www.EmielRos.nl (Emiel Ros 1937-2015)

On September 23rd 2006, crewmember John Tayloe arrived from Edam, where he is guest of Marga en Ber Eeltink, around 10.15 AM. He was introduced to the American Consul Michael Barkin in the youth-run community shop.

The revealing was performed by John Tayloe and the alderman Rolf Steenwinkel of the Westerpark district. Flanking them were two grandchildren of Matheus Baarslag and Frederik Houttuin, who were killed by scrap pieces from the plane. After removing the Dutch and American flags, these flags were folded by the grandchildren and handed to John. At the start of the ceremony Hans Kloos presented his poem about the plane crash.

There was a meeting in the community shop after the ceremony with some bread and coffee. John departed with a small group of people at 1.30 PM in an old rescue boat to the Anne Frank house. Here he was given a magnificent welcome and exclusive tour. The boat went on to the maritime museum for a visit of the V.O.C. ship "Amsterdam". After returning at the Van Noordtkade at around 4.00 PM the boat was moored. Everybody went to home but John was invited for a diner in the town Edam the next day to celebrate his 82th birthday.

I am sure we put John in the full spotlight and made it a memorable day. When he left he said he enjoyed it all from begin to end. On September 26th he departed to Berlin to meet up with the other veterans to visit two prison camps he has been in.

Arrival of crew member John Tayloe (left) in the Westzaanstraat.	Hans Muller† (right) was 11 years old when he was standing on his roof and watched the bomber crash. 62 Years later he met one of the people he had thought to have died in the crash. "Today was really a closure of the war."
Drinking a cup of coffee in the shop while waiting for the ceremony. L.t.r. Marga Eeltink, John Tayloe, Ber Eeltink and alderman Rolf Steenwinkel.	American Consul Michael Barkin shakes hands with John Tayloe.
Initiator Emiel Ros† addresses the about 50 people present.	Poet Hans Kloos presents his poem about the bomber, while John Tayloe read the English translation.
Crew member John Tayloe and alderman Rolf Steenwinkel remove the Dutch and American flags from the plaque.	A grandson and a granddaughter of two civilian victims hand over the flags to John Tayloe.
Alderman Rolf Steenwinkel and initiator Emiel Ros smile with crew member John Tayloe after his speech.	Next was a short VIP visit to the Anne Frank house. Anne Frank wrote about the bomber in her diary.
The rescue boat went through the canals to the maritime museum for a visit to the VOC-schip Amsterdam, as a birthday present.	After a few days in The Netherlands, John Tayloe departed by train to Berlin to visit former prison camps with the 'American Ex-Prisoners of War' society.

The ceremony would not have been possible without the help from many people:
- Vladimir Mars for making the plaque;
- Riet Wesenbeek, Maarten Dubois and Filicia Tyndal for providing coffee en bread;
- Ad van Deventer provided the boat and al sorts of help;
- my son René Ros for taking pictures.

Also many thanks to the people of the Westerpark district: Patricia Uidam, Suzanne van de Wiel and Pieto Dijkstra for help with the permission, press releases and subsidy request.
The plaque, the revealing and the canal trip were made financially possible by the Stadsdeel Westerpark district.