On Sunday July 30th 1944, Lancaster PB304 from 106 Squadron RAF Metheringham in Lincolnshire, crashed with the loss of all on board, along with two civilians, in Salford Greater Manchester.
Lancaster PB304, was a MK.III Lancaster based at RAF Metheringham in Lincolnshire, flying under the squadron code ZN-S. It was tasked to attack enemy strong points at Cahagnes in the Normandy battle zone following the Allied invasion in June.
The early briefing at 04:00 was not a welcome one, many men having been out the night before following a stand down order due to bad weather and heavy rain over the last two days. On board that day was: F/L. Peter Lines (Pilot); Sgt. Raymond Barnes (Flt. Eng.); F/O. Harry Reid RCAF (Nav.); F/O. John Harvey Steel (Air Bomber); Sgt. Arthur William Young (W.O/Gunner); Sgt. John Bruce Thornley Davenport (Mid-Upper Gunner) and Sgt. Mohand Singh (Rear Gunner)*1.
The operation, code-named Operation Bluecoat, would involve attacking six specific targets, each one identified to assist a forthcoming offensive by British land forces in the Normandy area.
After all the ground checks were completed and the signal given to depart, PB304 began the long taxi to the runway, take off was recorded as 05:55, but it is thought that this was ten minutes early with the first aircraft (ND682) departing at 06:05. Once in the air, the aircraft formed up alongside twenty other 106 Sqn aircraft, meeting with a smaller formation from 83 Sqn at Coningsby before joining the main formation.
The weather remained poor with heavy cloud blanketing the sky between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, as the 183 Lancasters from No. 5 Group and one Mosquito headed south toward the Normandy coast.
With further poor weather ahead, signals were beginning to come through to abandon the mission and return to base, but communication between aircraft was garbled and difficult to understand, it may have been as a result of German interference broadcasting messages over that of the master bomber. The order to abort finally came through just after 08:00 even though some of the formation had released bombs on target indicators (TI) dropped by the Pathfinders. Smoke was by now mixing with the low cloud causing more confusion and difficulty in identifying the primary targets. Not all aircraft understood the message however, and many continued circling in the skies above Cahagnes. To make a difficult situation even worse, there was by now, an approaching formation of over 450 American A-20s and B-26s along with just short of 260 P-51 and P-47 escorts on their way to France; the sky was full of aircraft in thick cloud and was an accident waiting to happen.
Difficult communication continued, some aircraft were seen disposing of their bomb loads over the Channel, whilst others retained them. Various courses were set for home, but with many airfields closed in by low cloud, alternatives were gong to be needed and alternative courses were issued to the returning bombers of each squadron.
106 Sqn were ordered to fly north along the western coast, passing over Pershore and on to Harwarden near Chester, before turning for home. The messages coming through continued to be misheard or misunderstood with several aircraft landing at either Pershore, Harwarden or Squires Gate at Blackpool. Gradually all aircraft managed to land, whether at home at Metheringham or at away airfields. Patiently the Metheringham staff waited, nothing had been heard from PB304 and they could not be contacted on the radio, something was wrong.
Precise details of the accident are sketchy, but an aircraft was seen flying low and in some difficulty. It passed low over Prestwich on the northern edges of Manchester, where it was later seen engulfed in flames. It twice passed over a playing field, where some suspect F/L. Lines was trying to make a crash landing, but this has not been confirmed. At some time around 10:10 -10:15 the aircraft came down resulting in a massive explosion, a full bomb load and fuel reserves igniting on impact. Many houses were damaged in the explosion with one being completely demolished.
As a result of the accident, all seven of the crew were killed along with two civilians, Lucy Bamford and George Morris, as well as, what is believed to be, over 100 others being injured all to varying degrees.
PB304 was the only aircraft lost that night, in a mission that perhaps with hindsight, should not have taken place. The poor weather and difficult communication playing their own part in the terrible accident in Salford on July 30th 1944.
The Memorial at Metheringham pays tribute to all those who flew with 106 Sqn.
Notes and Further Reading.
*1 Operational Record Book AIR 27/834/14 notes Sgt. Young as Sgt. A.L. Young.
A book written by Joseph Bamford the Grandson of Lucy who was killed that night, was published in 1996. “The Salford Lancaster” gives excellent details of the crew, the mission and the aftermath of the accident, published by Pen and Sword, it is certainly worth a read for those interested in knowing more about the incident.
Carter. K.C., & Mueller. R., “Combat Chronology 1941-1945“, Centre for Air Force History, Washington D.C.
Freeman. R., “Mighty Eighth War Diary“, Jane’s Publishing. 1980
The memorial, located outside of Bexwell church, opposite what was the entrance to RAF Downham Market (Bexwell) was updated and officially rededicated on Sunday 8th July 2023.
It commemorates two pilots who were posthumously awarded the VC both whilst serving at the airfield during the Second World War.
Both Flt. Sgt. Arthur Louis Aaron, (218 Squadron) and Sqn. Ldr. Ian Willoughby Bazalgette (635 Squadron) lost their lives in heroic attempts to save not only their injured crew but also the aircraft in which they were flying. The awards were given posthumously following their deaths, a year apart, on 12th August 1943 and August 4th, 1944 respectively.
Up until now, a small memorial has been on the site commemorating the heroic action of both men, but on Sunday, a new memorial was unveiled which is far more befitting not only of the two men, but all those who served at the airfield during those dark days of World War II.
