We walked in the hotel and there was the plaque that my
cousin John had designed and had made hanging on the wall in the lobby. And
Karel had arranged to have two pieces of the plane framed to hang beside the
plaque. It was quite moving to see it again.
We met Karel who took us to all the spots – Y32-Ophoven
airfield, the school where the officers and pilots stayed and where the
hospital was that treated the wound in Dad’s right arm. And then we went up
behind the Mardaga to see the crash site of Dad’s Spitfire. I had seen the area
very briefly in the winter of 2010 and did not walk in but did this time. I
felt kind of odd and awed by it. There’s nothing to see on the ground. There
are trees now, there weren’t any back then. It’s very peaceful now.
We all went out to supper as the Mardaga’s restaurant was closed
on Mondays. Karel told us that his and William’s book on the war will be coming
out in 2016. They are finishing up some interviews and the mayor has most
generously agreed to pay for the publishing. This book was started, in part, as
a result of our visit three years ago. People have just now started talking
about what happened in their community all those years ago.
Since Lony and Jemp had not heard all the details that Karel
had been sending to us, they asked lots of questions and it was good to hear it
all again.
Karel had brought 3 pieces of the plane with him for me to
take home. There is a pump, an exploded piece of ammo and a piece of aluminum
which could have come from the body or the wing. I will be bringing these back
to Canada.
There are not enough words to thank Karel and all the other
people who have helped me and my family understand and know more about who our
Dad was in a vital part of his life.
And for those who haven’t seen the whole story of my Mom and
Dad’s life during WWII, you can go to that blog which was done over a period of
years – Dad’s flight logs, Mom’s diaries, photos and the story of the 2010 trip
to commemorate the end of Dad’s war - http://philtripe.blogspot.com/.
