9th November 1943 – Loss of Stirling LK380 90 Squadron.

November 9, 2026November 4, 2025 / Aviationtrails / Leave a comment

A guest post written by Dr. Donough Wilson to whom I owe my thanks for the write up and information about the tragic accident of Stirling LK380 ‘Y’, of 90 Squadron, RAF Tuddenham, 12:30, 9th November 1943, over 80 years ago.

Stirling III “Y” Yorker, 90 Squadron, Wratting Common and Tuddenham, July – November 1943

On Saturday 31 July 1943 a newly qualified crew were ‘posted in’ to ‘C’ Flight, 90 Squadron at RAF Wratting Common, Cambridgeshire. They comprised PO. Robert (Bob) Rodger [Pilot]; PO. Cliff Mitchell [Navigator]; Sgt. Robert (Tug) Wilson [Bomb aimer]; Sgt. Leslie Griffiths [Wireless Operator]; Sgt. Roy Child [Mid-Upper Gunner]; Sgt. Howell Jones [Rear Gunner (Australian)] and Sgt. Ed Daveny [Flight Engineer].

Six days later on the night of 6th/7th August, they completed their first mission, which was mine laying near Ile de Ré, La Rochelle, on the French west coast.

Their third mission on the night of the 23rd/24th August was to Berlin. What is significant about this raid is that they were caught and ‘coned’ by searchlights and then attacked by a JU.88 night fighter. As the crew called out information for Bob Rodger to act on, he threw the Stirling into a series of violent corkscrews in an attempt to evade their pursuer and stop themselves being shot down. This action luckily saved their lives and allowed them to fly again.

Between then and the end of September, further missions were flown to Nuremberg, Munchen Gladbach, Berlin again, Mannheim and Boulogne.

Prior to the second Berlin mission, a photographer from the national newspaper “The Daily Sketch” took a photograph of most of “Y” Yorker’s crew walking to their aircraft. Published on the front page of the newspaper, the caption read: ‘Sunset and zero hour before the great raid on Berlin. One of the crew is just aboard’

The photograph depicts from left to right Robert ‘Tug’ Wilson, Roy Child, Leslie Griffiths, Bob Roger, Arthur Stubbs the ground crew chief (nearest camera), Ed Daveny and bringing up the rear Howell Jones. Cliff Mitchell is missing from the photograph*¹.

In the squadron records summary for September 1943, Pilot Officer Rodger was by then being listed as the second most experienced surviving pilot in ‘C’ Flight (behind Squadron Leader C. H. Wilson, who would go on to win the DFC and was shot down on 31 March 1944), and on October 1st, was promoted to Flight Lieutenant.

In early October, they flew missions to Kassell, Frankfurt, and Bremen, it was on the Bremen raid that the crew flew a new aircraft, LK380 “Y” Yorker. After Bremen they carried out some training flights before going on leave. Whilst the crew were away, 90 Squadron moved to RAF Tuddenham.

On Tuesday 9th November 1943, Bob Rodgers, now Flight Commander of ‘C’ Flight, took the pilot and two gunners of a new crew who were joining ‘C’ Flight, along with his own crew, on a training exercise in LK380 “Y” Yorker.

The task was to teach the new pilot and gunners the techniques of fighter evasion. The exercise would take place over the Shippea Hill area not far from RAF Mildenhall, which was not far outside of the Tuddenham circuit. The crew of “Y” Yorker were, by that time, considered an experienced crew having successfully completed ten missions over enemy territory, and successfully evading both ‘searchlight coning’, and attacking night fighters.

The three additional crew members joining Rodger’s crew for that exercise were Flight Sgt. Lees Smith [pilot], Flight Sgt. Morley Loyst [Mid-upper gunner (Canada)] and Sgt. Gordon Batten [Rear Gunner]. But missing from the flight was Roy Child, who was grounded with a medical condition.

That meant there were nine crew on board the Stirling that day, including British, Australian and Canadian airmen, a truly multinational mix.

They soon met-up with the training Hurricane IV, KW800*³, of the Air Fighting Development Unit, from RAF Wittering piloted by Flight Sgt. Ronald Brown (a veteran of Malta with thirty operations under his belt already). Brown had already completed one exercise that day with another 90 Squadron Stirling III, “T” Tommy, On joining with the Hurricane “Y” Yorker’s training quickly began.

“Y” Yorker was observed to be heading south, as if returning to Tuddenham. On approaching the area of the railway line and Shippea Hill level crossing, the Hurricane was seen to dive in a simulated rear attack. It swooped under the belly of the Stirling and then pulled-up into a climbing turn to the right, but unfortunately the pilot misjudged the distance between them, and sliced into the right wing of the Stirling, cutting-off the starboard outer engine along with a four-foot section of wing.

Both aircraft were mortally crippled. Flight Sgt. Brown baled out, but due to the low height he collided with telegraph wires and broke his legs. At 12:30 The Stirling reared up, rolled, and dived into the fen alongside the railway line, 150 yards from the Shippea Hill level crossing on the Mildenhall side. There were no survivors.

The crash site of 90 Sqn ‘Y’ Yorker. Shippea Hill level crossing is behind the photographer.

Although the bomber quickly sank in the boggy fen, unidentifiable partial remains of three crew were recovered immediately. A fourth body was recovered some days later, and a fifth was recovered in 1944. Four crew remain unaccounted for to this day.

In St. John’s Church, Beck Row, alongside Mildenhall airfield, is a memorial in the form of a recovered propeller blade from “Y” Yorker to the nine crew that lost their lives that day.

The Propeller commemorating 90 Sqn’s “Y” Yorker that crashed 9th November 1943*².

In the Commonwealth War Graves plot adjacent to the church, amongst the other war dead, are the five graves of the airmen who were recovered from “Y” Yorker, each marked ‘An Unknown Airman, 9th November 1943’.

5 Graves of the crew 90 Sqn 'Y' Torker - unknown airmen

(From front left)The five Graves of the crew 90 Sqn ‘Y’ Yorker – Marked “Unknown airmen”

All of the crew members including those never found, are commemorated on the Royal Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.

Dr. Donough Wilson

My sincere thanks go to Dr. Wilson for writing the post. I myself tried to get to St. John’s Church but on the day I went it was sadly closed, I shall endeavour to return and locate the propeller.

Sources and additional information.

*¹ The photograph was originally taken by, and published in, “The Sketch” newspaper, in 1943, but in the book “Final Flights” (1989) Ian McLachlan (Patrick Stephens publishers), it is credited to the late Jim Munro, secretary of the 90 Squadron Association. On the Wratting Common history website [www.wcnhistory.org.uk] it is credited to Ron Pearson.

*² Photo from St. John’s Church website

*³ On March 13th 1984, the engine of the Hurricane was discovered in a carrot field and excavated by the Anglian Aeronautical Preservation Society. Its current whereabouts remain unknown.

The mission history is from J. Munro’s 90 Squadron history “Sing High” (1989).

Mosquito Crew – P.O. James McLean and Sgt. Mervyn Tansley, RAF(VR)

November 6, 2026December 22, 2024 / Aviationtrails / Leave a comment

On 1 August 1944, No.608 Squadron (Code 6T) was reformed at RAF Downham Market (also known as Bexwell), initially flying Canadian built DH Mosquitoes Mk B.XXs as part of No.8 (PFF) Group Light Night Striking Force. Their primary role was to carry out night strikes as part of the Pathfinder Operations in the German heartland. Targets included: Berlin, Frankfurt, Hanover, Essen, Stuttgart, Nuremberg, Hamburg, Emden and Kiel. This was a role it carried out until disbanding on 28th August 1945. Their first operational sortie was on the night of 5th/6th August 1944, when a single Mosquito took off and bombed Wanne-Eickel.

However, it was on the night of 6th November 1944 that 12 aircraft from 608 Squadron took off in a diversionary attack on targets at Gelsenkirchen. The idea was to draw defences away from a much larger force attacking both Gravenhorst and Koblenz. The plan was for 608 to begin their attack five minutes ahead of the other forces, a plan that went like clockwork.

For one particular aircraft, Mosquito KB364, piloted by Pilot Officer James McLean (26 year old), and Sergeant Mervyn Lambert Tansley (21 year old), both of the RAF(VR), this was to be its final, fatal flight.

Flying in at 25,000 ft, 608 dropped both flares and high explosive bombs, but reported only light flak over the target area. The mission was a success and 11 of the 12 aircraft returned to Downham Market.

As it was a November night, the air was cold and it is believed that McLean’s aircraft suffered from icing up of the controls. For whatever reason, at 20.45hrs the aircraft lost height and hit some power cables near to Reepham Road, to the east of the village of Bawdeswell (Norfolk). It then careered into All Saints’ Church setting it alight. The impact was such that parts of the aircraft struck two other homes, including the Chaucer House*, opposite the church, causing extensive damage to both properties. The church was completely destroyed in the crash. Sadly, both Pilot Officer McLean and Sergeant Tansley were killed, but there were no other casualties from the incident. The fire was so ferocious that it took four hours to extinguish, and required both local crews and those from the nearby American airbase at RAF Attlebridge.

The church has since been completely rebuilt, and as a reminder, the original cross stands outside the entrance. This cross miraculously remained untouched by the fire. Inside the church, a remnant of Mosquito KB364, has been made into a memorial plaque in remembrance of the two courageous crew who died whilst carrying out their duties that night.

Pilot Officer James McLean was buried in Tranent New Cemetery, East Lothian, Scotland and Sergeant Mervyn Lambert Tansley was buried in Fulham Old Cemetery, City of London.

The Reeve’s Tale magazine website has eye-witness accounts, and further details of the incident.

* Geoffrey Chaucer’s (Canterbury Tales) uncle was believed to be the rector for Bawdeswell and the old timbered house opposite the church known as ‘Chaucer House’ may have been his rectory.

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 4)

October 31, 2026October 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

Part 3 of this trail saw the arrival of the Americans, a new name being added and a perplexing mystery about to unfold.

A mystery emerges.