The memorial, in steel, stands at around six feet in height and shows not only the two VCs but the types of aircraft flown (Stirling, Lancaster and Mosquito) by the six squadrons who operated from RAF Downham Market along with their relative squadron codes.
Each symbol is cut out of the steel which (intentionally or not) allows the sun to shine through casting an image on the ground. The creator, Jonathan Horton, also made a series of steel silhouettes of the different aircraft, these were placed in the ground to appear as if flying toward the memorial.
Designer Johnathon Horton with the memorial.
The service opened at 02:30hrs, and was well attended by various military dignitaries from nearby RAF Marham, and the RAAF, also with representatives from the Royal Air Force Association, a local village spokeswomen and members of the community who helped organise the memorial as well as a former Mosquito pilot Flt. Lt. Colin Bell DFC, AE now 102 years old.
The new memorial with Station Commander Grp. Cpn. Frederick Wigglesworth (right) and Colin Bell DFC AE (left)
Words of prayer were said by Reverend (Wg CDR) Eddie Wynn, the blessing by Reverend Nigel Moat, words from Grp. Cpn. Frederick Wigglesworth (station Commander RAF Marham) and a bible reading from Air Commodore Steve Thornber CBE RAFR. Sadly a fly past by the BBMF Spitfire didn’t happen.
Two hymns were sung: O God, our help in ages past and The Airman’s hymn, with the National Anthem closing the ceremony.
The new memorial uses the original memorial rearranged in a new setting and attached to the new memorial rather than on a pedestal as before. The Pathfinder Moto ‘Strike Hard Strike Sure’ is also cut down the flanks of the sheet, further reflecting the work carried at Downham Market.
The updated board from the original memorial.
The memorial can be found outside of Bexwell Church opposite what is the former technical area of RAF Downham Market. Grid Reference TF 63142 03460, Post Code PE38 9LZ
Kermit D. Wooldridge’s future looked dim as a teenager. The troubled youngster was described as truant, incorrigible, and a run-away. He dropped out of high-school. Born to deaf-mute parents who could not control him, he was raised by an uncle in Lubbock and Abernathy, Texas.
Bored and headed for trouble, on July 12, 1934, Kermit Wooldridge, age 17, joined the US Army. No one would have predicted that a few years later he would find himself in the midst of the most important war America would ever fight. It was unimaginable that he would pilot the formidable four-engine heavy bomber – the B-17 Flying Fortress.
Enlisted man Wooldridge – with a GED in one hand and a forged document of parental permission in the other – would soon be whipped into shape by the United States Army.
Private Wooldridge spent five years with the 7th Cavalry, Ft. Bliss, Texas. In 1939, Corporal Wooldridge was transferred to the Hawaiian Coast Artillery Corps.
K.D. Wooldridge in his B-17
Life for Wooldridge changed on Dec. 7, 1941. The bombing of Pearl Harbor heightened urgency for pilots in our woefully inadequate Army Air Corps (now the USAAF.) Two weeks later, Dec. 24, 1941, Kermit Wooldridge was commissioned a 2nd Lt. – appointed on a temporary basis for “the duration of the present emergency.” On that day, the now disciplined, military-indoctrinated “Woody” Wooldridge began pilot training, initially in twin engines, and later in the B-17 four engine bomber.
Looking at his military records, the amount of time to learn to fly an aircraft in wartime was greatly abbreviated. Pilots and airmen were needed – and fast. Air schools and fields were authorised. Wooldridge’s military records show he began intensive pilot training Dec, 24, 1941 (200 hrs flight time) for one year. Training in the B-17 followed – completed in fewer than six months.
Pilot Wooldridge (L) and His Crew Beside their B-17
On June 9, 1943, with eighteen months flight training total (495 hrs flight time) Wooldridge – along with thousands of other eager airmen – would land at Kimbolton Airfield, England. On June 29, 1943, he would fly his first mission of the war – the bombing of Paris.
The transformation of a truant high school dropout was well on its way.
At Kimbolton Airfield, 2nd Lt. Wooldridge, 379th Bomb Group, 525th Bomb Squad, who formerly scorned the written word, began a chronicle of each of his 25 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. Returning from each mission, pilot K.D. Wooldridge typed on small diary pages his recollection of that day’s work – targets bombed, engagements with Nazi fighters, planes being shot down, crippling damage to his own bombers and horrible loss of life.
His written work, “Personal Diary of Kermit. D. Wooldridge, Combat Raids Commencing June 29, 1943” was dedicated to his wife Marjorie Wooldridge with these chilling words:
“IN CASE I DON’T MAKE IT BACK ONE OF THESE DAYS.”
To Be Sent To My Wife
Wooldridge’s diary
Original Crew List of Wooldridge’s B-17
The missions were from June 29 to December 13, 1943.
Kermit Wooldridge would return home to the United States and his wife, where I would be born in November, 1944. Wooldridge would spend 25 years in the Army, retiring a Lt. Colonel in 1958. He and his my mother would raise four children.
Lt. Wooldridge, After Last Raid on December 13 1943
It was only after retirement from the Army that the wayward young man who wrote of the horrors of war as a 26 year-old, would then go to college and begin a second career as a math teacher.
After his death in 1994, my mother gave me the diary and asked me to do something with it one day. I did not read it until many years after his death. His story is not unique – my dad was an ordinary man, who along with his crews, was put into extraordinary circumstances. They all acted heroically, but would not like to be called heroes.
