A Dutch woman cares for the graves of a Lancaster bomber crew of No. 460 Squadron RAAF, shot down when returning from a raid on Cologne, Germany, on 24 December 1944, c. 1945. The graves of 55,000 dead of Bomber Command can be found in cemeteries scattered across western and southern Europe and in Great Britain, and pre-eminently in large Commonwealth War Graves Commission consolidation cemeteries in Germany. A country where a significant number of aircrew lie buried is Holland, whose citizens were often heartened by the sound of the bomber stream passing overhead during the dark days of enemy occupation between 1940 and 1945. Allied airmen who crashed and died in Holland often had their remains removed to local cemeteries by the Dutch, and the graves, now looked after by the CWGC, are still honoured locally. The only Allied war graves in Osstelbeers Roman Catholic Graveyard are of seven airmen of No. 460 Squadron RAAF, six Australians and one Englishman, all of whom died when Lancaster PB255 was hit by enemy fire and crashed around 18.50 hrs on Christmas Eve 1944. Reverend JM Morgan, a Canadian Army Catholic Chaplain, went quickly to the spot and found that the aircraft had virtually disintegrated on impact. He buried the remains of the seven airmen on 27 December 1944. A British Air Ministry issue wristwatch, marked '6E/50 A 5605', was found by local people and returned to England, where it helped to identify Halifax PB255 aircrew member Flight Sergeant Ian Stewart, the bomber's wireless operator. On the grave of RAAF Flight Sergeant Graham Day, the rear gunner, are these words requested by his family: 'I dare you on eagle's wings, and brought you onto myself'. [Stewart, Ian Russell, Flight Sergeant, Casualty, Lancaster PB255, item 166/38/846, A705, National Archives of Australia; AWM 130296]
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