In 1944, Twinwood Farm became etched into history as the last place Glenn Miller was seen alive. Miller, the pre-war musician who had revolutionised popular music with his distinctive style and sound, had enjoyed enormous success in America with hits such as In the Mood, Moonlight Serenade and Chattanooga Choo Choo. But after the United States entered the war, Miller was determined to use his music to support the armed forces overseas, while the loss of several key members of his orchestra to military service also encouraged him to find a way of contributing to the war effort.

Maj. Glenn Miller in a relaxed pose. (IWM UPL 28085)

After initially being refused by the Navy, Miller joined the US Army on 7 October 1942. He eventually became involved with the Army Air Forces, where his musical expertise was put to use in developing military bands and entertainment for service personnel.

His eventual deployment to Britain came at the request of General Eisenhower, who wanted Miller to contribute to the Allied Expeditionary Forces’ programme and help maintain the morale of troops in Europe. Miller arrived in Britain in June 1944 and, after a short period in London, moved his organisation to the Bedford area.

On 9 July, Miller and his new band rehearsed at the Bedford Corn Exchange. The performance was broadcast on the AEF network that evening and was a huge success. It was the beginning of a period in which Miller and his musicians would perform at bases across Britain, with hangar dances becoming a popular way of raising morale among war-weary personnel. Miller had become a phenomenon.

But the joy Miller was bringing to Allied personnel was to be short-lived. In December, he was asked to travel to Paris to make arrangements for a forthcoming performance. He accepted an invitation to fly with Lt. Col. Norman Baessell, who was serving with VIII Air Force Service Command and was himself travelling to Paris on temporary duty.

Military driver Edward McCollough drove Miller to Twinwood Farm, from where Miller had departed on previous occasions with his band for concerts. There, he boarded a small Noorduyn UC-64 Norseman with Flight Officer John Morgan and Lt. Col. Baessell.

The aircraft took off from Twinwood at 13:55 on 15 December 1944 in thick fog. It was never seen again. Miller was officially declared missing on 18 December and was subsequently declared dead.

The nature of Miller’s disappearance has haunted historians ever since. His small aircraft disappeared somewhere on the journey across the Channel and neither it, nor its three occupants, was ever found. The absence of any wreckage or bodies inevitably encouraged speculation, and over the decades numerous theories have emerged.

Former hangar now a music venue stage.

These have ranged from claims that Miller never left Britain to suggestions that he was killed in Paris, accidentally shot by American military personnel or even deliberately executed by members of the OSS. Another theory has blamed bombs jettisoned by returning RAF aircraft. There have also been claims from supposed eyewitnesses who said they saw either the aircraft or Miller after he had officially disappeared.

None of these theories has been conclusively established. The disappearance of one of the wartime era’s greatest musicians therefore remains one of the enduring mysteries associated with the Second World War.

Miller’s disappearance is not the only mystery associated with Twinwood Farm, but it is perhaps the strongest link between the airfield and the world of wartime secrecy. The surrounding area was heavily populated with airfields, transmitting stations and operational establishments, some of which were connected with clandestine Allied activities.

Among these were establishments associated with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Both organisations operated in considerable secrecy, and much of their wartime work remained obscure for decades afterwards. Their activities inevitably contributed to the mythology that subsequently grew around the airfields and installations of Bedfordshire.

However, this is an area where caution is needed.

During the research for this trail, repeated claims were encountered suggesting that SOE or OSS agents assembled at Twinwood Farm before departing on secret missions. Despite extensive investigation, no contemporary documentary evidence has been found to support these claims.

It seems likely that the story has become confused with the well-documented activities at nearby RAF Tempsford, where agents were housed at Gibraltar Farm before embarking on clandestine flights into occupied Europe. Given the close proximity of the two airfields, the American presence at nearby Milton Ernest Hall and Miller’s links with the USAAF, it is perhaps unsurprising that local memories and later accounts have occasionally merged these separate wartime stories.

As far as the evidence currently shows, the American use of Twinwood was considerably less dramatic. The USAAF used the airfield as part of its wider network supporting VIII Air Force Service Command, with American aircraft using the station for the movement of officers, supplies, equipment and personnel. It was a useful staging and liaison point rather than a major American operational base.

Twinwood therefore remained, fundamentally, an RAF airfield operating alongside an additional American role. Under the USAAF’s identification system it was designated Station 506, or Milton Ernest (Twinwood Farm), but there is no evidence that the Americans took ownership of the airfield itself or assumed exclusive control of its facilities.

The war’s end and hope for the future.

In the summer of 1945, the war came to an end and many of the OTUs, now surplus to requirements, were disbanded. The axe fell heavily, and 51 OTU was one of the units to disappear, with June 1945 signalling its demise.

With its departure, RAF Twinwood Farm was left without any flying units, and only a small number of personnel remaining on site. It remained in this state for several months.

On 2 January 1946, the site was transferred to the Ministry of Aircraft Production, ceasing to operate as an RAF station by the end of the month. This move, however, did not signify the end of Twinwood as an aviation establishment.

In the post-war years, Twinwood’s links with both Thurleigh and Little Staughton would continue through an ambitious plan to create Britain’s foremost aeronautical research establishment, one intended to rival the famous Muroc test facility, later Edwards Air Force Base, in California.

The scheme, first conceived as early as 1944, recognised that the next generation of aircraft would be larger, faster and more powerful than anything seen during the war. Britain needed somewhere capable of developing and testing these advanced designs, requiring extensive flying space together with specialised research laboratories and engineering facilities. After examining a number of potential sites across England and Wales, the Ministry selected the neighbouring airfields of Thurleigh, Twinwood and Little Staughton.

Inside the watch office.

The proposal was bold. Thurleigh and Little Staughton would be linked by an immense runway planned to extend for more than five miles, creating an aviation research runway on a scale never before attempted in Britain. Twinwood, connected by a taxiway, would become the scientific and engineering centre of the establishment, providing maintenance, workshops and the wind-tunnel complex that would support Britain’s rapidly developing aircraft industry.

Although the scale of the proposal would undoubtedly have transformed the surrounding countryside, it never progressed beyond the planning stage. Financial pressures and changing post-war priorities meant the giant runway was abandoned, and the establishment instead developed as separate but closely linked sites. Under this revised plan, Thurleigh became the principal experimental flying airfield of the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE Bedford), while Twinwood became the centre for aerodynamic testing.

Twinwood’s role nevertheless proved to be of national importance. As the war ended, Allied scientific teams moved quickly to secure Germany’s remarkable advances in aeronautical research. British, American and Soviet specialists examined laboratories, experimental aircraft and technical records, recognising that German engineers had achieved significant progress in areas such as high-speed flight, swept-wing design, compressibility and rocket propulsion.

British teams investigated a number of Germany’s principal research establishments, including the Aerodynamische Versuchsanstalt (AVA) at Göttingen, the research facilities at Braunschweig and the extensive experimental centre at Peenemünde. Thousands of technical reports, drawings and research papers were recovered and analysed, providing an invaluable foundation upon which Britain’s own post-war aeronautical research programme could be built.

Although the wind tunnels later constructed at Twinwood were British-built, they reflected many of the lessons learned from these German investigations and embodied the latest understanding of transonic and supersonic aerodynamics.

Within this scaled back plan, Twinwood became the centre for wind-tunnel research while Thurleigh remained responsible for experimental flying. Little Staughton, no longer required, was omitted from the project altogether.

Parts of the former wartime airfield at Twinwood were transformed into a modern scientific research complex containing the High Speed Laboratory, offices, engineering workshops, model shops and five major wind tunnels capable of investigating everything from low-speed handling characteristics to transonic and supersonic flight. Among these was the remarkable Vertical Spinning Tunnel, designed to study the behaviour of aircraft during stalls and spins, one of the principal causes of fatal flying accidents during the Second World War.

Despite the reduction in scale, the completed facilities still formed one of the most advanced aeronautical research centres in Europe, a status it retained throughout the 1950s and 1960s. This enabled Twinwood to contribute to the development of many of Britain’s most significant post-war aircraft.

Construction of the wind-tunnel complex began in 1948 under Dorman Long & Co. Ltd. of Middlesbrough together with Whessoe*⁷. The project was itself a notable engineering achievement, pioneering the on-site welding of large pre-formed steel plates to create the enormous pressure vessels required for the wind tunnels, a technique that was virtually unprecedented in Britain at the time.

The first of Twinwood’s major facilities entered service in 1955. Although the wider vision of a unified aeronautical research establishment centred on a five-mile runway had never been realised, the completed Vertical Spinning Tunnel represented a major advance in aerodynamic research. Standing 24.4 metres high and measuring 13.7 metres in diameter, it remained one of the most distinctive structures on the site and survives today as a Grade II listed building, recognised for both its engineering significance and its place in Britain’s post-war aviation heritage*⁸,*⁹

The site containing the wind tunnels was sufficiently far from the main airfield not to interfere with any flying that might take place. This allowed Twinwood, in the mid-1950s, to unexpectedly find another new role, this time as a flight-test airfield for gliders.

Engineers and test pilots from Slingsby, used the former wartime station to conduct meticulous performance trials on the company’s latest sailplanes. These experiments, carried out over many months using carefully controlled glide tests and supported by wind-tunnel investigations, contributed to the development of one of Britain’s most successful post-war competition gliders.*¹⁰

This short-lived reprieve for Twinwood did not, unfortunately, lead to any long-lasting aviation revival. In 1983, the Ministry of Defence finally put Twinwood Farm and its land up for sale.

The farm, which had been leased to A. T. Quenby since 1962,*¹¹ consisted of a house, a bungalow and the usual mix of farm buildings. Other buildings remained from the RAF’s days, including a corrugated-iron hangar adjoining Little Oakley Wood, measuring 89 feet by 45 feet, together with a mess room and Nissen huts used as stores, measuring 91 feet by 28 feet.

With that, this small airfield returned to agriculture. The business park was subsequently sold and resold, developed and redeveloped. It remains today, although many of the original buildings have been removed.

The landowner of the airfield site has agreed to allow the watch office to become a thriving Glenn Miller memorial, while many of the surviving huts in the area have become museums documenting wartime life both on and off the airfield.