Over one-third of the B-17s over WWII Europe were lost.
I donated my father’s diary to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
“Today we took off with a load of three 1000’ demos and a load of incendiaries. Our target the ball bearing plant at Schweinfurt, Germany. We had been briefed several times for this target and we knew it was going to be rough. It turned out to be the roughest ride that I ever hope to see…… we dropped our bombs OK and turned away from the target and ran right into the whole German air force….they were coming through the group in droves and shooting all the way. One FW190 rammed my right-wing man head on. They both went down in flames. They kept coming in groups of five and ten at the formation and in less than five minutes five of the seven ships in the squadron that I was leading had been shot down.
Well I and the other ship joined another squadron that had only four ships left. For the next hour and a half the fighters kept hammering at us. I was really doing violent evasive action to make them miss. My ball turret gunner asked me if I thought I was flying a P-38. Well frankly I was giving her all she could take but still had no hope of making it back…we were near out of gas and it was time to do something if it was wrong….when the altimeter got down to an indicated 200 ‘ above the ground I started praying. One of the many that I had said today. When the reading was low (80 feet) the navigator said he saw a row of lights ahead. Sure enough there was a field about half a mile ahead. We went straight in and landed for we were too low to make much of a turn.
About half of our tail was shot off and the wings and fuselage were full of holes. The crew was O.K.”
News cutting showing Wooldridge’s return from War.
This post was written by Frances Bekafigo, the daughter of Kermit D. Wooldridge. My gratitude goes to her for allowing me to share these most personal details. She regularly posts extracts from the diary on Twitter @FrancesBekafigo and the full diary can be found on her website at sites.google.com/view/wooldridge-diary-wwii-pilot/home
This is an excellent recount of the life of a young B17 Pilot and is well worth a read.
D-Day began many months if not years ahead of June 6th 1944. That day was to become famous as the biggest, most important day in the Second World War.
As the world’s largest amphibious assault force assembled along the South Coast of England, thousands of aircrew prepared for what was to be the most incredible night of their lives.
Across the Midland Counties, American ground crews prepared their fighters and paratrooper aircraft. Along southern England, the same scene was being played out. RAF crews too prepared Stirlings, Lancasters and Horsa gliders; fighter groups were briefed and paratroopers readied their gear. The invasion was on!
Flying an operation of this magnitude was going to require guts, daring and precision flying. There was little room for error.
In the lead up to June 6th, the RAF and USAAF had been bombing prime targets across Northern France to soften up the defending Germans. Supply lines were severed and gun emplacements destroyed. Beachhead bunkers had been heavily targeted, and supporting artillery further inland, hit hard.
In the air, fighters had been downing the Luftwaffe in an effort to gain vital air superiority over the drop zones.
At home, huge attempts were made to keep the plans and preparations as secret as possible. An intricate operation of deception was being played out; dummy airfields were built, camps and troop movements were hidden under cover and concealed in forests.
At an airfield in Norfolk, the day was to begin very badly for one particular young pilot. He was 1st Lt. Robert C. Frascotti of Milford, Massachusetts.
In the days leading up to D-Day at RAF Bodney (USAAF Station 141), the 352nd FG had been flying intruder missions over France, attacking ground targets and completing air superiority missions. P-51s were rapidly being prepared, and the growth of black and white stripes adorning aircraft, hinted of an imminent invasion.
In the late hours of June 5th, the P-51s were being fueled up and armed, ready for an early morning takeoff. The weather was not at its best and a low mist shrouded the airfield reducing visibility. The mission ahead was to support the troops landing on the Normandy beaches.
At 02:30, the pilots climbed in, fastened their belts and awaited the signal to launch D-Day. First to leave were the 486th FS. To help with the takeoff, temporary lights were placed along the runway, guiding the aircraft safely out of harm’s way into the night sky. One of these aircraft, unfortunately struck the lights knocking them out and plunging the airfield into darkness once more. Lining up behind them were the second flight of the 486th, including Frascotti’s P-51.
When lining up, the flight were unaware that they were off centre. Frascotti and his wingman, Lt. Carlton “Bud” Fuhrman, accelerated away and raced down the runway. Fuhrman watched Frascotti to his left when suddenly there was a massive fireball. Thinking someone had dropped their external fuel tanks, Fuhrman pulled up sharply and pushed on through the flames hoping his engine would not falter resulting in him crashing into the raging fire below. Momentarily blinded by the now total darkness, Fuhrman, pushed the stick forward and fought against the impending stall. Eventually his sight returned and he was able to read his instruments once more. Looking back, he could see Frascotti’s fully fueled plane engulfed in fire with no hope of an escape. Frascotti died instantly. The accident report filed after Frascotti’s death stated that an inadequately lit tower along with poor weather and high levels of traffic had caused him to inadvertently strike the unfinished new control tower at Bodney resulting in the ignition of his fuel. Tragically, Frascotti died instantly, and the aircraft was a total loss.
Frascotti’s plane, a blue nosed P-51B-5 Mustang, 43-6685 was named ‘Umbriago‘. In Italian, ‘umbriago’ means ‘drunk’. Frascotti could have named his plane for that reason, but it could also be he was referring to the World War II-era song of 1944, “Umbriago”by Jimmy Durante about a fabled friend of the same name. The song lyrics end with,“So when you feel low, better send for my friend, Umbriago.”
