Remembering the brave
For the past few weeks I was once again in Holland for the recovery of a wartime Typhoon crash. For those who remember, 5 years ago I was in Holland hosted by my friend Arjan Wemmers, to view the recovery of Hawker Typhoon MN582 in Eefde Holland. With this aircraft, young William Hurrell lost his life, and it was the goal of the Royal Netherlands Air Force’s recovery team to recover his remains and provide him with a proper burial.
The work of the Dutch government to recover and repatriate missing airmen is a very important mechanism of respect and remembrance which becomes even more important with each passing year. The program that is in place is, in my opinion, worthy of emulation by all nations to ensure that the sacrifices made in war are never forgotten or taken for granted.
It was during the recovery of William’s Typhoon that I learned about the work Arjan had done to not only locate Jean-Noel VanDaele’s Typhoon, but research and record every part of the history he could find on the young pilot. After years of hard work, Arjan brought the story to the forefront of the municipal government in Alblasserdam, and the top of the list for the RNLAF recovery team. I was amazed by the work put into this project by not only Arjan, but the entire team at the municipal level; there were many setbacks and hurdles to overcome, but they pressed on to make sure the story of Jean-Noel could be told.
Additional links and information can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/TyphoonMN954
A very interesting bit of information came to light in my conversations with Arjan. I had known that Jean Noel was also a 609 Squadron pilot (flying Typhoon PR-U at the time of the accident), but I didn’t realize that he had joined 609 on the 30th of July 1944. With Peter Price losing his life, (as well as 609 RCAF pilot JD Buchannan) on the 27th of July 1944, Jean-Noel would have been a replacement pilot for these young men. Jean-Noel was lost after bailing out of MN954 at too low of an altitude on the 28th of September 1944. His body was recovered after the crash and buried close to the site before being moved later on to a local cemetery.
Jean Noel’s mask and parts of the Gunsight recovered from Hawker Typhoon MN954’s crash sight. Photo courtesy of Jan de Bruin.
The process of recovery took quite some time, starting well before my arrival; but once everything was set and digging could begin. The ground at the crash site was very soft, and the point of impact was in a small canal.
This is an aerial view of the crash location after being prepped for recovery, you can see the steel roadway built up, as well as the reinforced section around the site. The dirt and components were removed from the crash site, and sorted at a facility nearby.
This is the recovery site after the dig was complete, aircraft parts were located as far down as 5.5 meters.
While there was some substantial wreckage on site, it was noted that the wings and aft monocoque section were completely gone, likely recovered by the Germans for scrap during the war. The parts that remained in the ground were in a remarkable state of preservation, some steel parts looked like the day they were made. Only after removal from the soil did we start to see corrosion (with the exception of the magnesium engine components, they were gone before recovery). Thankfully there was great support for preserving the parts, and the engine is now being treated to prevent any further deterioration.
MN954’s Stbd side forward mono section from the transport joint to the back of the cockpit. Photo courtesy of Jan de Bruin.
The recovered Sabre. As you can see the upper accessory housing (magnesium) was corroded beyond recognition upon recovery. Photo courtesy of Jan de Bruin.
A view from the bottom of the Sabre, with the lower accessory housing (also magnesium) completely corroded away. Photo courtesy of Jan de Bruin.
As mentioned, the engine was found, reduction gear housing and propeller hub intact; two propeller blades were found (of 4), a large section of the forward monocoque, and most of the cockpit area (although shattered). One cannon and two rocket rails were also recovered.
The cannon and a recovered rocket rail. Photo courtesy of Jan de Bruin.
Of the cockpit area found, it was very interesting to see the pilots seat along with Jean Noel’s seat harness in amazing condition!
Jean-Noel’s seat and harness. Photo courtesy of Jan de Bruin.
Now, the recovered items will be taken to an Air Force sorting facility to ensure there are no explosives remaining. It is my understanding that in the case of MN954, the remains will then be handed to the municipality for preservation. There was a great deal of conversation on these remains, and I left with a very good feeling about the intentions of everyone involved. It was discussed that every part recovered will be saved, identified and preserved. It has also been discussed that key components will be inspected and scanned so that any projects needing information will have access to it. Stay tuned as this story will continue for some time; I will do my best to keep everyone in the loop.
With respect to Jean-Noel Vandaele and his family, may he rest in peace. We will remember them.