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November 3, 1997
Second World War Airmen to Receive Military Funeral
A military funeral will be conducted November 10 in Geraardsbergen, Belgium (about 30 km west of Brussels) for three Canadian airmen whose remains were recently recovered from the crash site of a Second World War Halifax Bomber.The airmen -- Pilot Officer Wilbur Bentz, the pilot, from Nelson, British Columbia; Pilot Officer Fred Roach, the rear-gunner, from Leamington, Ontario; and Pilot Officer John (Jack) Summerhayes, the mid-upper gunner, from Brantford, Ontario -- were returning from a 120-aircraft bombing raid on railway yards in Louvain, Belgium at about 1 a.m. May 13, 1944 when their Halifax MKIII Bomber, LW682/M of 426 Squadron, was shot down by a German night-fighter and crashed in a marsh near Geraardsbergen. On the flight were five other crew members (4 Canadians and one British airman) whose remains were recovered shortly after the crash and buried in Geraardsbergen. (Four other RCAF aircraft were also lost during the mission, including another from 426 Squadron.)
Veterans Affairs Canada, the Canadian Forces and the 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron Association have planned a funeral service for the three men, with next of kin of most of the eight crew members present. Also attending will be members of the 426 Squadron Association, the Air Force Association of Canada, the RCAF POW Association, the Belgian Aviation History Association, and representatives of the Belgian government.
In late August, a small group of Canadian volunteers led by Karl Kjarsgaard of the Halifax Aircraft Association and the pilot's nephew, Jay Hammond, travelled to the site to organize recovery of the remains of the three missing men and of the aircraft, a rare, historic Halifax Bomber. The recovery effort was assisted by the Belgian Aviation History Association and numerous Belgian volunteers, and it was sponsored by the 426 Squadron Association with funding support from the Department of Canadian Heritage. On September 6, the team successfully recovered the remains of the three missing airmen, who will be buried alongside their comrades.
Media Relations Advisor
Veterans Affairs Canada
613-992-7468
All Other Enquiries:
information@vac-acc.gc.ca
