Oct 5 2019

Crew of Lancaster Bomber R5701 remembered

Brunssum, the Netherlands – Today, 5^th October, led by Group Captain Jeremy Johnson Royal Air Force (RAF), representatives of the British military community serving at Brunssum gathered at the town’s Lancaster Memorial, together with the Mayor of Brunssum (Mr Gerd Leers) and members of the general public, to remember the crew of Lancaster bomber R5701, of 97 Squadron RAF, which crashed in Brunssum on 5th October 1942. All 7 crew members on-board sadly died and are now buried in the Jonkerbos Cemetery, near Nijmegen.

The Lancaster, a famous bomber aircraft that flew during the Second World War, had taken off from RAF Woodhall Spa on the 5th October for a bombing raid on Aachen. However, weather conditions were extremely poor, with thunderstorms and heavy icing. Heavy flak and night fighters eventually brought the aircraft down.

On this, the 77th anniversary of the crash, the Dutch and British communities at Brunssum remembered the sacrifice made by:

Flying Officer Neville Briant DFC
Flying Officer Leslie Dorward DFC RAAF Flying Officer Kenneth Harrison DFM Sergeant John Dawson
Sergeant Augustus Desmond
Sergeant Kenneth MacKay DFM
Sergeant Albert Musgrave

Group Captain Johnson, currently serving at JFC Brunssum, laid a wreath on behalf of the local British military community.

Story by JFC Brunssum Public Affairs Office