About me
I’m Lilian and I live in Almere and work for the municipality of Almere.
Since numerous of years I’ve been the project manager for the recovery of the Short Stirling BK716. The aircraft was recovered from the lake Markermeer in the Netherlands in 2020. BK716's recovery is part of the Dutch National Programme Aircraft Recoveries, which was set up by the Dutch government in 2019. In a decade about 30 WW2 aircraft recovery operations will be carried out in the Netherlands, where there is a strong possibility of human remains being found. The National programme was introduced to fulfil the fervent wish of relatives to be able to properly bury their missing family members and to obtain certainty about what happened to them. BK716's recovery had been the third recovery within the National programme.
This bomber crashed during a mission in 1943. BK716 had seven crew members on board, five of whom were British and two Canadian. During the recovery process, human remains have been found.
In 2021 we organised a commemoration ceremony in presence of their surviving relatives, were we unveiled the monument 'Rise' in Almere in the crew's honour. In autumn 2022 the crewmembers were buried, with full military honours, at the military cemetery Jonkerbos in the city of Nijmegen.
Meeting the families have been most meaningful to me. The impact of a missing relative and not knowing what happened to them is huge. Even though it’s been more than 80 years ago. It’s been a privilege for me to finally give the families answer on what happened to their lost (grand)father, uncle or brother. And give them a final resting place.
The story of BK716’s men should not be forgotten. It stands for something bigger. If it is one thing they've taught us, it's that freedom doesn’t come free. And by commemorating them and by keeping their story alive we can always remind ourselves, our children and their children that freedom may never be taken for granted.
That’s why I started a project with 12 students from different countries and we created BK716’s e-magazine. And one thing lead to another.
I’ve worked for the British TV production North One, that created Guy Martin's Lost WW2 bomber, which covers the recovery of the Lancaster E603. It has become such a heartfelt tribute to the downed crew.
I have been invited on the Unconvention Soldier’s podcast, to talk about BK716’s recovery, the Dutch commemoration culture and het food drops that saved millions of Dutch.
I felt privileged and enjoyed to be part of passing on important stories like these. It also taught me that, although we share the same history with other countries, the perspective on the stories are different.
That’s why I started this story website about Dutch history, from Dutch icons and allied heroes, that helped to make the Netherlands the free country it is today.
I also published a the Holland’s Hidden Heroes podcast for kids and families worldwide. My co-host is 11-year-old Colin. What better way to pass on stories to the next generation, through the next generation.
Let all these inspiring stories be a constant reminder that we must always remind ourselves, our children and their children that freedom may never been taken for granted.
