The Night of the Stirling - WWII Book Illustrations

On the night of 29-30 March 1943 a Royal Air Force Short Stirling bomber, call sign BK716, was chased and shot down by a German Messerschmitt Bf-110 over what is now the Markermeer lake in Holland while returning from a raid on Berlin. In older times this lake was part of the Zuiderzee (Southern Sea). All seven crew members—young men from Britain and Canada—were killed when the aircraft crashed into the lake. For decades, their fate remained unknown.

The Discovery and Recovery

Since 2008 there was already interest in the possible wreckage of the BK716 in the Markermeer because of found records. Fragments of a wreck were found occasionally and it was initially misidentified as Short Stirling BK710. But a breakthrough came in 2019 when a cigarette case engraved with the initials of Flying Officer John Michael Campbell was recovered. This confirmed the site as that of BK716. The discovery led to a full recovery operation in 2020. The Dutch government's National Aircraft Wreckage Recovery Programme oversaw the recovery, which was commissioned by the Municipality of Almere. The Dutch Ministry of Defence, the Province of Flevoland and specialized contractor Leemans Speciaalwerken carried out the recovery process. Human remains found in the wreckage were identified as those of the entire crew, allowing their relatives, after nearly eight decades, to know where and how their loved ones had died and to mourn them together.

Royal Air Force soldiers and pilots preparing for the air raid on berlin.

Honoring the Fallen

The following year, in October 2021, Almere’s Resistance Memorial Park became the setting for an international commemoration that brought relatives, veterans, dignitaries and officials from the Netherlands, Canada and the United Kingdom together. Princess Margriet unveiled “Rise”, a bronze sculpture by British artist Laura O’Neill, and the ceremony wove together music, speeches, wreath‑laying and poetry to honour the young airmen and the broader wartime links between the three countries.

To carry this story to younger generations, the municipality of Almere commissioned the book “De nacht van de Stirling” (“The Night of the Stirling”), written by archaeologist and author Drs. Evert van Ginkel. In 2020 I created the illustrations for the book. The book combines archaeology, history, visual and narrative storytelling to make a complex wartime event accessible and emotionally resonant for children and families.

The crew of the Messerschmitt Bf-110 chasing the Short Stirling over the Markermeer lake.

Telling the Story Through Multiple Eyes

Instead of reconstructing the final flight in documentary detail, the story uses fiction and multiple viewpoints to explore one night of war: a British bomber pilot over Berlin, a German girl enduring the air raid, a Luftwaffe night‑fighter pilot attacking the Stirling, and a Dutch girl in occupied Holland witnessing the crash into the Markermeer. The author Evert van Ginkel said this about it: “We quickly decided to use different perspectives, so it would not just be the story of the bomber. Because the problem with that, is that those people were never able to tell the story”. These intertwined perspectives underline that the impact of war crosses borders and uniforms, helping children understand that fear, loss and courage were shared on all sides.

My illustrations were designed to support this layered perspective, visually guiding readers through shifting viewpoints while maintaining a coherent atmosphere across the book. I paid crucial attention to detail such as uniforms, aircraft interiors/exteriors, and equipment to stay true to the past.

German girls at the end of their night out in a lightless Berlin. They are witnessing the bombing of their neighbourhood.

A Dutch girl looking at the crashed BK716 in the Markermeer lake. Two nazi soldiers are approaching on bike.

A Legacy of Remembrance

The book is published in both Dutch and English (translated and edited by Canadian editor Alicia Walsh) and has been distributed in the Netherlands, Canada, UK and Australia as an accessible introduction to remembrance and the human cost of warfare. For the families connected to the crew of the BK716, the recovery and memorial ended decades of uncertainty, allowing them to connect with their lost relatives and with each other. Beyond personal closure, the story of BK716 deepens the historic ties between the Netherlands, the UK, and Canada, ensuring that remembrance is passed on to future generations.

A survivor of one of the Stirlings walking towards his family and the bronze sculpture called “Rise” by British artist Laura O’Neill. This illustration was made when the eventual form of the sculpture was not yet fully decided.

The crew, consisting of Sgt. Kennedy, Sgt Bell, Fg Off Campbell, Fg Off. Harris, Fg Off. Farrington, Sgt. McCaw, and Sgt. Shrubsall.

The joint CWGC headstone for the grave of the crew and the memorial sculpture named "Rise".

One of the illustrations was used for displaying an oxygen tank in Almere's city hall. The soldiers had to use that to be able to breathe in the airplane at high altitude because it had no pressure cabin as we are used to nowadays. A small detail that helps grasp the extreme conditions in which these missions were flown.

Credits

• Author and Art Director: Evert van Ginkel from cultural historical public relations agency TGV teksten & presentatie
• Special thanks to Désirée Voorn-Neef and Lilian van Mourik.
• The color photo of the crew is colored and edited over the original black and white photo by RAF/bewerking Jakob Lagerweij.
• The photo's of the the joint CWGC headstone for the grave of the crew and the memorial sculpture named "Rise" comes from memorialflightclub.com.

Some press coverage of the events.

• English article about the recovery, the book and the sculpture.
• Dutch article about the release of 'De Nacht van de Stirling' (The Night of the Stirling).
• Dutch article about the ceremony in memory of the soldiers that died during the crash. Princess Margriet revealed the sculpture "Rise" from British artist Laura O'Neill. The descendants and some veterans from multiple countries accompanied the ceremony.
• English article thoroughly covering the event of the ceremony and some background stories.
• English article covering the event of the ceremony and some background stories.

Below are videos of the ceremony, the organization around it and information about international relations.