At a mere 21 years of age, 1st Lt. Robert C. Frascotti had many tributes written about him. There was one benefit of his tragic accident: the following aircraft now had a ‘guiding light’ by which they could safely takeoff and leave for Normandy.
Frascotti was born on February 13, 1923 into a very close-knit and patriotic family in Milford, Massachusetts. (His father fought in World War I where he was gassed). Frascotti was awarded his pilot wings in Marianna, Florida on March 25, 1943, then completed advanced fighter training before deploying to England in March 1944. He joined the 486th FS of the 352nd FG, otherwise known as ‘The Blue Nosed Bastards of Bodney”.
1st Lt. Donald “Red” Whinnem of Hartford, Connecticut, was best friends with Frascotti since the early days of flight school. On D-Day at Bodney, “Red” took off without incident and flew for sixteen hours, returning to discover the tragedy that had occurred. “Red” says of his friend, “Bob was the nicest guy you would ever want to know, and a great athlete as well. He could stir up laughter anywhere he went, and he was great fun to be with. Bob would sing a song or tell a story and cheer everyone up. You couldn’t ask for a better friend, and he was closer than a brother to me.”
During his service, Frascotti was credited with the destruction of two enemy aircraft on the ground whilst strafing enemy airfields. On D-Day, he departed for his 89th mission. This was to be his last mission of the war as he was due to return to the States leaving conflict behind him. Sadly, he never made that journey home to Massachusetts until many years later.
Initially, Frascotti was buried in England. His remains were eventually taken back to Massachusetts in 1948 after his next of kin had his body exhumed, and he now lies in the Sacred Heart Cemetery, in Milford. Lt. Robert C. Frascotti VFW Post 1544 in his hometown, now bears his name, and on December 6, 2013, as part of the annual “Wreaths Across the Worcester and Norfolk District”, a group of local veterans, families and friends, laid a holiday wreath at Calzone Park in Milford to remember the fallen veterans of the area, including Frascotti. Since the war, every year until his death in 1998, 1st Lt. Donald “Red” Whinnem travelled to Frascotti’s grave in Milford to pay his respects and remember his wartime friend.
Fly-pasts and tributes continue to be paid for Frascotti, in both the United States and here at RAF Bodney, Norfolk. 1st Lt. Robert C. Frascotti will long be remembered for his brave sacrifice, and we that are here, are honored to continue to tell his story.
As for RAF Bodney, the airfield is now an Army training camp and part of the Stanford Training Area (STANTA) in Thetford Forest. Little remains of the airfield today but the history held within its decaying walls will long live on.
Robert Frascotti next to his P-51B, 43-6685, named ‘Umbriago’ . At 21 years of age he was killed on his final mission before returning home. (Photo – Marc Hamel)
Born in New Delhi in 1922, Flying Officer Leslie Thomas Manser, (66542) posthumously earned himself the Victoria Cross for an act of bravery in his Avro Manchester, over Cologne on the night of May 30th, 1942.
Flying Officer Leslie Manser VC. (RAFVR) 50 Squadron – Royal Air Force
As a young child, he moved with his family to Radlett, Hertfordshire, England, was educated at St. Faith’s, Cambridge and Cox’s House Aldenham, Hertfordshire. Following this, he decided to join the Armed Forces. Attempts to enlist in both the Army and Royal Navy were unsuccessful, however, in August 1940, he approached the Royal Air Force and was quickly accepted.
Manser was commissioned as a pilot officer in May the following year and after further training, was posted on 27th August to 50 Sqn at RAF Swinderby, Lincolnshire, operating Hampdens.
His first experience of war, came very quickly. As a copilot, he was to join over 100 other aircraft in the Frankfurt raid only two days after his arrival. Further action saw him fly over prestigious targets such as Berlin, Hamburg and Karlsruhe before being posted twice to Finningly and then back to Swinderby, this time as an instructor.
Following a brief service with No. 420 (R.C.A.F.) Sqn, again on Hampdens, Manser returned to 50 Sqn, this time operating from Skellingthorpe, Lincolnshire. It was here that he experienced for the first time, the ill-liked Heavy Bomber, the Avro Manchester. Manser flew a number of missions on this type including a leaflet drop over occupied Paris on April 8th. His skill as a pilot soon earned him promotion to the rank of Flying Officer just five days before his 20th birthday on May 6th 1944.
With high losses and increasing ‘failures’, bomber command was coming in for its own criticism and despite some success, Harris was making enemies at home as well as overseas. It was now that he created his master plan “The Thousand Plan” code named ‘Operation Millennium’. This would involve over 1,000 British bombers, attacking one major German city in a single night. Churchill, impressed with the idea, gave Harris full support and the wheels of Operation Millennium were put in motion. Aircraft and crews were pulled from every available source, many being taken from training units where crews were only partially trained and inexperienced.
Orders were finalised on 26th May, and an initial date for the attack set for the night of the 27/28th May, the target would be Bremen. However, continued unfavourable weather conditions made Harris’s first choice unsuitable and then at midday on the 30th May, 1942, Harris issued the order to strike, that night, against his second choice of target – Cologne.
The immense armada, which consisted of: Whitleys, Wellingtons and Hampdens, Stirlings, Halifaxes, Manchesters and Lancasters made up a force of 1,046 bomber aircraft along with an assortment of night fighters in support.