Another part of the site has become a music venue, staging regular festivals featuring music from the 1940s through to more modern times. It even utilises one of the remaining original hangars as a stage.

Although much of the former airfield has disappeared beneath later development, a small part of Twinwood survives. Through these developments, the memory of both Glenn Miller and the important work of the OTUs has been allowed to live on.

Twinwood’s legacy.

Twinwood Farm was a small and relatively insignificant airfield when it was established. Yet, despite continual struggles with accommodation, storage and the practical challenges of creating an operational station from open farmland, its personnel quietly made an important contribution to Britain’s air defence. Thousands of training sorties prepared numerous night-fighter crews for the demanding task of defending Britain’s skies after dark, while the airfield also supported Army Co-operation duties and became home to a variety of aircraft and units throughout the war.

Its post-war years were no less significant. Ambitious plans to transform the region into a major aviation research establishment ultimately failed to materialise. Although Twinwood established itself as a major centre for wind-tunnel research, its use as an airfield eventually came to an end. Remarkably, from those quiet beginnings emerged first a museum and later a music venue, ensuring that the site continued to attract visitors long after the last military aircraft had departed.

Yet, despite all that Twinwood Farm achieved, this is not the story that ultimately secured its place in history.

It would be easy to remember Twinwood simply as the place from which Glenn Miller made his final flight. But that is only part of the story. By 1944, the airfield had quietly become an important link in the wider logistical network supporting Headquarters, VIII Air Force Service Command at nearby Milton Ernest Hall. While RAF night-fighter training continued, Twinwood simultaneously supported the American headquarters with liaison and transport flights, connecting the administrative heart of the Eighth Air Force with the rapidly developing campaign in Europe.

It was this little-known dual role that brought Glenn Miller to Twinwood on that cold December day in 1944. Without it, one of the world’s most celebrated musicians would almost certainly never have passed through its gates.

In the end, Twinwood Farm’s legacy extends far beyond the disappearance of a single aircraft. It is the story of an unassuming Bedfordshire airfield that quietly fulfilled many roles, adapted to changing demands and made a contribution to the Allied war effort far greater than its modest size ever suggested.

Sometimes history is not written by the biggest stations or the most famous squadrons, but by places that simply did their job exceptionally well when they were needed most.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

Sources and further information (Twinwood Farm).

*¹ RAFweb.org. website accessed 1.8.26

*² National Archives Operation Record Book AIR 27/321

*³ Jackson, R., & Ritger, L., P-51 Mustang. Pen & Sword Aviation, 2020.

*⁴ National Archives Operation Record Book AIR27/1563/9

*⁵ National Archives Operational record Book AIR 27/1094/1

*⁶ Bedfordshire Archives Website [ref: WW2/AR/C2/182].

*⁷ Historic England website accessed 27/7/26

*⁸ 28 days later website. Accessed 3/8/2026.

*⁹ Historic England Website. Accessed 3/8/2026.

*¹⁰ Ince, D., Combat and Competition* *Newton Publishers, 1992

*¹¹ Bedfordshire Archives Website. Accessed 8/8/2026.

National Archives: Operational Record Books: AIR 27/1563/9; AIR 27/1085/35, AIR 27/1085/37

IWM American Archive Website Accessed 16.8.26

The Bedford aerodrome website contains extensive material on the current and some historical use of Thurleigh.

The Bedford Aeronautical Heritage Group website (now closed but accessible) contains information about the work and history of RAE Bedford. It has since been moved to the FAST website below.

Farnborough Air Services Trust website offers endless information about the services of RAE Bedford and RAE Farnborough.

Bedfordshire and Luton Archive and Record Service has an extensive collection of Third London Airport material as part of the Bedfordshire County Council archive which includes material for all four original sites. It also has material from BARA.

PPRuNe forum has information, photos and personal information about the research at Thurleigh and Twinwood Farm.

Osbourne, M. Defending Bedfordshire: The Military Landscape from Prehistory to the Present. Fonthill Media, 2021

Jackson, R. P-51 Mustang. Pen and Sword, 2020

Conyers Nesbit, R. Missing: Believed Killed. Pen & Sword Military 2010.

Spragg, D. Glenn Miller Declassified. Potomac Books, 2017

Grudens, R., Chattanooga Choo Choo. Celebrity Profiles Publishing Company, 2004.

The museum website can be accessed at: https://www.twinwoodaviationmuseum.org/

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 3)

October 24, 2026October 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 3 Comments

Part 2 of the trail saw Twinwood receive new aircraft in the form of the Tomahawk and then the P-51 Mustang. But that did little to alleviate problems on the base.

Newly delivered, the Mustangs soon found themselves grounded awaiting much need repairs and spare parts, none of which were readily available. But a change was coming, and soon, 169 Sqn was able to depart.

By 15 July, all but one of the Mustangs – which was still awaiting repairs – had left Twinwood and were at their new base at Doncaster. A new era was about to begin for them.

While 51 OTU continued to perform its training duties, other squadrons continued to come and go. The next to arrive was 239 Sqn, another Mustang Mk.I unit, which arrived at the end of August 1942.

The Mustangs had been patrolling the skies along the south coast around Brighton and Beachy Head, and as far inland as Gatwick, their former station. No sooner had they arrived than a small detachment was sent to Snailwell, leaving the squadron split between three airfields: Gatwick, Twinwood and Snailwell.

The Snailwell section took part in exercises and returned briefly in early September, only to transfer to Castle Camps to take part in further Army Co-operation activities. The Gatwick section continued covering the south coast, while those newly arrived at Twinwood practised night landings in their Mustangs.

This fluid movement at Twinwood continued until 22 October, when the entire squadron moved to Cranfield to take part in further exercises. This effectively ended its association with Twinwood.

At Twinwood, night training was always hazardous, even for experienced pilots. A nearby homestead, Rutters Cottages, was the site of a tragedy on 28 November 1942, when one of 51 OTU’s Havocs crashed close by. Its pilot, Sergeant Leonard James Casey, was sadly killed. A New Zealander from Herne Bay, Auckland, Casey was just 21 years old and was buried in Kempston Cemetery.*⁶

His aircraft, Havoc I BJ501, was undertaking a solo night-training exercise and, at the time of the crash, was carrying out overshoots. As the aircraft pulled away it suddenly entered a dive and crashed. Casey was not killed outright, but was taken to Bedford County Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The Americans arrive and a reshuffle takes place.

By early 1943, the Eighth Air Force was gaining strength in Britain – the friendly invasion had begun. Lacking experience in night-fighter operations, the USAAF began sending airmen to Twinwood, where it was hoped they would benefit from British expertise, particularly that of the OTU.

One of these American units was the 417th Night Fighter Squadron, which arrived via Scotland on 11 May 1943.

Constituted as the 417th Night Fighter Squadron on 17 February that year, the unit came under the control of VIII Fighter Command, attached to the RAF. Its journey here began at Orlando Air Force Base, before moving to Kissimmee and eventually to Ayr on Scotland’s west coast, where a small detachment remained.

Exposed shelter at Twinwood.

Training in the United States had been undertaken on the P-70, a converted Douglas A-20 Havoc/Boston. The purpose of the conversion was to provide the USAAF with an airborne radar interception capability, something it lacked at the time. With upgraded engines, the P-70 also carried the British Mk. IV radar, specifically designed for airborne interception. Intended as an interim solution until the Northrop P-61 Black Widow became available, only 160 P-70s were ever converted.

Once in the UK, however, the men of the 417th found themselves training on Bristol Beaufighters rather than the P-70s with which they were familiar.

Conversion and training began quickly and progressed well however. Before long, the Americans were ready for their own aircraft and were transferred to RAF Scorton in North Yorkshire, where some twelve Beaufighters duly arrived. Training continued there until August, at which point the squadron was declared ready for combat.

Their theatre of operations, however, was not to be the dark skies of Europe but the warmer climate of Algeria. The squadron would eventually receive its P-61s, but not until March 1945, when it returned to Europe to undertake night-fighter duties protecting Allied bridgeheads as the advance into Germany continued.

It was also during 1943 that a renumbering of training units led to the resident 51 OTU, along with other OTUs across the country, being renumbered. This was connected with Operation Saracen, later revised as Operation Banquet, the contingency plan for countering a German invasion of Britain. Under the scheme, OTUs had 500 added to their existing numbers, redesignating them as squadrons. Thus, 51 OTU became 551 Sqn.

While some units readily adopted their new numbers, many continued to be referred to by their original OTU designations. Consequently, when 51 OTU became 551 Squadron RAF on 17 September 1943, it continued its night-training duties much as before. In practice, little changed and, as with many of these newly numbered units, no formal change in organisation took place, nor were they ever formally recognised as RAF squadrons in their own right.

1944 – winds of change.

Between 5 and 13 January 1944, a small detachment of 164 Sqn, equipped with Hurricane IVs and Typhoon IBs, visited Twinwood. Whilst here, they carried out practice dive-bombing attacks against mock targets, while the bulk of the squadron remained at Fairlop flying armed sorties.

They would stay briefly but return for another short period in February, when further practice flights involved ground strafing and battle-formation flying. The late-winter rain, however, curtailed many of the planned activities, with some days seeing no flying at all.

Although US aircrew had previously been present at Twinwood, no American aircraft had been located there. That changed on 29 January 1944, when during a ferry flight to King’s Cliffe, the right engine of P-38J 42-67873 failed while the aircraft was approaching the airfield. As the pilot attempted an emergency approach, the left engine also failed and a wheels-up landing was made. The aircraft, flown by Harry V. Dulick, was believed to have been salvaged and returned to service.

During 1944, Twinwood acquired a second identity: USAAF Station 506. This appears to have been an American administrative designation rather than a replacement for its RAF identity. The airfield remained RAF Twinwood Farm, while its location and facilities brought it into the wider network supporting the United States Eighth Air Force. The official USAAF designation was Milton Ernest (Twinwood Farm), Station 506.

Fire post.

