1/3 The unveiling of the monuments in Vinkel
The Second World War was also very close in Vinkel on Wednesday. There, monuments were unveiled to the victims of a major World War II plane crash. An RAF bomber was hit by a German aircraft. A crash ensued, which claimed many victims. They now all have their own monument, which was unveiled by relatives.
Among them Maureen Read (79) from England, the only daughter of Eric Isted who died in 1942 in Vinkel. The Short Stirling bomber he was in was hit by a German night fighter. All seven people on board, soldiers from the RAF, were killed. The fact that they now have a memorial near the field where their plane crashed is very emotional for Maureen Read.
“It happened in July 1942, three months before I was born,” Maureen recalls. “As a child I wanted nothing more than to find my father.” When her mother moved to the nursing home, she found a box in the attic with photos and letters from those war years. That rekindled her interest.
“By the pictures you know who those men were.”
While searching the internet, Maureen came across the village of Vinkel. “I’m here now for the fifth time. I get emotional every time. There is so much going through you, it is almost impossible to express in words.”
She is happy that her father, together with the rest of the crew, now has a monument at the Weerscheut in Vinkel, near the field where the bomber crashed. “It’s beautiful, especially with the pictures of the men, so you know who they were.”
Further towards Nuland, a second monument was unveiled to the same Weerscheut on Wednesday. This commemorates the five crew members of a Cromwell tank. They were killed when a German grenade entered the tank through the peephole and exploded.
“He was thrown under the crashing plane.”
The third monument unveiled on Wednesday was for Antoon Ploegmakers. “He was working with my mother in the field when a plane crashed,” says Marietje Ploegmakers (84). “It’s still emotional to talk about it.” She continues in tears: “My mother stopped, but my father ran away and was thrown under the crashing plane.” Anthony did not survive. He too now has a monument. It is located in Heeswijk-Dinther, on the corner of Vinkelsestraat and Bleekeseweg.
Rianne van der Biezen of Heemkunde Vinckel points out how young the victims were. “Especially for the youth, it is very important that this history remains alive. You want it never to happen again and yet it happens again.” Look at Ukraine, she adds. “Then you realize how necessary it is that we continue to commemorate.”