I thought sure I had missed some important plot twist.
Many years ago I read a book about the treasure we lost in WWII... by treasure I mean it all... art, historical artifacts, even natural landmarks. It was sickening.
England, as you probably know, is riddled with abandoned WWII airstrips. Where my son used to live had one no more than a mile from his home... and was on his landlords property so we visited the site. You can actually still make out some features, but years of ag use and weathering has made it all but invisible unless you're looking for it.
I was very impressed with one of the local pubs/patrons. They remembered the airstrip well, or at least what their parents, grandparents, had told them about them. They also had many artifacts on display. Their history, for them, is not forgotten. Recently a friend posted a photo of an old building in my hometown and none of us could identify it. We haven't done as well in my hometown. - JamesJM