Exhibition Lancaster R5682 Eernewoude

On the night of September 4 to 5, 1942, 251 bombers took off from Syerston airfield in England. One of these, the Lancaster R5682, was shot down over the Wadden Islands. The plane then crashed in De Alde Feanen, near Warten. Of the seven crew members, five managed to escape with a parachute jump. One did not survive, the other four men were taken prisoner. One body of the occupants was later found. The last person, tail gunner Francis Cooper, was missing after the crash.

Until seventy-five years after the war, Cooper's body was never found, until recovery of the plane began in 2017.

A permanent memorial site has been created at the spot where the Lancaster crashed: De Zwaluwhaven. This 32 meter long wall, designed by landscape architect Nynke Rixt Jukema, has 251 holes for sand martins. The number of holes corresponds to the number of fighter planes that took off on the night of September 4 to 5, 1942. The number of meters of the wall corresponds to the length of the Lancaster. Of the 251 holes, 12 are closed. Twelve planes that took off that night in 1942 did not return.

The Zwaluwhaven opened on April 15, 2018. That's not just a date. It is the official date on which Fryslân was liberated in 1945. 39 relatives of the pilots and crew members were present at the unveiling of the monument. Since April 15, 2018, an exhibition about the Lancaster and the Zwaluwhaven has also been on display in the De Alde Feanen Visitor Center near Earnewâld. The visitor center opened in a new location in 2024.

For current visiting hours, please visit the website of the museum.

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Source

• Text: np-aldefeanen
• Photos: Arjan Vrieze (1), Cor Keuning (2, 3, 4, 5)
• Nationaal Park De Alde Feanen