The significance of this American connection was greater than a simple alteration of name. By 1944, VIII Air Force Service Command had become the vast logistical organisation responsible for keeping the Eighth Air Force operational across Britain and, following D-Day, on the Continent. Its headquarters was located at nearby Milton Ernest Hall, and Twinwood provided a convenient airfield for the movement of liaison aircraft, personnel, mail and equipment. The two sites were only a few miles apart, making Twinwood a useful addition to the American headquarters.

RAF activity continued alongside and dominated this American use. The night-fighter training role remained the airfield’s principal function, even after the resident training unit had been redesignated 551 Squadron in September 1943. The American presence was therefore an additional role rather than a complete takeover of the station. In fact, few local residents would have realised that their familiar RAF station was now being used as part of the wider logistical network supporting one of the largest air forces ever assembled.

It was this American connection that would ultimately secure Twinwood Farm’s place in popular history. Without the relationship between the airfield and the nearby headquarters of VIII Air Force Service Command, it is unlikely that one of the world’s most celebrated bandleaders would ever have passed through its gates. Yet, on a cold December day in 1944, the routine departure of a small American liaison aircraft would transform an otherwise unassuming Bedfordshire airfield into the setting for one of the Second World War’s most enduring mysteries.

With the arrival of American forces nearby a new association has begun. But this link, does little but lead to an intriguing mystery that has perplexed historians ever since. In the last part of the trail we see how Twinwood becomes famous and how its post war future looks temporarily bright.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

Is This the Final Nail in the Coffin for RAF Downham Market?

October 17, 2026October 11, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 8 Comments

More than eighty years after RAF Downham Market opened, another chapter in the story of the former airfield may be about to begin. But this change could also mark the beginning of the end for the remaining evidence of its wartime past?

Recent groundworks and excavations on the eastern side of the A10, around the former technical area, have raised questions about what might happen next. Is this simply preparation for a new industrial development, or could it be the start of something much larger?

The trenches crossing the former main runway. The new memorial is off to the left.

We know from previous developments that these ‘archaeological trenches’ are the forerunner of new developments, designed to establish the presence of any historically important features that may lay buried beneath the surface. And whilst at present, there are no confirmed plans to redevelop the entire former technical area, the available planning information suggests that further change is a real possibility.

A new industrial landscape

The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk has allocated land at Bexwell Business Park for “employment and industrial use”. This is not a housing proposal. The Council’s adopted Local Plan identifies approximately 20 hectares of remaining land within the wider employment allocation.

The parachute room with heating vent.

In June 2026, planning permission was granted for 14 new industrial units on land west of Karoo Close. The development includes associated access and parking and is intended for industrial, storage and distribution uses.

That is the confirmed position. But the 14 units are only one scheme within a much larger area identified for employment development.

It would be wrong to suggest that permission has been granted to build across all the remaining land. Equally, it would be unwise to assume that the present development will be the last. The town itself has, like many towns across the country, been subjected to huge housing developments, and this is just another part of that process.

The question is now, whether or not these works are the first visible signs of a longer-term transformation of the former airfield.

More trenches. The buildings in the background are on the former technical site.

What will happen to the wartime buildings?

The long term concern is for the airfield, its remaining buildings and what will become of them.

The former technical area was an essential part of the wartime station. This was where aircraft equipment was stored, repairs and maintenance were carried out, and the ground organisation supported the aircrews and their operations.

Much has disappeared since the station closed in 1946, and many of those that are left are crumbling. In some cases walls are separating rendering them dangerous to the public. Yet a number of structures are still in reasonable condition. Of those that are left, they include the former Main Stores, Crew Locker and Drying Room, Link Trainer and transformer installation, together with other buildings associated with the technical site.

The crew locker room. The grassed area is where crews would wait, before a mission, ready to transfer to their respective aircraft.

Today, some stand within or alongside the modern business park. They may no longer look like parts of an RAF station, but their historical significance, design and shape has not disappeared.

There is currently no evidence that these surviving buildings are being cleared for demolition as part of the approved 14-unit scheme. Nor have I found an official proposal to demolish the technical area as a whole. However, there is also nothing to say they won’t.

Nevertheless, if further industrial development comes forward on adjoining land, the surviving buildings and other traces of the station could face increasing pressure. New buildings, roads, parking and infrastructure may change the setting of the old structures, even where the buildings themselves remain.

What are the excavations telling us?

The recent groundworks have also raised the question of archaeology.

Archaeological investigation is often required before major construction begins, particularly on land with a significant history. Excavations can identify buried foundations, concrete surfaces, drainage systems and other features that have survived beneath later development or agricultural use.

The former RAF station is certainly a site where such remains may exist. There may also be evidence of activity from much earlier periods. We know from previous excavations on other areas of the airfield that have now been developed, that Anglo Saxon and wartime artefacts, were discovered but were deemed as insignificant.

However, I have not been able to establish conclusively that the particular excavations currently visible are the archaeological work required for the new industrial units. Their appearance alone cannot prove that connection.

Inside the crew locker room. The far door is a modern addition.

It is reasonable to think that the work signals preparation for further development, but we must wait for documentary evidence before stating that this is what is happening.

The end of an era?

RAF Downham Market was an important part of Britain’s wartime air effort, later becoming associated with the Pathfinder Force and No. 635 Squadron. The station’s crews and ground personnel formed part of a much larger story of operations, sacrifice and service. Two airmen based at Downham were each awarded the Victoria Cross, almost unprecedented in wartime history.

Today, the landscape is very different. Fields, roads, businesses and modern development have replaced much of the airfield that wartime personnel would have recognised.

The surviving technical buildings are therefore more than old structures. They provide a physical link to the station’s working life and help us understand how the airfield operated.

Industrial development is not unusual on former RAF stations, and the needs of a modern community must be recognised. But there is also a responsibility to identify and record the historic remains before they are lost.

The current situation presents an opportunity to do that properly.

The wider allocation makes further development possible, but it does not establish exactly where or when it will happen, or which historic buildings might be affected.

So, is this the final nail in the coffin for Downham Market’s remaining wartime airfield?

It is too early to say. There is no evidence that the technical area is about to be demolished, but the landscape is changing and further industrial development remains a possibility.

For those of us who value the history of RAF Downham Market, the important thing is to watch what happens next, establish the facts and ensure that the remaining evidence of the station is properly recorded.

Once a wartime building or archaeological feature has been lost, it cannot simply be replaced.

Is the writing on the wall for these historic buildings?

The airfield has already surrendered much of its past to the passage of time. Whether the surviving remains can continue to tell their story alongside the new industrial landscape is a question that deserves attention.

Sources and further information

Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk – Adopted Local Plan: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/homepage/257/adopted_local_plan

Planning application 25/00262/FM – Land West of Karoo Close, Bexwell Business Park. Search for the application number through the Council’s official planning portal: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/info/20077/planning_applications/111/view_and_track_planning_applications

Borough Council – Local Plan examination documents: https://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/local-plan-review-examination

This article reflects the information available in October 2026.

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 2)

October 10, 2026September 13, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 3 Comments

in Part 1 of this trail, Twinwood was identified as a satellite airfield but gradually, as it grew, it became a station in its own right. However, development was slow, and it remained poorly equipped and overcrowded – it was not a pleasant place to be stationed. As we return in Part 2, things just get worse.

More personnel arrive and conditions worsen.

This use of Twinwood as a temporary airfield continued well into 1942. The first unit to arrive that year, transiting from Doncaster, was 613 Sqn, in early April. The advanced party travelled by road, leaving Doncaster at 09:00 hours on 10 April. The main party followed the next day, also by road, led by F.O. Adcock. They arrived at Twinwood that evening after a long ten-hour journey. A third group, travelling by rail, had arrived two hours earlier. Hot meals were prepared for the arriving personnel, providing a welcoming, if not false start to their new posting. The rear party, which closed up at Doncaster, arrived on the evening of 12 April, marking the beginning of a new episode in the squadron’s history.

On arrival at Twinwood, however, 613 Sqn found that the airfield was still under construction. Personnel from 51 OTU were settled in, whilst other accommodation was being occupied by 2791 Defence Squadron along with two additional Flights. Conditions were far from ideal. Some of the latrines were full, and a contractor had to be brought in to empty them. Worse still, 613 Sqn had no latrines specifically allocated to them and none were readily available elsewhere.

To add to the initial discomfort, an inspection by the Senior Medical Officers from both Cranfield and Group discovered that there was no hot water and no telephone available for 613 Sqn’s Senior Medical Officer. The medical facilities themselves were also totally inadequate for dealing with more serious cases.

It quickly became apparent that Twinwood was not going to be a particularly comfortable place to be, and soon personnel began to complain about the lack of proper food; tea and biscuits being provided after a hard day’s work rather than anything more substantial. All in all, it was far from the grand start they had been hoping for.

Operating in the Army Co-operation role, the squadron continued to perform daily flights, with the flying personnel and their aircraft mainly located at Western Zoyland. These flights consisted largely of quick-reaction scramble exercises in Tomahawks, known as FXQT, together with cross-country navigation exercises in Lysanders.

FXQTs were the equivalent of today’s QRA (Quick Reaction Alert), requiring aircraft to become airborne very quickly in response to an alert of an imminent threat. There were numerous false alarms, resulting in twenty-four FXQTs on 13 April and a further twenty-seven on 14 April.

It was during this period at Twinwood that 613 Sqn began upgrading its aircraft to the P-51 Mustang Mk.I, with ten being collected by aircrew, from Speke, on 15 April. With a further seventeen FXQT flights being made by the Tomahawks together with four flights ferrying personnel to Speke, it was a busy period at Twinwood, and all whilst training continued.

A spell of poor weather curtailed many exercises over the next few days, although some cross-country flights were made, along with air-to-air firing, photographic runs and supply drops. By 24 April, the skies had cleared and four airmen did manage to get their Mustangs airborne, gaining valuable experience on the new type.

Meanwhile, 51 OTU continued to operate its Blenheims. On 24 April, two of the aircraft suffered mishaps. In the first, a Sergeant Instructor with a Sergeant pupil-pilot and gunner were carrying out sodium flare landing practice when their aircraft landed too far along the runway. To avoid running off the end, the pilot swerved, careered across the flarepath and came to an ungainly rest just beyond it. A fire tender and ambulance were quickly on the scene, but there were no casualties and no fire broke out.

