History

This memorial to the crew of Short Stirling BK716 bomber was unveiled on October 12, 2021. One of the aircraft's Bristol Hercules engines was used for the memorial. The Allied aircraft was shot down by a German aircraft on the night of March 29-30, 1943. It then crashed into the Ijsselmeer.  All seven crew members were killed in the crash. Five of them were British, two were Canadian. They were officially designated “missing believed killed” as there was no trace of them, and their names were later engraved on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede for those airmen with no known grave.

Crew

Sergeant Ronald Kennedy RAF (flight engineer) Age 22

Sergeant Charles Bell RAF (bomb aimer) Age 29

Flight Officer John M Campbell RAF (wireless operator) Age 30

Flight Officer John Harris RAF (pilot) Age 29

Flight Officer Harry G Farrington RCAF (navigator) Age 24

Sergeant John F J McCaw RCAF (rear gunner) Age 20

Sergeant Leonard R J Shrubshall RAF (mid-upper gunner) Age 30

In 2008 some aircraft wreckage was discovered in the Ijsselmeer For some years it was believed to belong to another Short Stirling, BK710, after a piece of its airframe was misidentified. The mistake was discovered in 2019 when a cigarette case was found bearing the initials of Flying Officer John Michael Campbell, at 30 the oldest man on board BK716. The aircraft’s identity as BK716 was confirmed when the full six-week recovery operation began at the end of August 2020.

Pieces of wreckage were lifted and cleaned, along with personal belongings, aircraft parts, parts of ammunition and items of military equipment. Some human remains were also discovered. The Recovery and Identification Service of the Royal Netherlands Army took the human remains, items of equipment and personal belongings to its laboratory in Soesterberg for further examination. It presented the results of its examination to the British Ministry of Defence, which has to endorse the findings and arrange a burial ceremony.

On 28th September 2022 a full military burial ceremony was held at Jonkerbos War Cemetery in the Netherlands, to lay to rest the remains of the crew of Stirling BK716.