A remembrance ceremony was held May 4th in Barendrecht to honor nine Dutch Resistance members, five Dutch military members, a Royal Australian Air Force Spitfire pilot, and four US Army Air Corps aviators who died when their B24 “Liberator” crashed in 1945.
· Resistance Fighters
M. Maasdam
C. Keijzer
J. Veldhoen
A. Eriks
B. Moekestorm
J. Gouman
J. van der Linden
J. Prooi
J. Barendregt
· NL Armed Forces
P. de Kok, Atlantic Ocean
J.A. van Huuksloot, Java Sea
J. van der Hoek, Bali Sea
K. Vos, Tavoy
C. Booij, Burma
· Royal Australian Air Force Pilot: Warrant Officer Jack Dawson Green
· US Army Air Corps
Second Lieutenant Robert W. Lajoie
Staff Sergeant Darell A. Waas
Staff Sergeant Leo R. Coyle jr.
Sergeant Raymond G. Theisen
In attendance were Dr. Brett Mason, Australian Ambassador to the Netherlands, MajGen Ivo de Jong of the Royal Netherlands Army, Col. Marc Lynch (USAF), LtKol Willem Bogaard of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, LtCdr Hanneke van der Meulen, Royal Netherlands Navy, Sqd Ldr Jerry Riley of the Royal Air Force, and Dr Jan van Belzen, Mayor of Barendrecht. The guest speaker was Count Dr Beelaerts van Blokland, former Secretary of Infrastructure, Queen’s Commissioner and the son of Barendrecht’s wartime Mayor, who was arrested by the Germans.
