Last Friday, four families of the fallen and missing crew members paid an impressive visit to the recovery site at Pey in Echt-Susteren. Led by project manager Coen Cornelissen of our Air Branch, a short walk was made at the excavation site to explain how the Short Stirling's last flight ended. The families were shown where the engines were found, how they lay in relation to each other in the ground and how we were able to identify them exactly by engine number. By means of Royal Airforce reports it was determined what was starboard and port side, which made it possible to specify the crash.

Although the sifting of the soil has not yet been completed and the investigation is therefore officially still ongoing, no mortal remains have been found to date. To show the families how the salvage process works, they were then given an explanation of the process of sieving, hosing down, identifying and storing the finds. Finally, Coen Cornelissen preceded everyone to the exhibition tent where, on behalf of ECG, a memento of the salvage was presented to some of the initiators. In consultation with the SOVB, each family member then received a beautifully cleaned Short Stirling gear as a souvenir.