More than six decades after they were shot down over the Netherlands during the Second World War, two Canadian airmen were buried with full military honours Wednesday.

In a ceremony attended by their relatives, Flying Officer Sidney Glen Peterson and Flight Sergeant Joseph Thomas Lloyd LeBlanc were buried at Jonkerbos War Cemetery in the Netherlands.

"It is truly an honour to be here today with the family members of the airmen as they commemorate and honour their courageous loved ones," Masud Husain, Charge d'Affairs for the Canadian Embassy in the Netherlands, told the gathering.

"The torch of remembrance continues to burn bright, as Canadians everywhere remember the many sacrifices made by these airmen and their comrades for the freedom we have today."

Peterson and LeBlanc were among seven airmen killed on May 25, 1944 when a German fighter plane shot down their Halifax Bomber LV905 near the southern Dutch village of Hank.

Only two bodies were found at the time of the crash and only British Sergeant George Herbert Butler was positively identified. Sgt. Butler and the unidentified airman were buried in Jonkerbos War Cemetery in 1944.

The bomber crashed on what was then marshy land. But over time, drainage and land reclamation projects buried the wreckage about four metres deep in a farmer's field.

The recovery was initiated by the Salvage Halifax 1944 Foundation and carried out by the Royal Netherlands Air Force Salvage Team, with the support of the municipality of Werkendam.

The salvage effort took almost five years and the remains were finally recovered in Sept. 2005. 

Veterans Affairs Canada arranged for family members of the two Canadian crew members to attend the burial, accompanied by Masud Husain, Charge d'Affaires for Canadian Embassy in the Netherlands, members of the Canadian Forces, British and Dutch civilian and military officials.