On May 13, 1944, the Canadian Halifax bomber LW682 of 426 Squadron was shot down over Schendelbeke (Geraardsbergen). Five crew members were recovered and buried by the Germans, but three Canadian airmen remained in the wreckage.

During the weekend of September 6 and 7, 1997, the aircraft, buried more than seven meters deep in a swampy area, was completely excavated. This was done with the assistance of, among others, Stefan Delannoit (member of Wings Of Memoy), and under the guidance of a Canadian salvage team led by Karl Kjarsgaard of the Halifax Aircraft Association and Jay Hammond, the pilot’s nephew.

Recovered aircraft parts were transported to Canada. Some of them were used in the restoration of Halifax NA337, which can now be admired in Trenton, Ontario. Aluminum from LW682 was also used to fabricate the ceiling of the Bomber Command Memorial in London, as well as a memorial in Richmond, Virginia, USA. The RCAF Pilot’s Wings badges also incorporate aluminum from the aircraft.

The three missing crew members were recovered and reburied with full military honors in November 1997, in the presence of their families, at the Geraardsbergen cemetery, next to their comrades.
Remarkably, the German pilot who shot them down, Martin Drewes, was also present at the ceremony.

On May 15, 1999, a permanent memorial was unveiled in Geraardsbergen by the son of John Summerhayes (Air Gunner: Pilot Officer). Designed by Philippe Haegeman and crafted by blacksmith Michel Cloquet, the memorial features an original Bristol Hercules engine from the aircraft and honors the courage and sacrifice of the eight fallen airmen. In 2016, the memorial was moved a few meters.

Artifacts from the Halifax LW682 can also be viewed in our museum.