Translation with the help of Google translate.
Stationsstraat near 15, Wilnis, The Netherlands

Wreckage in monument
Monument details
VOOR VREDE EN VRIJHEID
FOR PEACE AND FREEDOM
POUR LA PAX ET LA LIBERTÉ
PRO PACE ET LIBERTATE
JOSPEH WHITE
ROBERT MOULTON
ADRIEN THIBAUDEAU
ROYAL CANADIAN AIRFORCE
5 MEI 1943
VICKERS WELLINGTON
HE727 NA-K
Edwin Merks – 2003
In connection with this memorial…
Memorial summary
artist
|
|
name | Edwin Merks |
website | website no longer exists, the artist has emigrated |
object | |
title | Memorial to fallen Canadian soldiers |
nickname
|
Vickersmonument |
unveiling / commissioning
|
March 29, 2003 – The monument has been unveiled by Mayor Marianne Burgman and His Excellency Serge April, Ambassador of Canada. Prior to this, wreaths were laid at the graves of the fallen crew members in the cemetery behind the N.H. Church.
|
format |
Base 105 (square), ascending top surface 127 (square). Altitude increasing from 38h (front), 86h (middle) to 130h (rear). Mirrored plane 105 (square). Maple leaf 70w x 80h
|
materials |
Impala granite, bronze (maple leaves and letters on the upper surface), polished steel (mirror).
|
description |
A black natural stone memorial, the top of which slopes up. On the top is a mirrored surface with three maple leaves. The maple leaf is the national symbol of Canada (and also appears in the flag of Canada). The monument stands in a bed of white gravel demarcated with red bands: the colors from the flag of Canada.
Some parts of the wreck are preserved in the monument.
|
location | |
address | Stationsweg near 15 |
places | Wilnis |
client | Municipality De Ronde Venen |

Edwin Merks
History summary

Joseph White

Joseph Adrien E. Thibaudeau

Robert Moulton

A Vickers-Wellington bomber

The flight on 4th and 5th of May 1943.

Just northwest of the roundabout in the N212 / Mijdrechtse Dwarsweg (behind the parking lot) the bomber crashed. On November 6, 2018, a Memorial Column and an engine of the aircraft were placed to the left of the entrance to the parking lot.
Funeral Robert Moulton on May 6, 1943, 7:00 p.m.

Funeral procession on 6 May 1943 in the Stationsstraat. Behind the carriage a German soldier. In the background the Christian Primary School of Wilnis. The hearse (from fa. Hoek , Woerden) went from the Stationsweg to the Kerkstraat through the former park, where the Irene bank now stands.

The bar, followed by a German soldier (helmet), in the Kerkstraat under the window of the sexton’s house.
Annually on May 4th
5 May 2020 – 75 years of Freedom

5 May 2020

Rear Gunner Adrian J.E. Thibaudeau

Pilot Robert B. Moulton

Air Bomber Joseph White

5 May 2020
The favorite place of a councilor

Local newspaper De Groene Venen of 28th of June 2024 about this memorial.
Municipality news
Councilor speaks
Every week a municipal councilor from the municipality in De Ronde Venen writes about or in response to a favorite place in the municipality. This week it is Jan Rouwenhorst’s turn.
Stationsweg Wilnis. A place where many memories emerge and that is exactly one of the most important functions of a monument. For me a memorial with unparalleled design. Henk Butink has presented this beautifully on his website.
The artwork reflects what can be seen above us and the creative talent of Edwin Merks. He involved me in the design process and implementation. How different – and how much more beautiful – it became than the first sketches. I think back with gratitude for the conversations we had at my house at the time. The idea of a long, narrow pedestal with the bust of a pilot with a flowing scarf and classic aviator cap on it did not progress beyond the drawing phase. Later I became moved. He had engraved my name under one of the three maple leaves.
Sometimes I think how meaningful it could be if the municipality committed to a walking path from this place to the location where the bomber disappeared in boggy peat soil. Silently, Ad Swartjes from Wilnis laid the foundation for supporting the activities of the Berging Vickers Wellington 1943 foundation.
Jan Rouwenhorst