Zelhem wants to dig up Lancaster ED470

I know it is in Dutch, but I will post the link here: Omroep Gelderland - Nieuws - Gelders Nieuws - Achterhoek - Aalderink: bommenwerper naar boven halen

The mayor of the Dutch village of Zelhem wants to dig up the wreckage of Lancaster ED470 (61 Squadron RAF). This is one of two Lancasters who crashed near the village on 23 September 1944.

The crew:
Flying Officer Albert Keith Hornibrook (RAAF)
Sergeant Tegwyn Roberts
Flying Officer John James Condon (RAAF)
Flying Officer Derek Cecil Heather
Sergeant Robert Stanley Meachen
Sergeant Thomas Brown

The six crew members are now commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

 

Studio portrait of 412056 Sergeant (later Flying Officer) (FO)) John James Condon, 61 Squadron RAF of Lismore, NSW. A truck driver before enlisting on 21 June 1941 in Sydney, NSW. He undertook pilot training before joining 61 Squadron. FO Condon was killed on operation flying a Lancaster LD470 over Germany on 23 September 1944.

Source: Australian War Memorial

 

The article mentions the costs will be around 400.000 euros. Is that right? I heard people say that digging up such a big aircraft will cost at least a million euros.

 

The cost depends on the depth of the wreckage, how dispersed it is and the type of ground. The less clean-up they have, the faster the recovery goes, the less they have to pay.
Danny

 

I see. Thanks for the reply.

Zelhem cemetery contains only one unknown burial. The whole crew is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

 

Pieter,

I hope that the lancaster is excavated and that any parts salvaged will go to museums.

Who knows, there may be some good information forthcoming.

Regards
Tom

 

Let's hope so indeed. I will keep the members of this forum updated in this thread if any news comes my way.

 

Zelhem only has got 50.000 euro available. So they are still 350.000 euros short.

'Gedenkpunt op plek neergestorte bommenwerper'

 

Still not understand the hugh amount of money to recover aircraft and crew remains. It must be obvious to recover without the intervention of private companies. Where else we have the Dutch Airforce Recovery group for, the Dutch army engineers,Dutch army bomb squad etc. I know this is not all, but it will make the price of a recovery much lesser isn'it??

Regards,Adrian

 

In an news article of last year is mentioned that the Royal Dutch Air Force would provide 70% of the money needed. But perhaps the cuttings in their budget has made this impossible?

 

Could be right Pieter, but I still find that our government is more or less obliged to recover WW2 a/c wrecks and most of all the human remains to gave these crews an decent grave. No question about it!! I think these crews deserve it. Otherwise a new industrian estate, motorway or a housing estate is built on a crashsite with still seven or eight human remains.

 

The majority of costs come from the removal, destruction and replentishing of the soil. Once the soil is removed, they are not allowed to put the "dirty soil" back in the hole. My mindset is, leave the soil spread out on the surface for a few days to air out the fuel. Any part with oil in it, remove and replace. Also, for some reason the Dutch military supervise the dig, but do not do the excavation themselves. They contract out, which makes no sense, raises the cost and like everything else, is given to the lowest bidder. I recovered and MIA and his aircraft once for 500Euro!
Danny

 

An article about this project on a Lincolnshire news website: http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/Dutch-historians-search-buried-Lancaster-Bomber/story-18695340-detail/story.html#axzz2QRpc4XGk

 

F/O Hornibrooks brother, F/L Harold Kevin Hornibrook was killed over Germany the year before with 158sqdn. Albert was 20 years old and Harold was 21.

 

A huge loss for the family, two brothers..

 

Although nothing is sure yet, they hope to get the work started in the autumn.

 

Last Tuesday, Zelhem have announced the recovery works will start in October. A part of the meadow as large as a football pitch will be researched. You can find a news article, including some photograps and an audio report here: http://nos.nl/artikel/530162-plannen-voor-berging-lancaster-af.html

 

The news now has also made it to the British papers: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/10156906/Missing-RAF-airmen-to-be-finally-laid-to-rest.html

 

The recovery works will start on Tuesday 8 October and will take 3-4 weeks. If human remains are found, they will be buried at the general cemetery in Zelhem, which already contains Commonwealth burials.

 

Passed the spot last week on my way to Zelhem. Very impressing.