Dutch to honour WWII airmen

Three New Zealand airmen who died when their bomber crashed in Holland during World War 2 will be honoured by the Dutch almost 70 years after their deaths.

Trevor Gray of Taranaki, John Black of Christchurch and Eric Lloyd of Fordell, near Whanganui, were killed when their Royal Air Force Wellington bomber was shot down on November 8, 1941.

Relatives of the trio will fly to the Netherlands this week to attend the unveiling of a newly built monument commemorating the aircrew in Soarremoarre, the Taranaki Daily News reported.

The villagers in Soarremoarre regard the bomber crew as heroes, believing they deliberately missed their settlement as the plane plunged to the ground. Every year since the crash, local children have placed flowers on the crash site to commemorate this bravery.

A stone monument holding two stainless steel plates has been built with funds raised by the villagers and the Stichting Missing Airmen Memorial Foundation. One plate tells the tragic story of the crash, while the other contains the names of the crew.

The monument's foundation also contains a small piece of nephrite (a type of jade), which symbolises the ties between New Zealand and the Netherlands.

- NZPA