He is still several thousand euros short, but if it is up to Martijn Visser, an impressive tribute to 25,000 missing WWII airmen will be in his Egmond before the summer. “A monument for the people who lost their lives above the North Sea and were never found. There is no such place for them.”
Since this spring the Egmond ’40-’45 Foundation is already raising funds for the international monument that should be placed on the northern boulevard of the coastal village, close to the lighthouse.
It’s called LOST: Lost Over Sea Tribute. 72,000 euros are needed for the war memorial. “The counter currently stands at 52,000,” says Martijn Visser of the Foundation, “So there is still more to be done.”
Wreck Camperduin
The reason for the monument is: the discovery of the remains of a bomber in Camperduin. Parts of it washed ashore after storm Eunice in 2022. “We are ninety percent sure which aircraft it is, and we also came into contact with relatives of the crew. They suggested creating a memorial site.”
Then the ball started rolling. “Because 25,000 airmen are still missing above the sea. They deserve a place. We are giving them that with this monument. Strangely enough, it was not there yet. But for the Wadden Sea and the IJsselmeer. Not for the North Sea,” Martijn explains. , as he poses for a photo next to the model of the monument.
“In addition, Egmond aan Zee played a special role during WWII because of the ‘gap’ (a hole in the Nazi anti-aircraft defenses) through which Allied airmen flew to Germany via this route. The Atlantic Wall was everywhere, full of artillery. But here it was a lot fewer.”
“A monument also for missing German air crew. We want to commemorate together.”
“There were radar towers in Castricum and Bergen that were heavily guarded. Egmond was somewhere in between. And our lighthouse Jan van Speijk, even though the light was extinguished, was also used as a beacon by kites. We want to tell the story of the ‘gap later’. ‘ and the many missing people will tell here.”
German applause and sadness
“And we have said from the beginning as a Foundation: it must also be for missing German air crew. We want to commemorate them together after 78 years. With that we also threw the bludgeon in the fowl a bit, but the negative reactions are less than 1 counting by hand.”
The many German tourists who visit Egmond also find the initiative very special, according to Martijn Visser. “We get from applause to tears when we tell the story and our movie showing the monument in our Bunker Museum.”
“Many of them are still having a hard time with their country’s war past, they tell us.” Such a joint memorial site is not entirely unique. “There are already ‘inclusive’ monuments in Drenthe and Overijssel.”
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The monument in Egmond will take the shape of a transparent column in which American, British and German identity tags fall from the sky, form an aviator and then sink to the seabed. “And it is held in high regard here.”
Sponsor ID tag
“People know the story, ask us when it will be available and we also have a lot of villagers who donate our money.” That money is the last hurdle the Foundation has to overcome. “The location, the permit and the design have been finalized. Now just the financing.”
Another 20,000 euros is needed. “We already have a number of major sponsors from the village and the region, and there are still a lot of connections to funds, embassies and foundations. But we can also use small donations. Ultimately, we need 500 identity tags. These cost 15 euros. per piece. You can also sponsor such a ‘dog tag’.”
Light war graves
“We will also be there next Sunday, Christmas Eve, from 5 p.m illuminating the war graves at the cemetery in Bergen. There are also pilots whose colleagues are still missing. We will briefly tell you something about the monument and hope to find sponsors there. We hope that the monument will be completed within six months. Should be OK.”
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