Later that same day, another Blenheim fell victim to a freak incident. After landing normally, its starboard engine suddenly burst into flames without warning. The crew quickly brought the aircraft to a halt and escaped, and once again the fire tender was quickly on the scene. However, while extinguishing the fire, chemical fluid used to douse the flames covered one of the crewmen, A/C Goodwin, who subsequently required treatment for his eyes. The situation was made more serious by the lack of a telephone for the medical officer.

Meanwhile, 613 Sqn’s problems on the airfield continued to develop. In a further attempt to ease the chronic storage problems, attention turned to the nearby Oakley Hunt kennels at Milton Ernest. The medical officer of No. 613 Squadron inspected the site with a view to commandeering it as a storage and motor transport (MT) maintenance facility.

Yet, like so many other efforts to solve the station’s difficulties, this promising solution quickly encountered another obstacle. Before the site could be used, the water supply from its well had to be tested. Sample bottles were obtained from RAF Halton, filled and dispatched for analysis. The results were deeply disappointing: the water was found to be contaminated by sewage and was therefore unfit for use. It was yet another setback in the seemingly endless struggle to turn Twinwood into a fully functioning and operational station.

For a short period in early May 1942, the weather improved and the crews of 613 Sqn made the best use of the opportunity. Aerobatics, formation flying, navigation exercises, combat flights and other training sorties quickly filled the better days.

Over the following weeks, the squadron collected more Mustangs, allowing an increasing number of training flights to be carried out.

It was midway through this period, on 11 June 1942, that Wing Commander Campbell-Voullaire arrived at Twinwood to form and take command of a new squadron, 169 Sqn. In preparation, a number of personnel were posted in to 613 Sqn as supernumeraries, ready to transfer directly to 169 Sqn when it became operational. Five unmodified Mustangs also arrived and awaited their new pilots.

Finally, at 00:01 hours on 15 June 1942, 169 Sqn officially came into being, and the personnel already posted in began to transfer across.

The following day, W. Cmdr. Campbell-Voullaire interviewed and addressed all the squadron personnel, explaining the reason for the squadron’s creation. He explained that, as soon as the Army invaded the continent, they would fly in support of the armoured divisions. Until then, he told them, each and every man should consider himself a member of the “fighting troops”, prepared to undertake whatever job was required. *⁵

Almost as soon as the squadron was formed, however, investigations began into the suitability of Doncaster as an alternative location for the unit. W. Cmdr. Campbell-Voullaire visited the airfield on several occasions over the following weeks to ascertain its suitability.

In the meantime, 169 Sqn continued to expand. The pilots and aircraft of ‘B’ Flight, 613 Sqn, formed the new ‘A’ Flight of 169 Sqn, while those personnel previously posted in formed its new ‘B’ Flight.

Over the next few days, additional vehicles arrived, along with two more unmodified Mustangs and a Tiger Moth. Tools and spares were less readily available however, and the ground crews had to rely on 613 Sqn for supplies. The unmodified Mustangs were essentially without radios, leaving their wireless operators with little to do. They were quickly attached to the squadron’s signals officer for further training.

With accommodation on the airfield now stretched even further, it was decided to billet the new crews of 169 Sqn at nearby Eastfield House. The food and bedding were considered ‘most satisfactory’, although the accommodation itself was somewhat overcrowded.

Living conditions at Twinwood remained an ongoing problem. The latrine arrangements had still not been fully resolved, and it was discovered that the contractor was emptying latrine buckets into the surrounding ground. An order was issued for this practice to cease, which it immediately did. On a more positive note, construction of more permanent accommodation was nearing completion, and some hopes were raised. While this offered hope for those stationed at Twinwood, it did little to relieve the immediate frustrations of crews still waiting for decent beds.

On 22 June, a further accident involving a 51 OTU Blenheim occurred. The aircraft, piloted by P.O. W. Gray, took off at 14:10 hours and crashed almost immediately, approximately two miles from the airfield. By the time the ambulance and crash team had arrived, P.O. Gray had climbed out of the Blenheim and had been given a lift to Bedford County Hospital, where he was admitted with injuries.

At 22:00 hours the following evening, No. 613 Squadron made history by carrying out its first night flight in the new Mustangs. Three pilots took off and completed the sortie without incident, marking another important milestone in the squadron’s transition to the new aircraft.

The achievement, however, was soon overshadowed by two events that tested the resilience of those at Twinwood. The first was relatively minor but nevertheless disruptive: the cameras being fitted to the Mustangs had been installed in an unsatisfactory position and had to be repositioned.

The second was a far greater tragedy. The body of AC2 R. Douglas was recovered from the River Ouse near Oakley Bridge, after he disappeared while bathing with colleagues. Despite efforts to find him, he had drowned, casting a sombre shadow over an already disappointing start.

At the end of June 1942, the many visits by 169 Sqn’s Wing Commander Campbell-Voullaire to the north, culminated in the movement of the squadron’s headquarters’ section to Doncaster. Fifty personnel went with them, leaving only a small detachment of aircraft and aircrew at Twinwood Farm. The move eased the pressure on accommodation slightly, but the problems faced by the station’s longstanding residents were by no means solved.

Throughout July, 613 Sqn carried out exercises with other squadrons at Sawbridgeworth, Snailwell, Castle Camps and Old Sarum. But the mood at Twinwood continued to deteriorate, with those remaining at the station now complaining on a regular basis.

This all came to a head on 7 July, when it was noted that the new huts intended exclusively for 613 Sqn had been completed. Yet officers, NCOs and junior ranks were still not allowed to use them, even though they stood just ten yards from where the men were currently sleeping. Much to the disapproval of the personnel, they were informed that they would have to wait until the entire site was completed before they could move into the new blocks.

If that wasn’t enough, the situation was then made worse by both the presence of the 169 Sqn detachment and an infestation of black beetles and earwigs in the old huts. Tempers began to fray.

169 Sqn was also experiencing problems of its own. On 4 July 1942, a crack was found in one of the hydraulic cylinders of a Mustang’s undercarriage during a routine inspection. As a result, all aircraft were grounded until remedial work could be carried out. However, the continuing shortage of spares and the tools needed to carry out the repairs did nothing to speed the process. The problem effectively nullified a new order to transfer all remaining aircraft and personnel to Doncaster.

Gradually, the necessary Mustang parts filtered through and repairs could be completed. Flights between Twinwood and the new station at Doncaster soon began and, before long, on 10 July, news arrived that fourteen fully modified Mustangs would soon be delivered to complement the unmodified aircraft already in use. Perhaps, at last, things were looking up for 169 Sqn.

As the situation appears to improve for 169 Sqn and those stationed at Twinwood, the future looks brighter. A new name and a new air force becomes linked to Twinwood and with it come new challenges.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

Trail 67- Northants and Bedfordshire Twinwood Farm (Part 1)

October 3, 2026September 13, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 1 Comment

In Trail 68 we continue our journey around Bedfordshire and its neighbour, Northamptonshire.

In this next leg of our journey, we travel a short distance to an airfield that despite its modest size and limited operational role, earned a unique place in the history of the Second World War.

It is an airfield that might have gone relatively unnoticed had it not been for one man. His legacy has endured in legend, but the circumstances surrounding his life have remained a perplexing mystery for historians ever since.

Today, parts of the airfield remain. The watch office is now a museum, while a few surviving buildings house displays covering both everyday life during the war and the history of the airfield itself. Other parts of the site have since been transformed into a popular music venue. Despite all this, much of the airfield’s history continues to remain relatively unknown.

In Trail 68, we delve into the history of the former RAF Twinwood Farm, an airfield whose story is far more intriguing than its modest appearance might suggest.

RAF Twinwood Farm

The 330-acre airfield of RAF Twinwood Farm is located four miles north of Bedford. It was a small airfield situated east of the River Ouse, on a plateau 275 feet above sea level. It shares the region with the former airfields at Thurleigh to the north, Little Staughton to the east and Poddington to the west. With other stations such as Tempsford and Grafton Underwood also nearby, it is a region rich in wartime history. In the post-war years, the airfields at Twinwood Farm, Thurleigh and Little Staughton would share an ambitious and promising future but ultimately the plans would come to nothing.

Over its history, Twinwood Farm has been known by several different names, reflecting changes in ownership, administration and local usage. During the Second World War, it initially served as RAF Twinwood Farm prior to receiving the title USAAF Station 506, officially designated by the Americans as Milton Ernest (Twinwood Farm) under Headquarters, VIII Air Force Service Command. It has also appeared in official documents and contemporary accounts as Twinwood Farm Aerodrome, RAF Station Twinwood Farm and Twinwoods, whilst in more recent years the site has become linked to Twinwood’s Business Park.

The watch office now a museum.

The name of the airfield was relatively unusual in itself, being one of the few that used a local farm as its namesake. Normally, RAF airfields took their names from the nearest village, aiming to avoid confusion with similarly named sites. American airfields, on the other hand, were given numbered designations to distinguish them from one another. To be named after a farm was therefore relatively unusual, sharing the honour with Mount Farm and Sutton’s Farm, perhaps two of the better-known examples.

The farm itself had its own history. Named Twin Wood Farm, it formed part of the Duke of Bedford’s Oakley Estate and was sold in 1918 as a large mixed farm of around 240 acres, with a modest farmhouse, extensive livestock and storage buildings, all supporting traditional agricultural methods. By the 1920s, it had been absorbed into the wider Quenby family farming unit, incorporating several other holdings. Valuation records of the period show an area of mixed building quality, with basic services and high rents, reflecting the economic pressures faced by large estate farms.

It was this land that would later be requisitioned by the Government for use as a military airfield – RAF Twinwood Farm.

The airfield was constructed by a number of different contractors, opening in the summer of 1941 under the control of No. 12 Group, Fighter Command. Initially, it served as a satellite airfield to RAF Cranfield in the defence of Bedford. As a minor airfield, it only had grass runways, which were later upgraded in 1942 to three hard runways. The main runway, running north-west to south-east, was 1,600 yards long; a secondary runway running south-west to north-east was 1,400 yards; whilst a third, running west to east was 1,100 yards long. All were the standard 50 yards wide. The runway foundations were constructed from concrete and topped with a mixture of wood and rubber chippings.