On the morning of 30th, Manser and another pilot were instructed to collect two Manchesters from Coningsby, Lincolnshire. As many of these aircraft were drawn from reserves and training squadrons, it was inevitable that many would be in poor condition. Manser’s was no exception, it had no mid upper turret and a sealed escape hatch.
When the order came and Manser took off, his aircraft L7301 ‘D’ Dog, an Avro Manchester Mk1, with a full bomb load of incendiaries, was now difficult to manoeuvre and he was unable to reach an altitude of more than about 7,000 ft. Hoping the main bomber force would attract the greater concentration of flak, he decided to continue on.
They soon arrived over the target area and being lower, they were subjected to an immense barrage of anti-aircraft fire. Many of these shells struck the aircraft causing fires within the fuselage and the port engine. Careful nursing and a cool head by Manser, enabled them to eventually extinguish the fire which had now spread along the entire wing.
Struggling to maintain any height and keep the aircraft airborne, the crew threw out whatever they could to lighten the load. with little power, the aircraft lost considerable height and Manser finally ordered the crew to bail out. Knowing his crew would not survive jumping as the aircraft swung and moved awkwardly, he fought to maintain level flight for as long as possible. Refusing his own parachute over his crew’s safety, he held it just long enough for them to get out. The bomber finally crashed a few miles from the Dutch border near to Bree 13 mi (21 km) north-east of Genk in Belgium and burst into flames with Manser at the controls, he was just 20 years old. Manser’s bravery came out following debriefing of the crew members, five of the six having made it home through the resistance network.
Manser’s crew on that flight were:
Sergeant Baveystock (2nd Pilot)
Pilot Officer Horsley (Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Naylor (Rear Gunner)
Flying Officer ‘Bang On’ Barnes (Navigator / Bomb Aimer – Captured following jumping at low-level)
Sergeant King (Second Wireless Operator)
Sergeant Mills (Front Gunner)
Leslie Manser’s courage and self-sacrifice led to him being posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. On 23rd October 1942. The citation for the VC read:
“In pressing home his attack in the face of strong opposition, in striving, against heavy odds, to bring back his aircraft and crew and, finally, when in extreme peril, thinking only of the safety of his comrades, Flying Officer Manser displayed determination and valour of the highest order.”
Other members of the crew: Barnes, Horsley, Baveystock, Mills and Naylor all received immediate awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross or Distinguished Flying Medal.
Today Manser’s memory lives on. A primary School (The Leslie Manser Primary School) was opened in 1981 on what was the old RAF Skellingthorpe airfield. On 31st June 2004, a Memorial to F/Off. Leslie Manser was unveiled in Stamprooierbroek near Molenbeersel, Kinrooi in the north-east of Belgium. He is buried at Heverlee War Cemetery Leuven, Flemish Brabant (Vlaams-Brabant), Belgium. Plot: 7.G.1.
Manser’s VC is on display in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum, London.
The following personal message from Sir Arthur Harris was sent to Leslie Manser’s Father:
“Sir,
Accept from me personally and on behalf of my Command and my Service, Salutations upon the signal honour, so well indeed merited, which his Majesty the King has seen fit to confer upon your gallant son. No Victoria Cross has been more gallantly earned. I cannot offer you and yours condolence in personal loss in circumstances wherein your son’s death and the manner of his passing must so far surmount, by reason of the great services he rendered this country and the last service to his crew, all considerations of personal grief. His shining example of unsurpassed courage and staunchness to death will remain an inspiration to his Service and to him an imperishable memorial.
In April 2023 a group of archaeological surveyors arrived at the former RAF Downham Market and began digging trenches on the western perimeter along where the track led to the threshold of the main east-west runway. They were looking for historical artefacts of any significance, either wartime or Anglo-Saxon. Apart from odd items, nothing of any real significance was found and the trenches were filled in.
The remains of the perimeter track after diggers removed it.
In mid May, the diggers moved in again, but these were the developer’s diggers, and they began to remove a strip of the western perimeter track along half its length, taking away what would have been the site of two hangars, and several hardstands along with it.
Evident from the thick concrete slabs that have been lifted, are substantial sections of piping for drainage, along with wiring most likely for the perimeter track lighting. Each section of concrete has thick reinforcement cable thread through it to give added strength.
Pipework going through the track bed.
The planning for this site has been ongoing for about 15 years, stalling over various aspects since the current landowners took over. Now, finally, an agreement has been reached and some 240 houses have been earmarked for this site on the former airfield. Other plans have been considered for the remains of the technical area but these didn’t seem to come to fruition. All the runways have been removed and only small sections of peri track now remain, one as a private road and the other along this section to the north of this site.
RAF Downham Market, otherwise known as RAF Bexwell, was opened in July 1942 and closed in 1946. It was home to the Pathfinders of Don Bennett and to Stirlings, Lancaster’s and Mosquitos. It features in Trail 7.
There is extensive pipework along the length of the removed track.
There has been much written about the young Kennedy, his life, his family and his death, but a lot of information around his death has remained ‘unknown’ for many years. Even today, the actual cause of his death is not clear and will probably remain so.
Joseph Kennedy Jnr was based at RAF Fersfield (originally RAF Winfarthing) in Norfolk (Trail 27), and had only been there a few weeks before he tragically died on August 12th 1944, whilst operating on secret operations. A tragic loss, this is the last flight of Joseph Kennedy and Wilford Willy from RAF Fersfield, Norfolk, England.
