World War Two plane with people on FOUND after 77 years

Plane of British airman who went missing in Europe during World War Two is found in a lake near Amsterdam 77 years later. 

After 77 years missing, the plane of British airman who went missing during the World War Two has been discovered in a lake near Amsterdam. Found in Lake Markermeer was the wreckage of a Short Sterling bomber BK716 manned by Sergeant Charles Armstrong Bell.

According to police the remains of the crew are still on board, and preparations are underway to recover the plane in March. The Bomber Command Museum of Canada have contacted Consett Police, part of Durham Constabulary, to help track down any living relatives of the sergeant. 

A spokesman for Durham Constabulary has said: ‘Charles Armstrong Bell was the son of James Ainsley Bell and Elizabeth Bell and lived at 10, Quebec Street, Langley Park with his wife Frances. On his memorial stone he is listed as a son and husband, making us believe that he did not have children. Frances later remarried a John Wharton and may have had a sister by the name of Lilly Dobbin. Frances died in 2003 and we can find no record of Lilly Dobbin. It is unknown where family members may have ended up, so please share this post to maximise our chances of success. It would be great to help in this worthy cause to ensure that an airman who paid the ultimate sacrifice is represented by his family at his burial.’ 

Consett Police have been contacted by a family member after appeals were shared on social media, and relatives of the six other crew members have also been traced.