A fragment of a Second World War bomber that was shot down over the Netherlands more than 80 years ago has returned to Tasmania in honour of a young Hobart airman who never made it home.
A plaque incorporating the piece of fuselage from Avro Lancaster Mk III ND955 has been presented to the family of Flight Sergeant William Charles “Bill” Chandler at Chandlers Nursery in Sandy Bay.
Bill Chandler was just 20 years old when his Lancaster was shot down by night fighters near Someren-Heide in the Netherlands on May 25, 1944.
All seven crew members were killed.
Bill Chandler’s nephew, Bill Cromer, never met his uncle, who died four years before he was born, but said Bill had always been part of the family story.
He recalled discovering his uncle’s wartime diary, which revealed Bill’s hopes for the future – returning to the family nursery and marrying his fiancee, Betty.
“He had a very ordinary and hopeful future mapped out. None of it happened,” Cromer said.
Nursery owner Gregg Chandler said the plaque belonged at the working nursery rather than in a private collection.
“Bill is home,” he said.
The journey to reunite the relic with the Chandler family began when Dutch war history volunteer Harry Bakermans contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Tasmania earlier this year.
Bakermans, a board member of a war history museum in Someren-Heide, has spent years preserving the stories of Allied airmen who died in the area.
Through his research and contact with the family of another fallen crew member, he was able to track down Bill Chandler’s relatives in Hobart.
The plaque was created by Peter Williams, Northern Regional Director of RSL Tasmania and curator of the 100 Stories Museum in Launceston.
Warrant Officer of the Air Force Ralph Clifton presented the plaque, accompanied by an Air Force delegation.
The plaque will remain on permanent display at Chandlers Nursery, where Bill worked before enlisting in 1942.