Storage and maintenance facilities were not as extensive as those found on larger airfields, but were typical of similar sites. There were just six blister hangars in which aircraft maintenance could be carried out, together with twenty-two hardstandings around the site. Accommodation was entirely temporary and could house up to 70 officers, 118 SNCOs and 740 other ranks. With accommodation for a further 150 WAAFs, the site was intended to house just over 1,000 personnel.

Accommodation for these personnel was provided across several dispersed sites, all located on the south-western side of the airfield. A mixture of hut designs was used, including the common Laing huts, some of which still exist today.

A view east over the airfield.

Operational life begins.

The operational life of Twinwood Farm began in the early months of 1941, when the airfield was used as a relief landing ground by No. 14 Service Flying Training School (formerly No. 14 Flying Training School), which had been formed at Kinloss in Scotland in April 1939. Although the unit operated a variety of aircraft types, including the Audax, Demon and Hind, and later larger aircraft such as the Anson and Oxford, its use of Twinwood was limited.

No. 14 SFTS moved out of Twinwood in August 1941 and was quickly replaced by No. 51 Operational Training Unit (OTU), which arrived on the 17th of that month. Whilst many other units would come and go, the OTU would remain as the primary user of Twinwood for the duration of the war.

Formed only a month earlier, No. 51 OTU was primarily based at RAF Debden in Essex, as part of No. 81 Group, Fighter Command, whose responsibility was to oversee the training units within the air force. The specific role of No. 51 OTU was to train pilots in night-time interception techniques, taking aircrew who had already completed their basic and advanced flying training and preparing them for operational service as night-fighter crews.

The majority of aircraft used for this specialised role were twin-engined types, initially Blenheims and Havocs, followed later by Beaufighters and Mosquitoes. Some of the crews trained in this way would likely go on to serve in the short-lived and ultimately unsuccessful Turbinlite squadrons elsewhere.

The OTUs were essentially the final stage in a progressive training system, where crews honed their skills before joining front-line squadrons. The focus was not simply on flying an aircraft, but on teaching crews the specialist skills required to perform their operational roles.

Night-fighter OTUs trained pilots and navigators, and later radar operators, in the use of Airborne Interception (AI) equipment. As night fighters, crews had to learn not only how to fly in darkness, but also how to operate in formation, use airborne radar, conduct air-to-air interceptions and carry out intruder operations. The latter involved flying over occupied territory to attack enemy aircraft as they landed or took off from their airfields, a tactic used to great advantage by both the allies and the Luftwaffe.

No. 51 OTU remained at Debden for only a short time before moving to Cranfield. While at Cranfield, a special Airborne Interception Conversion Flight was formed within the training unit. It would remain associated with the squadron for the remainder of the war and played an important role in the training of aircrew for the increasingly sophisticated night-fighter role.

The ‘Ops board’.

Cranfield, however, quickly proved to be too small, and it became apparent that another site was also needed to accommodate the increasing number of personnel and aircraft involved in the training programme. A satellite site was therefore sought. Although Twinwood was far from ideal, with only grass runways and relatively poor facilities, it featured as a strong contender. With pressure mounting, the site was quickly allocated to the unit, and development began.

By April 1942, the small satellite airfield had been provided with concrete runways, together with basic supporting facilities for aircraft maintenance, repairs and accommodation. It was during this period of development that No. 51 OTU moved in.

The importance of the work undertaken at Twinwood Farm cannot be understated, and to meet the growing demand for night-fighter and intruder expertise, another specialist training unit, No. 2 (Intruder) Squadron, operating within the OTU, transferred to Twinwood to carry out this role. The squadron continued in this way for just over a year before converting to the recently renumbered No. 60 OTU at High Ercall.

The demand for trained pilots was high. At Twinwood, the expectation was that around seven crews would complete the course each month, qualifying as intruder crews. By early 1943, this demand had increased further, with the number expected to pass through each month rising to sixteen. This placed an even greater demand on the instructors.*¹

No. 51 OTU would not have the airfield to itself however. Throughout this early period, a number of visiting units would use the site, many on a temporary basis while taking part in local and wider exercises.

On 30 September 1941, the first of these units arrived: two new squadrons that would use Twinwood as a temporary base. The first, 26 Sqn, stayed for just one day while transiting between RAF Barton Bendish in Norfolk and RAF Upwood in Cambridgeshire. ‘C’ Flight departed Barton Bendish at 08:30 hours, arriving at Twinwood at 13:00 hours. ‘A’ Flight arrived at about the same time, with the remainder of the squadron following at around 17:00 hours. To support the personnel, they brought rations with them from RAF Marham, Barton Bendish’s close neighbour.

The next day, the squadron’s Tomahawks operated out of Twinwood before moving on to RAF Upwood at around 18:30 hours. The air party left first, followed by the ground party, which transferred tools, tents and rations. A small section of the squadron remained at Twinwood until the following day, when they too departed heading directly for RAF Snailwell. Once, there, they re-joined the main body of the squadron, which had by then also moved on from Upwood.

Twinwood’s accommodation site.

The entire operation was a planned exercise designed to familiarise personnel with rapid changes in operational circumstances, something that was described by 26 Squadron’s Sqn. Ldr. Hadfield as “a great benefit to all”. *²

26 Sqn was an Army Co-operation unit and, in October, would perform ground-attack duties in France. However, the vulnerabilities of the Tomahawk were quickly exposed, its poor performance making it easy prey for faster Luftwaffe fighters. The squadron would soon replace these aircraft with the P-51 Mustang and would become the first unit to carry out Mustang operations over occupied France the following year. *³

Joining them, also via Barton Bendish, was another Army Co-operation unit, 268 Squadron, which had been carrying out ‘Bumper’ sorties over Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It left Barton Bendish at 08:00 hours, arriving at Twinwood some time later. Immediately upon arrival, the squadron began performing tactical reconnaissance duties, carrying out eighteen sorties on the first day and a further eleven on the second. By 18:00 hours on that second day however, it too had departed, moving with 26 Squadron to Snailwell.

Their short stay was marred by two accidents. Firstly, F.O. Morris landed with the undercarriage of his Tomahawk IIa in the up position. Secondly, F.O. Barlow taxied his aircraft into a fuel bowser. In both instances, severe damage was done to the aircraft, although neither pilot was injured.*⁴

Tomahawk Mark I, AH769 at Boscombe Down, before serving with No. 268 Squadron

In Part 2 of this trail, yet more personnel arrive at Twinwood and the conditions for those residing here worsen.

The full story of Twinwood Farm can be found in Trail 67.

August 23, 1944 The worst aircraft accident in the UK during WW2.

August 23, 2026August 18, 2025 / Aviationtrails / 13 Comments

During the Second World War, Britain’s landscape changed forever. The friendly invasion brought new life, new music, rationed items became sought after bounties and they were plentiful – if you knew an American. But this dramatic change in the British way of life could also be explosive and deadly.

Anyone living near to a wartime airfield knew only too well the risks of such a life. Aircraft could ground loop, collide in the air or suffer a major mechanical failure on take off, all of which could result in a massive explosion in a fully laden bomber. There are numerous recordings of such accidents occurring, and the brave attempts of crewmen trying to avoid local housing. One such crash was that of B-17 #42-39825, “Zenobia” which crashed on take off coming to rest in the nearby village of Deenethorpe. Luckily, the crew were able to escape and warn the locals of the impending danger, thus averting a catastrophe when the aircraft, fully laden with bombs and fuel, exploded twenty minutes later. The explosion was so fierce that it was heard nine miles away!

However, not everyone was as lucky, and on August 23rd 1944, Wartime Britain experienced what is considered its worst wartime air disaster. A disaster in which sixty-one people lost their lives when a USAAF aircraft from BAD2 at RAF Warton crashed into the adjacent village of Freckleton in Lancashire.

Warton, or BAD2 (Base Air Depot No. 2), was responsible for the modification and overhaul of US aircraft and engines when they arrived fresh from the United States. They were assembled, modified and transferred from here to front line operational airfields across the UK. A massive operation that began even before the United States had even entered the War.

Initially, Warton was built as a satellite for the RAF Coastal Command station at Blackpool, known at the time as Squires Gate Airfield, an airfield with a history going as far back as 1909. With many pleasure flights, air pageants and civil flights, it was eventually taken over and used for fighters and bombers of Coastal Command.

With many aircraft being shipped into the UK via the Atlantic during the early years of the war, the need for a site to build and then maintain them became evermore apparent and urgent. It was not long after the outbreak of war, that four such sites were earmarked for use by the USAAF as Air Depots, each one dealing solely with aircraft maintenance and refurbishment. The proposal, initiated by Lord Beaverbrook as early as October 1939, which then progressed through discussions between the American and the British Governments in 1941 , specified that these bases would need to be able to deal with large quantities of aircraft and be able to handle aircraft modifications at any stage of the assembly process. In October, these bases were identified by a consortium of American and British representatives, who selected: Warton, Little Staughton (Bedford), Burtonwood (Warrington) and Langford Lodge in Neagh, Northern Ireland, as the most suitable sites.

Warton would be massive, housing almost 16,000 people in over ten accommodation sites, which when compared to a normal Class A airfield of some 3,000 people, was an enormous conurbation. To be adaptable, the runway was strengthened and extended to match that of any wartime airfield, at almost 2,000 yards long, it could take any aircraft brought over from the United States. Along side this were a wide range of ancillary buildings: stores, maintenance sheds, office blocks, hangars, engine test sheds and fifty dispersal points. As the war progressed, Warton was extended further with the largest European storage shed and further hangars being added in 1944.

The entire site was completed in just nine months, using a combination of construction groups led by Frank Thomas; this included both Alfred McAlpine, and Wimpey, two of the largest airfield contractors at that time.

Station 582 of the US Eighth Air Force was opened August 1942, housing a small contingent of USAAF personnel. Officially handed over to the USAAF a year later, it now had some 5,000 personnel on its books already, all specially trained to handle the unique American aircraft being brought over from the United States.