The Crew – Lieutenant Joseph Kennedy Jnr.
Joseph Kennedy was born July 25th 1915, Nantasket, Massachusetts, he was the eldest brother of eight siblings including John F. Kennedy. He was son to Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. Throughout his life he had been pressured into the political life by his father who had high hopes that his son would become the future President. Joseph Jnr wanted to please. As war loomed, Joe Kennedy Jnr rose to the challenge seizing his opportunity to become the ‘shining light’ of the Kennedy family.
The Kennedy parents instilled a desire to be competitive, to win and succeed and to be the best. This came out in Joseph during his time at both home and at school. The pressure on Joseph was enormous, and it was clearly evident throughout his short life.
Joseph lived in the shadow of his younger brother John, who would captain a PT boat in the Far East, and in Joseph’s absence, go on to become President of the most powerful nation on Earth. John was the brighter, the more determined of the two, and this caused friction between them. Joe always wanting to ‘out-do’ his brother persevered, but never seemed to quite make it.
It was this determination and rivalry that perhaps led Joseph to do what he did, to impress, to be the best and the ideal way he thought was as a war hero.
With a remarkable academic background behind him, Joseph Kennedy joined the U.S. Naval Reserves on October 15th 1941, reporting to the Naval Air Station (N.A.S.) at Jacksonville, Florida the following day. After several months of training he received his commission and on January 10th 1943 he joined a flying patrol squadron. In May he became a Junior Grade Lieutenant transferring to a bomber squadron in the following July that year. In 1944, on July 1st, he was promoted to Lieutenant United States Naval Reserve. His military life would last just over one month.
Joseph was posted to RAF Dunkeswell serving under the RAF’s Coastal Command. Flying a PB4Y he would carry out U-Boat searches over the Atlantic around the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic. As he accumulated flying hours, he rarely came into any real danger, even when posted to cover the Allied invasion fleet over Normandy he rarely came into contact with any opposing aircraft or vessels.
Joseph Kennedy’s opportunity came when volunteers were asked for to undertake a special secret and dangerous operation. He jumped at the chance to be a hero.
Joseph Kennedy arrived at RAF Fersfield, Norfolk on 30th July 1944 where he was trained for two weeks. On August 10th 1944 he wrote a letter home, it would be his last communication with his family. Joseph Kennedy was to become a pilot in operation Anvil.
Lieutenant Wilford John Willy
Sadly, Lieutenant Wilford J. Willy (s/n: O-137078), has remained in the shadows probably because the status of Joseph Kennedy Jnr. A tragic loss nonetheless and no less an important one. Willy was born 13th May 1909, New Jersey. He enlisted in the Navy in 1928, gaining his Naval Wings on April 30th 1937, just two years after he had married his sweetheart, Edna C. Schaffery, the women he left behind. On advancing through the rank of Chief Petty Officer, he was awarded Lower Grade Lieutenant (April 28th 1942) and two months later, on June 26th, he achieved the rank of Lieutenant. Willy served at a number of operational stations, including Pearl Harbour, before being posted to RAF Fersfield, in Norfolk.
Willy, now an expert in Radio Operations and procedures, became the Executive Officer of the Special Air Unit One (S.A.U.1), the rank he achieved when he took off with Kennedy on August 12th 1944.
Operations Anvil and Aphrodite.
Whilst Drone technology and research had been around as early as World War I, it was still relatively unchartered territory. However, radio controlled drones (modern name Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or U.A.V.s) were already being used with relative success for target practice by the RAF and USAAF during World War II. The ‘Queen Bee’ being one of many used by the RAF. The Germans had also been investigating drone and guided bomb use through examples such as the Mistel aircraft (the most successful being a combination of either a FW-190 or Me-109 mounted above a Ju 88).
Both the USAAF and USN were undertaking secret trials into drone aircraft operations with the view of attacking the heavily defended and ‘impenetrable’ submarine and ‘V’ weapons sites across northern France . The aim, to stop, or at least reduce, the Nazi’s use of the V1, V2 rockets and the development of the new V3 canon.
Codenamed ‘Aphrodite‘ by the USAAF, and ‘Anvil‘ by the Navy, they were two secret operations running side by side. The idea behind these operations, was to remove all excess equipment from war-weary B-17s and B-24s, fill them with explosives, such as the British Torpex, put in radio receivers so that the drone (baby) could be controlled by a separate aircraft (mother) and fly them into designated targets. A volunteer crew of two would take off, set the aircraft in flight and then bail out over the U.K. or English Channel, leaving the ‘baby’ in the control of the ‘mother’ aircraft. These would then fly, by remote control, to the target when they would be put into a dive destroying whatever they hit.
The controls of the B-17 . The arm linkage moved the control column in response to the radio controls. (credit USAF)
The idea was remarkable but not new, and the equipment whilst innovative for its day, was limited to say the least. In all the operations undertaken only one drone ever reached its target, and that was through more luck than skill.
‘Azon’ (from AZimuth ONly*1) controls had been used successfully on individual 500lb or 1000lb bombs, where the control box was attached to the rear of the bomb and controlled by the bomb aimer through a joy stick. Using two directional controls (left or right) he could direct a bomb very accurately onto a given point. The downside of Azon, was that range and fall had to be determined in the usual way by the bomb aimer and could not be altered once the bomb had left the aircraft.
