrecht and made the 20 minute flight to the tiny village of Hank, where the aircraft landed on and shut down at a Dutch Water Park. The ten 78 Sqn personnel on board were driven the half mile to the impressive memorial to the crew on the edge of the village alongside the field where LV905/EY-W "Willie" crashed
Here a wreath was laid by OC78 Sqn and a silence was observed in memory of the crew. (One Rhodesian, two Canadians and four British) After some excellent Dutch hospitality, the Merlin took off to conduct a low level flypast of the site flying both the Dutch National Flag and the RAF Ensign before it returned direct to RAF Benson
Standing at the site yesterday was a truely humbling experience. The Dutch had lit seven fires at the exact spot in memory of the seven crew which were clearly visible from some distance away. We met locals who had clear eyewitness accounts of the crash, and also the town mayor who sees it as the Dutch DUTY to repay the debt the Dutch still owe to the Allies 65 years on!! This same sense of debt is also reflected by the staff of the RNLAF ARU
I mentioned at the start of the message that "more" of LV905/EY-W has returned home. The propeller unit we collected came from the No 3 engine (Starboard Inner) That engine was returned to Breighton in June of this year. So two parts of this aircraft are now "back home" in the UK. At Breighton - from where it departed on it's last flight, and on 78 - it's own Sqn
Interestingly, Google maps for Hank still show the excavations in progress as the maps haven't been updated for a while. Further info can be found either at the Real Aeroplane Company website or by carrying out a search for LV905 or the Salvage Halifax 1944 Committee
Finally, the RNLAF ARU Hangar at Woensdrecht is an outstanding treaure trove of aviation heritage Aircraft parts on view included everything from a Stirling mainwheel, to Wellington oxygen bottles to Lancaster propellers to a large amount of a Ju88!! They have "located" three WWII aircraft in the past fortnight alone (including another 78 Sqn Halifax) but are due to commence work very soon on the full recovery of a Lancaster (and the seven crew) This will be a dangerous recovery project for the RNLAF ARU personnel as the bomb load is still on board.
According to the info I received from the team over 7000 aircraft (Allied and Luftwaffe) crashed on Dutch soil in WWII and "many" of these are still either missing or "location known" but not yet recovered. The way the ARU receives new reports of "found" aircraft comes from either official records, eyewitness reports or also from frequent "accidental" finds during construction work or ploughing fields etc . . . .
Additionally the RNLAF ARU also have responsibility for all modern mil & civ aircraft crash recovery operations in The Netherlands, and all Dutch aircraft that have crashed "abroad"
Kind Regards, thanks for reading & Nemo Non Paratus ~ Nobody Unprepared (78 Sqn Motto)
Tony H
Voluntary History Officer
78 Sqn
RAF Bensonw