Each base would specialise, Burtonwood in radial engines and the B-17, whilst Warton concentrated on in-line engines and B-24s. However, that did not mean that this was a ‘closed door’ operation, Warton would, over the period of the war, see every example of US built aircraft pass though its doors, and at its peek, held over 800 aircraft within its grounds.

Living near such a large and active base would bring many benefits, 700, children were given a Christmas party that lasted for a week, the locals were well provided for and money poured into the local economy. However being so close also brought it dangers. There were numerous accidents with parked aircraft being hit as other aircraft taxied past. There were also several crashes, including a North American P-51D-5-NA Mustang #44-13403 that crashed on June 12th, 1944, killing its pilot. The accident being caused by a catastrophic structural failure of the wing assembly. Another P-51D #44-14608 (310th Ferry Squadron, 27th Aircraft Transport Group) was involved in a landing accident at Warton, on October 5th, 1944. The pilot survived, but the aircraft was destroyed in the crash.

Then there was the P-51B-5 #43-6623 that crashed after taking off from Liverpool’s Speke airport, it was was subsequently taken to Warton where it was combined with other parts of P-51Bs that had been dropped on delivery. The new aircraft, aptly named ‘Spare parts‘, would then be used as an unarmed two-seater ferrying VIPs around, delivering small spare parts to the other airfields and collecting supplies of of whiskey from a distillery in Glasgow. The aircraft itself was lost in late 1944 when it experienced engine failure. The two crew bailed out and survived but the aircraft crashed coming to a rest at the bottom of the Irish Sea.

One of the more terrible accidents at Warton involved the collision of two Douglas A-26B-10-DT Invaders, on November 29th 1944, when #43-22298 collided in midair with #43-22336 over Warton Marsh. The crews’ bodies were removed from the site, but the aircraft remained buried in the silt until excavation in 2004. Both aircraft were then transferred to the RAF Millom Museum at Haverigg, Cumbria where they remained until its closure on 1st September 2010. With many of it exhibits being ‘on loan’, they were returned to their original owners whilst the rest were publicly auctioned off in January 2011. The fate of the two Invaders is unknown at the time of writing.

However, it was on Wednesday, August 23rd 1944, that Warton would be shocked by Britain’s worst wartime air disaster and the terrible events that would unfold that day.

Everything appeared normal that day as the workers at BAD 2 and the surrounding area awoke. The news was generally good, the war was heading in the right direction and victory for the allies appeared to be on the cards. There were high pressure zones to the east and west and low pressure to the north. The first 2 weeks of August were generally dry and warm with spells of sunshine. There had been a spell of warm weather that continued into the third week, with temperatures reaching as high as 28°C in the south. On the 23rd, early sunshine was expected to change to light rain later on, nothing that should have caused any significant problems to the experienced crews at Warton.

Early on that day, two routine test flights were booked by experienced pilots on newly refurbished Consolidated B-24 Liberators before they were sent out out to the 2nd Bomb Division. The first, piloted by First Lieutenant John Bloemendal, ‘Classy Chassis II‘, and the second piloted by First Lieutenant Peter Manassero.

After a delayed start, First Lt. Bloemendal and his two crewmen boarded the B-24, ran their ground checks and started the engines. They then departed on was was a routine test flight. Meanwhile, the second B-24 piloted by First Lt. Manassero also departed and both aircraft headed out from Warton. During this time a weather warning was passed to Warton tower informing them of an impending storm, the likes of which even the British had rarely seen. The notorious British weather had played a cruel joke. In seconds, the summer sky had turned jet black. Daylight had been all but wiped out, Heavy rain lashed the landscape, localised flash floods and unprecedented strong winds battered the Warton skyline. Locals reported seeing trees being uprooted and buildings being damaged such was the strength of the wind and lashing rain.

The tower issued an immediate warning to land the two aircraft. B-24 #42-50291 “Classy Chassis II“, was given clearance first, the second flown by First Lieutenant Manassero was to come in next. With visibility down to some 500 yards, the two aircraft approached the airfield in close formation, simply to keep in visual contact. Bloemendal lowered his undercarriage followed by Manassero. Bloemendal then began his approach, suddenly retracting his undercarriage informing Manassero he was going round again for another try. But by now, the weather had deteriorated so much that the tower was extremely concerned, and issued an order, to both aircraft, to withdraw from the circuit and abort landings, telling them to fly to the north to avoid the storm. Bloemendal never received the message.

By now contact had been lost between the two pilots, Manassero headed out of the circuit and flew out of harms way, Bloemendal on the other hand had already hit the ground, a massive fireball ensued. Eye witness accounts differed as to what the cause of the crash was, one witness said she saw lightning strike the aircraft at the wing root, “splitting the aircraft in two“, others say they saw the wings in a near vertical position as if the pilot was banking steeply to turn away.

The aircraft came down across Lytham Road, hitting the ‘Sad Sack Snack Bar’, purposefully built for the American servicemen of BAD 2. One of those in the cafe at that time was Douglas Batson, the brother of Sgt. Ronald Batson, who flew as front gunner on the Dams Raid in May 1943 as part of the Flt. Lt. Joe McCarthy crew*¹.

It then demolished three houses and the infant section of Freckleton’s Holy Trinity School, which at the time, was full of children between the ages of 4 and 6 who, along with their teachers, were going about their daily routine. The resultant crash led to a fireball, one that eventually took the lives of sixty-one people. Eighteen in the cafe, forty in the school and the three crewmen aboard “Classy Chassis II“. Many of these dying in the days that followed from severe burns as burning petrol engulfed the school before flowing into the street .

The crash was so devastating that at the inquest, only the School’s register could be used to identify some of the missing children whilst others were identified merely by parts of their clothing painfully presented to grieving parents. First Lieutenant John Bloemendal was only identified by the remains of his dog tags and wedding ring, the only married man aboard the aircraft.

The US servicemen from BAD2 were highly praised in the days that followed for their quick and brave response to the crash. Pulling away debris while the aircraft still burned, attempting to put out the fire and fighting to save whomever they could from the burning wreck that was once Freckleton village school.

The papers understandably ran the story for months and even years afterwards, as more and more information came to light. Some of the injured were so severely burned, they were read their last rights, whilst many had to have long term skin grafts, including some as part of McIndoe’s Guinea Pig Club.

From Lytham St. Annes, to London and New York, the story of Britain’s worst air disaster spread, putting good news from the front line into painful perspective. Whilst convalescing, young survivors were visited by Bing Crosby, who diverted from his tour of American airfields across the UK, to pay his respects. A small gesture to avert the grieving now felt across both sides of the ocean.

A mass funeral service took place in Freckleton on August 26th, the streets were lined with mourners as service personnel carried the many tiny coffins along in one mass parade. Afterwards, a fund was set up by the USAAF, and an area of land was developed into a playground as a lasting memorial to those lost in the accident. A tablet laid at the playground reads: “This playground presented to the children of Freckleton by their neighbours of Base Air Depot No. 2 USAAF in recognition and remembrance of their common loss in the disaster of August 23rd 1944”.

The inquest into the crash could not prove conclusively as to the cause of the crash. It states:

“The cause of this accident is unknown. It is the opinion of the Accident Investigating Committee that the crash resulted from pilot’s error in the judgement of the violence of the storm. The extent of the thunder-head was not great and he could have flown in perfect safety to the North and East of the field”.

It also states that a possible “rough air structural failure occurred“, although verification of this was impossible due to the total destruction of the aircraft’s structure.

freckleton 28 Aug 1944 funeral procession Photo Ralph Scott

Crowds line the street as US Servicemen carry the many coffins at Freckleton (Photo Ralph Scott, BAD2)

What did arise from the crash was that US service personnel who were trained in the bright blue skies of America, were unaccustomed to the changeable and fierce British weather. Many, like First Lieutenant Bloemenda, often under-estimating the dangers of these thunderstorms and as a result, training was amended to include warnings about such events.

With the eventual withdrawal of US forces from Warton, the memories of that day linger on, regular services are held at Frekleton in remembrance of those sixty-one lives who were all innocent victims of Britain’s worst air disaster of World War Two.

Sources and Further reading

*¹ For further information see “The Dambusters” Blog. (my thanks to Charles Foster for the information and link.)

There are many sites that cover this story, in particular I refer you to:

British Newspaper Archive website.

The Lancashire Aircraft Investigation Team Website which has many photographs pertaining to the crash and is well worth a visit.

BAD2 Blog

The Book “The Freckleton, England, Air Disaster” by James R. Hedtke, details the accident in depth giving eyewitness accounts, background details and transcripts of the conversations between pilots and the tower. It served as a valuable source of information for this post and is worth buying if interested in reading about this further.

Also, the book ‘Blood and Fears‘ by Kevin Wilson, (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) also briefly mentions accounts of the event. Again a good book should you wish to read further.

2nd Lieutenant John C. Morgan – Medal Of Honor

July 26, 2026May 31, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 8 Comments

On July 26th 1943, a dramatic and heroic act enabled not only the safe return of a badly damaged B-17, but also the majority of its crew, who no doubt, would have otherwise perished or at best, be captured and incarcerated. For his actions that day, the co-pilot, John C. Morgan Flight Officer (later 2nd Lt.) was awarded the highest military honour a US serviceman can receive – the Medal of Honor.

Born on August 24th, 1914 in Vernon, Wilbarger County, Texas, Morgan was the son of an attorney and the oldest of four children. At the age of 17 he graduated from Military school, going on to attend a number of further establishments including: the Amarillo College, the New Mexico Military Institute, a teacher college and a university, both in his home state Texas. In 1934 he learned to fly, a passion that would shape his future.

Lieutenant John C “Red” Morgan of the 482nd Bomb Group with a B-17 Flying Fortress. (IWM FRE 2007)

After leaving education early , Morgan moved to Fiji where he worked on a plantation growing pineapples, staying there for four years until 1938. Still wanting to fly, he returned to the United States aboard the liner S.S.Monterey, where upon he tried to enlist in the US Army Air Corps. However, the Air Corps considered his education to be too poor, and so he was refused entry. With little alternative, Morgan sought employment in the booming Texas oil fields instead. A vast desert of oil pumps, Texas’ rich oil fields had begun what became known as the ‘Usher age’ – the start of the great period of oil.