Azon had been used and proven in attacking bridges, railways and other longitudinal targets and was very accurate with a good bomb aimer. However, because of its limitations, it could only be used in one dimension and therefore was not capable a making a ‘baby’ take off.
Two aircraft types were identified for the project. Boeing’s B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’ and Consolidated’s B-24 ‘Liberator’. These once converted would be given new identifications BQ-7 (usually B-17Fs) and BQ-8 (B-24D/J). In each case it was deemed that two crew members would be needed to raise the ‘baby’ off the ground, partly because of the strength needed to pull back the control columns in these heavy bombers. Once airborne, they would climb to around 20,000ft, arm the Torpex, set the aircraft on a trajectory to the target, switch on the receivers and bail out.
About twenty-five BQ-7s were modified, but it is not known accurately how many USAAF BQ-8s were converted. However, it is known that at least two naval PB4Y-1s (the naval version of the B-24 of which 400 had been converted from B-24 status – these were given s/n 31936 – 32335) were converted to BQ-8 standard; one of which was flown by Lt. Kennedy and Lt. Willy on the 12th August 1944.
A number of support aircraft were needed for each mission. Prior to the attack a Mosquito XVI of the 653rd BS would photograph the target. Then the ‘baby’ would be accompanied by at least one fighter (either P-38 or P-51) incase the ‘baby’ lost control and had to be shot down and for fighter escort; a ‘mother’ either a Lockheed Ventura or another B-17 modified to CQ-4 standard, and a photographic Mosquito from the 8th Combat Camera Unit (CCU) to record inflight behaviour. A post mission photo reconnoissance operation was carried out by the 25th BG at Watton to analyse the effectiveness of the bombing. It therefore took a lot of fuel, crew and aircraft to fly one drone to its target.
Because of the design features of the bombers, the USAAF looked into removing the cockpit to allow easy departure. The only aircraft that received this treatment was B-17F, “Olin’s 69’ERS” 42-30595 formally of 560BS, 388BG at Knettishall. It was never used on an Aphrodite mission and was scrapped post war after being used for training in the open cockpit mode. The BQ-8 (B-24) also had modifications made in the form of a widened hatch in the nose allowing for an easier escape from the aircraft. Once modified, the aircraft would have had all previous markings removed, and a special white or yellow paintwork applied to identify them from other bombers. To assist the controllers in sighting the ‘babies’ whilst in flight, the aircraft were fitted with a smoke canister that would be ignited allowing the bomb aimer to see the aircraft as it began its dive. In addition to this, two cameras were fitted to some ‘babies’ that transmitted pictures to the mother or support ship. These pointed at the controls and through the plexiglass. A revolutionary step forward in drone technology.
A modified B-17 (BQ-7) with its canopy removed, this aircraft became a training drone. (Credit USAF)
In all, there were fifteen missions undertaken by the USAAF and USN, but none were to successfully hit their targets. These included: Mimoyecques (Fortress); Siracourt (V1 Bunker); Watten (V2 Bunker); Heligoland (U-boat pens); Heide; Le Havre (docks); Hemmingstedt (oil refinery); Herford (marshalling yard) and Oldenburg (Power station). Both the operations and entire programme were cancelled only a few months after the Kennedy/Willy mission.
The last flight.
At RAF Fersfield, on August 12th 1944, Lieutenants Joseph Kennedy Jnr and Wilford J. Willy, both of the S.A.U. 1 of the Fleet Air Arm Wing Seven, boarded their converted B-24 Liberator, s/n 32271 (ex USAAF B-24J 42-110007)*2 and began their preflight checks. The aircraft was filled with 21,270lbs of explosive. At 17:55 and 17:56 two Lockheed Ventura ‘mother’ aircraft took off, followed by a further navigation aircraft and then the ‘baby’ at 18:07. The ‘baby’ climbed to 2,000 ft, the two ‘mothers’ 200 feet higher and slightly behind. They were joined by two Mosquitos, one for monitoring the weather, and the second, A USAAF F-8, to photograph the ‘baby’. This aircraft was flown by pilot Lieutenant Robert A. Tunnel and combat camera man Lieutenant David J. McCarthy. There was a further B-17 relay ship, a P-38 high altitude photo reconnaissance aircraft and five P-51 Mustangs to provide fighter cover.
The group set off toward the target at Mimoyecques , Northern France. They were to fly south-east toward the Suffolk coast, then turn south and head toward the target. Once level and stabilised, Kennedy and Willy handed over control to one of the ‘mother’ ships Then they reached the first control point (CP) at which time the group began to turn south; the ‘mother’ controlling the ‘baby’. Shortly after the turn was completed (about two minutes) Kennedy was heard to give the code “Spade Flush”, then at that 18:20 the ‘baby’ disintegrated in what was described as “two mid-air explosions” and a “large Fireball”.*4 The explosion, spread debris over a large area of the Suffolk countryside killing both crew members instantly. The following Mosquito also suffered damage and minor injuries to its crew. Following the explosion, all the aircraft were ordered back to base and the crews debriefed.
Many months (and indeed years) of investigations followed, but no firm conclusions could be drawn as to the precise cause of the explosion that ripped the aircraft apart. A number of speculative theories were drawn up, but the most plausible is that the electronic arming system was faulty and when Kennedy or Willy flicked the switch, an electronic short occurred that caused the bombs to detonate. Oddly the film that was in the following Mosquito has never been seen or made public – if indeed it was filming at that time.
