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WELCOME
SMALLEST WAR CEMETERY IN EUROPA
The site aims to survivors and supporters to provide information concerning the fatal charge of an emergency "Handley Page Hampden" bomber on November 9, 1941, the crew, the cemetery and memorial.
" The fighters are our salvation but the bombers alone provide the means of victory."
Quote from Sir Winston Churchill, September 1940
The bombing campaign was the only way by which Britain could hit back at an aggressive enemy who had invaded most of Europe. Bomber Command airmen flew operations on almost every day or night of the war. All Bomber Command aircrews were volunteers. In total, 55,000 members of Bomber Command lost their lives. Most were very young - the average age of aircrew was 22 years old. They sacrificed their futures to help free Europe from Nazism. They are remembered at the memorial at Runnymede and by the statue of Bomber Harris outside the RAF church
Since the war ended, a lot of books have been written and published about the war events in Belgium in the period 1940-1945. However, we would like to focus our attention on a local war event that caused some commotion in the usually peaceful Roksem. On November 9th, 1941, a bomber of the Royal Canadian air Force crashed not far West of the historical “Zeeweg” at the cost of the life of a crew of four.
We will briefly reconstruct that event based mainly on existing verbal information. At the same time we hope to be able to remember the young men who were killed far from their homes, in a small village in an foreign country. With their sacrifice, they contributed to the regaining of our well beloved freedom.
Every year a memorial service held so that the memory will live. The youth must not forget what price was paid for our freedom back.
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This remembrance and tribute is a organization from N.S.B. Westkerke, (National Veterans Organization, department Westkerke) in a co-operation with the city of Oudenburg.