Not salvaged Stirling bomber W7630 MG-M
on Dutch TV in the documentary ‘Better dead than missing’.
Monday January 15th 2018 Dutch tv channel NPO 2 MAX 21.10 CET
Dutch municipalities deal differently in the recovery of WW II aircraft wrecks with missing crewmembers.
Director Gisèla Mallant and interviewer Frénk van der Linden
try to find an answer to the question why one municipality does salvage a crashed aircraft whereas another one does not.
In September 2017 in the Frisian community of Wartena the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s Salvage Division salvaged Lancaster Mk.I R5682 61 Sqn RAF.
This bomber crashed September 5th 1942, tail gunner James Francis Cooper has been missing in action ever since.
Human remains have been found at the crash site during the salvage of the wreck,
an investigation has been started to find out if these remains belong to the missing tail gunner.
The council of Burgomaster and Aldermen from the community of Echt-Susteren decided in 2014
that Stirling Mk.I W7630 7 Sqn RAF that crashed September 10th 1942 at Lilbosch Abbey, will not be salvaged.
The council’s decision on this is based on two arguments.
On the one hand, high costs despite the fact that the Dutch State will pay a large part of these costs, on the other hand there are no safety risks despite investigations by experts who declare there are.
The family members of the 4 missing crewmembers (including those of flight engineer Maurice Sydney Pepper) must continue to live in uncertainty.
The documentary examines the consequences that a missing person has for those involved.
Central to the documentary is the question how much the State of the Netherlands
owes to the fliers of the Allied Forces
who attempted to put an end to the German occupation during World War II.
The documentary shows conflicts and interests in this issue.
Stichting Berging Stirling W7630 from Echt-Susteren,
which is committed to salvaging the aircraft wreck,
is of the opinion that the municipality of Echt-Susteren must recover the missing fliers who have crashed in its territory,
so that the DEBT OF HONOUR can be repaid to them.
The foundation presented the results of her research,
in honour of the crew,
to the relatives in September 2017 in Echt-Susteren through the book ‘DEBT OF HONOUR? The last flight of Stirling W7630 MG-M.
http://www.facebook.com/Project-Short-Stirling-MkI-W7630-MG-M
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