Two R.A.F. Aircrew "missing" for over 67 years are finally buried in the Netherlands. The Aircrew Remembrance Society are honoured to have assisted with the research to enable our friends the “Dare” group in Holland in making this happen for the family this Hampden crew left behind.

RECOVER TO REMEMBER: All of our aviation archaeology excavations are carried out with the proper permissions as requested by the Ministry of Defence. It is not without hours of extensive research and gathering of information from, archives and eye-witnesses that an excavation can be carried out. The Aircrew Remembrance Society has a proud record of leaving the land in an "as found" state after a particular recovery is completed. We are particularly thankful to the co-operation of landowners that makes a recovery possible. It is vital that an effort is made now to accurately record these events before the stories are lost forever. The Aircrew Remembrance Society carries out all it's excavations in a safe and professional manor and according to the law. Occasionally a local Archaeology Group is invited to take part and in most instances some representative parts are left for display at institutes within the local area of a particular recovery. Each investigation we undertake is fully researched before hand, with this stage complete it is then possible to begin the long process of locating the exact point of impact. Once an approximate area is located we then call in the deep searching equipment which locates any buried wreckage to within a few inches, this prevents any unnecessary digging and keeps disturbance to a minimum. With this having been achieved the team will then begin the process of gaining permissions. Once these permissions are in place, it is then possible to carry out the excavation which is normally spread over a long weekend. As soon as parts begin to emerge preservation techniques are deployed to prevent paint from flaking and steel items rusting. Once the parts are safely back with the Society, the laborious process of identification, preservation and cleaning of the artefacts can be carried out. With this vital work completed the parts are then labelled and displayed within a local museum for public display along with the story and history surrounding the parts.

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Mr Harold Dummer from Kettering, Northamptonshire, contacted us in the hope that we could help him in his search for the crash site of “Halifax LV825” the bomber in which his brother & crew mates perished in on the 17th June 1944. In our archive we found some information from the Squadrons ORB, and photographs of the crash site taken in 1944 detailing this tragic loss, more importantly for Harold this also gave the crash location. During our search for the site we found some Perspex possibly from a gun turret, Harold very much wanted this relic to make into a cross, as a personal memento of remembrance to his beloved brother Cyril.

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Engine badge and personal items recovered from ”Messerschmitt Bf 109” crash site, later donated to us from the pilot's family.

THE LAW: The Ministry of Defence has instituted a scheme of Licences, which they grant upon a request from a recovery group or museum. All crash sites in the UK are protected by the Protection of Military Remains Act and it is illegal to recover aircraft parts without a MOD License. This act prevents individuals interfering with any military remains without proper MOD permission. For more details of this law please see the various archaeology sections. IMAGES/DOCUMENTS: All images and documents used by the Aircrew Remembrance Society are available to our readers on condition that they are used for non-profit and prior permission is requested and granted by us and that the Aircrew Remembrance Society is quoted as the source. Where the source or copyright of photographs is clear, this has been indicated beneath the photo. The Aircrew Remembrance Society is however also indebted to thousands of individuals, who over the last 40 years have contributed photos of loved ones to our archive, for which it has not been possible to determine the true provenance. All photos are reproduced here in memory of the fallen, if you are able to prove provenance of any photos reproduced here, they will of course be credited accordingly, or withdrawn at your request.

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and heritage at The British Library.