The Borgsweer war monument (Oorlogsmonument) stands in remembrance of eleven individuals who perished in Borgsweer during World War II. Among them, four were Borgsweer residents, and the remaining seven were part of the crew of an allied B-17F bomber that tragically crashed in Borgsweer on June 25, 1943.
The names of the victims are: Hijbo Groenhagen, Rikste Groenhagen-Melinga, Aries Landman, and Elizabeth Melinga-van der Werf.
The names of the seven crew members are: Elmer E. Duffey, Edmund Gullage, Samuel A. Holder, Norman E. Hornbacher, Burl M. Owen, Joseph F. Palmer, and Robert M. Sheldon.
The allied B-17F bomber was an aircraft from the 303rd BG squadron and one of the 275 bombers that flew northeast on June 25, 1943, for a bombing mission on Bremen and Hamburg. The mission was hindered by cloudy weather, and a total of eighteen allied aircraft crashed during this mission.
The text on the plaque reads:
'BORGSWEER 1940-1945
IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES
30-03-1945
ELIZABETH MELINGA - VAN DER WERF
RIKSTE GROENHAGEN - MELINGA
HIJBO GROENHAGEN
ARIES LANDMAN
25-06-1943
CREW B017F "THE AVENGER" 303RD BG
NORMAN E. HORNBACHER
ROBERT M. SHELDON
JOSEPH F. PALMER
SAMUEL A. HOLDER
EDMUND GULLAGE
ELMER E. DUFFEY
BURL M. OWEN'
The monument is located near the entrance of the N.H. church in Borgsweer.
