During the commemoration ceremony on Sunday, May 12, 2024, organized by Wings of Memory at the Geraardsbergen cemetery, tributes were paid to the eight crew members of the Halifax bomber that crashed in Schendelbeke eighty years ago.
Canadian Richard Phillips, along with his family, was also present to commemorate his great-uncle Clifford Stanley Phillips, a bombardier aboard the aircraft. A large delegation from Canadian Squadron 426, the unit to which the Halifax belonged in 1944, was also present.
The ceremony opened with a moving tribute: two aircraft forming a heart in the sky in memory of the crew.

After the commemoration, Richard Phillips and members of the Canadian Squadron unveiled a plaque in the museum’s section dedicated to the Halifax, honoring the crew of the Halifax. The plaque features a laser-etched image of the squadron emblem in wood. Later that day, the memorial on Astridlaan was also visited, where a “Toast to the Fallen” was offered and mementos were exchanged.