Memorials
The author Arie-Jan van Hees and Mr. Geoffrey Gamgee, ex Air Despatcher with 253 Airborne Divisional Composite Company RASC.
The photograph was taken in September 2004 during a Memorial Service at the RAF Down Ampney Memorial, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire.
In early 2003 Mr. Frans Ammerlaan of the Market Garden Foundation and Arie-Jan van Hees traced a Stirling fuselage which had been used as a garden shed for more than 58 years. The fuselage part came from Stirling LK545 from 299 Squadron, RAF Station Keevil. Having dropped her supplies on 21-9-1944 this aircraft was hit by flak and was forced to belly-land near Beuningen, west of Nijmegen. With help of the Dutch the crew managed to reach their own lines after some hairy adventures.
Today this fuselage part is kept safe in the Museum of the Dutch Aircraft Examination Group at Deelen Airfield just north of Arnhem.
That mutual co-operation can be very successful is clearly illustrated by this photograph.
Following upon crash # 48, Mr. Sjaak Arts from Haren traced this remarkable part of Stirling LJ833.
A local farmer near Batenburg has used this part of the Stirling's undercarriage as a gatepost for more than 60 years! Mr. Strik kindly donated this peculiar relic so that it could be refurbished and used as a monument.
On the 21st of September 2004 this beautiful monument was unveiled close to the river Maas at Batenburg, Province of Noord-Brabant.
The Batenburg Stirling Memorial commemorates the crash of Short Stirling LJ833 from 190 Squadron, RAF Station Fairford, in the River Maas.
Of the nine man crew only three survived.
This is one of the many monuments in The Netherlands where the Dutch honour the Allied sailors, soldiers or airmen who paid the ultimate price for the freedom of others.
On 15th September 2006 the joint efforts of Mr. Alan Hartley (Chairman of the RAF Down Ampney Association), Mr. Frans Ammerlaan (Market Garden Foundation) and Arie-Jan van Hees (author of "Green On!") resulted in the unveiling of the Arnhem Aircrew Memorial close to the Airborne Museum Hartenstein in Oosterbeek.
This memorial honours 241 aircrew of the RAF / RCAF / RAAF / RNZAF / RSAAF and USAAF and 79 RASC Air Despatchers.
The inscription reads: "John 15:13. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. To the memory of the Royal Air Forces, Commonwealth and United States Aircrew who died on Operation Market Garden', September 1944. In memoria aeterna".