In December 1939, Morgan married Margaret Maples in Oklahoma City, sadly though, the marriage would last just seventeen months. The cause of the demise of the union is not known, but it was whilst working in the oil fields that Morgan sustained a broken neck, an industrial accident that would potentially end all future prospects of work.

With his opportunities now restricted, in 1940, he attempted to join the US Army, and unsurprisingly was classified as medically unqualified for military service (graded ‘4-F’). Undeterred though, Morgan then tried an alternative route, enlisting in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) on August 4th, 1941. Somehow, Morgan manged to pass his medical gaining his place within the armed forces of Canada. Training at Saskatchewan and Ontario, he soon transferred to England and the instructor training site RAF Church Lawford. Following a spell with the RAF, Morgan was awarded the rank of Flight Officer, a status he took with him on his transfer in March 1943 to the fledgling USAAF.

His initial posting would be flying in B-17s with the 92nd Bomb Group’s 326th Bomb Squadron, based at RAF Alconbury. The 92nd had only been activated a year earlier initially flying anti-submarine operations off the US coast. After moving to England in July\August, they carried out minor operations before taking on the training of replacement bomber crews. Major operations for the 92nd didn’t begin in earnest until the May 1943.

On his fifth mission, two months later, on July 26th 1943, John C. Morgan (s/n: O-2044877) would be co-pilot in B-17F 42-29802 ‘Ruthie II’. The aircraft, one of nineteen from the 92nd, was one of sixty from the 1st Bombardment Wing heading for the tyre plant at Hanover, when a canon shell ripped through the windscreen splitting the pilots head. The B-17 also suffered damage, the oxygen system to the tail, radio and waist gun positions was now inoperable. In the relentless attack that followed, the top turret gunner lost the use of both of his arms, one being completely shot off, as well as major injuries to his side; the intercom system was put out of action and several crew members had lost consciousness due to the lack of Oxygen.

Luftwaffe aircraft repeated their attacks, causing extensive injury and further damage to the B-17. The navigator, Keith Koske, tried in vain to assist the stricken top turret gunner, but in desperation, attached his parachute and pushed him out of the aircraft. Thankfully it worked, the gunner somehow survived the descent and was cared for by German surgeons until being repatriated n 1944.

Morgan meanwhile grappled with the severely wounded pilot, 1st Lt. Robert Campbell, who had by now wrapped his arms around the controls, to try and maintain level flight. Morgan, taking control, decided the protection of the formation was better than heading for home alone, and so for the next two hours he flew on holding the pilot back with one hand whilst steering with the other. Eventually, after completing the bomb run, the navigator came forward and gave assistance allowing the aircraft to reach the safety of England and RAF Foulsham. Sadly, 1st Lt. Robert Campbell died from his terrible injuries shortly after the severely damaged B-17 landed at Foulsham .

For his actions that day, Morgan received the Medal of Honor in the following December. The ceremony was presided over by Lt. General Ira C. Eaker. Morgan’s citation read*¹:

“The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to Second Lieutenant (Air Corps) John Cary “Red” Morgan (ASN: 0-2044877), United States Army Air Forces, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, while serving with the 326th Bombardment Squadron, 92d Bombardment Group (H), Eighth Air Force, participating on a bombing mission over enemy-occupied continental Europe, 28 July 1943. Prior to reaching the German coast on the way to the target, the B-17 airplane in which 2d Lt. Morgan was serving as copilot was attacked by a large force of enemy fighters, during which the oxygen system to the tail, waist, and radio gun positions was knocked out. A frontal attack placed a cannon shell through the windshield, totally shattering it, and the pilot’s skull was split open by a .303-caliber shell, leaving him in a crazed condition. The pilot fell over the steering wheel, tightly clamping his arms around it. Second Lt. Morgan at once grasped the controls from his side and, by sheer strength, pulled the airplane back into formation despite the frantic struggles of the semiconscious pilot. The interphone had been destroyed, rendering it impossible to call for help. At this time the top turret gunner fell to the floor and down through the hatch with his arms shot off at the shoulder and a gaping wound in his side. The waist, tail, and radio gunners had lost consciousness from lack of oxygen and, hearing no fire from their guns, the copilot believed they had bailed out. The wounded pilot still offered desperate resistance in his crazed attempts to fly the airplane. There remained the prospect of flying to and over the target and back to a friendly base wholly unassisted. In the face of this desperate situation, 2d Lt. Morgan made his decision to continue the flight and protect any members of the crew who might still be in the ship and for two hours he flew in formation with one hand at the controls and the other holding off the struggling pilot before the navigator entered the steering compartment and relieved the situation. The miraculous and heroic performance of 2d Lt. Morgan on this occasion resulted in the successful completion of a vital bombing mission and the safe return of his airplane and crew.”

(Whilst his citation notes July 28th as the day of Morgan’s action, the Hanover raid actually took place on July 26th and the citation is an error.)

Morgan receives the MOH from Lt. General Ira C. Eaker (IWM UPL 29867)

Morgan then returned to duty, undertaking further operations in a bomber over occupied Europe.

On March 6th 1944, Morgan would once again find himself in the thick of a heavy and prolonged battle over Germany. Flying withing a formation of 262 1st Bomb Division aircraft, it would prove to be another decisive day.

Morgan’s B-17. 42-3491 ‘Chopstick’, was flying with the 812nd BS, 482nd BG from Alconbury, when the aircraft was hit by flak over Berlin. The aircraft, which had been fitted with H2X , caught fire and exploded. Only four crew members were able to escape the fireball, Morgan amongst them. Once on the ground, their safety was by no means ensured, and very soon all four were captured by German ground forces. Morgan himself was incarcerated in Stalag Luft I for the next fourteen months. The remainder of the crew on board all perished.

For his actions and continued dedication to the Air Force, Morgan was rewarded with a promotion to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant, a move that occurred in September 1944.

It is believed that this event made Morgan (who was now on his twentieth-sixth mission) the only known Medal of Honor recipient, to have been captured after receiving the Medal.

42-3491 ‘Chopstick’ with Morgan on board. This plane is one of the original twelve H2X radar equipped pathfinders. Hit by 88mm flack near Berlin on 6th March 1944, the No.3 engine caught fire setting fire to the wing, causing the aircraft to explode and crash near Lake Havel, Berlin. The plane was the lead bomber and Colonel Russell Alger Wilson, Commander of the 4th Bomb Wing, was onboard as Combat Leader. Wilson was one of the those killed in the explosion. (@IWM UPL 29865).

After the war Morgan remained in the new reformed air force, the USAF, serving in Korea until his retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1953.

On January 17th, 1991 Morgan passed away, being was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Section 59; Site 351.

The incredible story of Morgan’s bravery would form a part of the story line in the book and movie Twelve O’Clock High when at the beginning, Lt. Jesse Bishop’s B-17 belly lands with a badly injured crew. (08:00 – 14:05).

Sources and further reading.

*¹ The Congregational Medal of Honor website.

92nd BG website

B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies website

Arlington National Cemetery website

B-17 Crash Beachamwell – January 2nd 1945

July 11, 2026July 2, 2026 / Aviationtrails / 2 Comments

On January 2nd 1945, the skies over Norfolk resonated once again with the sound of a crashing aircraft, when B-17 42-32112 of the 337th BS/96th BG based at Snetterton Heath crashed whilst forming up over Beachamwell a stone’s throw east of RAF Downham Market and ten miles north of its base.

The aircraft, a Boeing B-17G-35-BO was delivered to Cheyenne Airport from Modification Centre 10 on 2th January 1944, and then passed to Hunter Air Force Base the following month. After passing through Presque Island on March 6th it was assigned to 337th BS, 96th BG as “AW-F” then based at Snetterton Heath (Station 138) England.*¹

Its history was full of drama. On the 1st October 1944, it was carrying out a training operation with another B-17G 44-6137 ‘The Abortion Queen (AW-J) also of the 337th BS and a P-47D Thunderbolt 42-25690 (WZ-U) ‘Lady Helen’ of the 84th FS, 78th FG, RAF Duxford. During the manoeuvres, the P-47 would make mock attacks on the two aircraft allowing the gunners to train under simulated combat conditions. After completing the operation, the P-47 pulled alongside the two aircraft but misjudged his position and collided with the two B-17s.

The P-47, severely damaged, crashed in a filed near to the church in Grinstead Green, Halstead, Essex, killing the pilot who reportedly veered away from the church at the last minute. The two B-17s both landed without injury to either crew.

Then later, on 2nd January 1945, the B-17 was was again in action, this time forming up over Norfolk as part of a massive 1,000 bomber raid consisting of B-24s and B17s from each of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions, escorted by 500 P-51s and P47s of the same Divisions. The 96th were ordered to attack Erhang, Germany.

As the 41 aircraft of the 96th gathered and jostled for position in the Norfolk skies, B-17 42-32112 collided with another aircraft causing it to fall from the sky, crashing ten miles north of the base over Beachamwell, not far from Downham Market, Norfolk, with the loss of all on board.

The nine crew that day were: Pilot: 2nd Lt. Joseph H. Miller, Co-pilot: James P. Thoeness, Navigator: Robert I. Drum, Togglier: Raymond F. Freidmann, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Sgt. Stephen Duhon, Radio Operator: Tech. Sgt. Leon R. Grabill, Ball turret gunner: S. Sgt. James J. Flaherty, Waist gunner: S. Sgt. Donald E. Willgus, and Tail gunner: S.Sgt. William E. Parton*².

It was the only aircraft lost by the squadron that day and was later salvaged.

The full story of RAF Downham Market appears in Trail 7, and the history of Snetterton Heath appears in Trail 27.

Sources:

*¹ Freeman. R., The B-17 Flying Fortress Story. Arms and Armour, 1998

*² American Air Museum website. accessed 4.6.2026

The 96th BG Association website accessed 10/6/2026