The cause of deaths of Joseph Kennedy and Wilford Willy still remain a mystery to this day.
Joseph Kennedy wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be talked about as the one who achieved and outshone his brother. Sadly, this dream cost him his life.
The letter sent to the Kennedy’s after Joseph’s death.*3
The letter sent to the Kennedy’s after Joseph’s death.*3
This fateful mission and its two crew members are remembered across the world. In France, the Mimoyecques museum contains a memorial honoring both pilots, and their names are carved in the Tablets of the Missing at the American Cemetery, Madingley, Cambridge. Kennedy has a ship the Destroyer ‘USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.’ DD850 named after him and this is now a museum in Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts. Both aviators were awarded the Naval Cross posthumously,
Lieutenant Joseph P Kennedy Jr, USNR, appears on the Wall of the Missing at the American Cemetery, Madingley, Cambridgeshire.
Lieutenant Jospeh P. Kennedy Jnr had no dependents but Lieutenant Wilford J. Willy left a widow and three children.
Sources and further reading.
*1 Azimuth being the clockwise horizontal angle from a given point (usually North) to a second given point.
On April 25/26th 1944, 487 Sqn (RNZAF) moved from RAF Gravesend to RAF Swanton Morley in Norfolk, taking with them D.H. Mosquitoes. They had only been at Gravesend a few days when news of the new move came through.
487 Sqn had previously been involved in ground attacks on German airfields across the occupied countries, and in several high profile missions. In particular, during the previous February, they had been involved in Operation ‘Jericho‘, the attack on the Amiens Jail, in France. It was also a Methwold based Ventura piloted by Squadron Leader Leonard H. Trent, who, on 3rd May 1943, had led the Squadron in a disastrous daylight attack on the power station at Amsterdam. As a result of his actions that day, Sqn. Ldr. Trent received the V.C., the highest honour bestowed on personnel of the armed forces.
On their arrival at Swanton Morley, 487 Sqn would immediately begin training for new air operations, their part in the forthcoming D-day invasion at Normandy, with the first flights taking off the following day.
On April 27th three ‘targets’ were chosen, the Grimston Range not far away from Swanton Morley, the Bradenham Range in the Chilterns, and lastly the Army Gunnery School site at Stiffkey, on the North Norfolk coast. Each of these were to be ‘attacked’ in cross country sorties by the Mosquitoes.
In one of those Mosquitoes ‘EG-A’ was Pilot Flight Lieutenant John Charles Paterson (NZ/2150), and his Navigator Flight Lieutenant John James Spencer Mellar (s/n: 49175) both of the R.N.Z.A.F.
The day’s sortie went well, until the return flight home was made. It was on this leg of the flight that the port engine of the Mosquito, a Hatfield built FBVI ‘NS828’ under contract 555/C.23(a), began to overheat.
Immediately Flt. Lt. Paterson feathered the engine – now flying on just one. The Mosquito was lined up on approach to Swanton Morley for a single-engined landing, but all did not go well. Unfortunately, instead of putting the aircraft down on the runway, the aircraft overshot the airfield crashing into a field beyond, the resultant accident killing both pilot and navigator instantly.
The Operational Record Book (AIR 27/1935/31) for April 27th states:
“Formation dive bombing on Grimstone [sic] range. Low level bombing on Bradenham Range. Formation cross country with air to sea firing practice off the coast at Wells. In the evening six aircraft carried out formation attacks on gun positions at an army Gunnery School at Stiffkey. Returning from this ‘A’, F/Lt. Paterson developed engine trouble and feathered the airscrew. In attempting to land, he overshot and crashed. F.Lt. Paterson and his navigator F. Lt. Mellar, were both killed.”
Since then, a memorial has been erected in memory of the two men, located on the side of the B1110 Dereham Road just outside the village of North Elmham in Norfolk, it stands not far from the site of the crash site, west of Swanton Morley airfield. After the crash, Flt. Lt. Paterson’s body was buried at Shepperton Church Cemetery, whilst Flt. Lt. Mellar was buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery plot 24. D. 20.
Flight Lieutenant Mellar was 29 on the date of his passing, he was the son of William Edward and Eleanor Mellar; and husband of Dorothy Freda Mellar. Flight Lieutenant Paterson was 24 years of age, he was the son of John Alexander and Alice Louise Paterson, of Papakura, Auckland, New Zealand, and husband of Doris Josephine Paterson, of Shepperton.
‘Aviation historians attempt to trace family members of wartime tragedy for new Memorial unveiling’
On November 10th 1943, a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber which had taken off from Thorpe Abbotts Airfield, near Diss minutes earlier, crashed in Brome village after unsuccessfully attempting to reach the newly constructed concrete runway at Eye airfield.
Civilian eyewitness reports, documented at the time by United States Army Air Force Accident Investigators, stated that the aircraft was observed with an onboard fire and flying at very low level, before pulling-up sharply to avoid hitting the tree-lined avenue at the front of The Old Rectory (now the Oaksmere Country Hotel). The aircraft immediately stalled out, crashing into overhead power lines and a gang of local road workers clearing drainage ditches. Fire quickly engulfed the already burning aircraft as it dragged a horse and tumbril into a nearby field as the road men tried in vein to flee the scene. As the heat from the aviation-fuelled fire rapidly intensified, exploding ammunition and phosphorus ordnance prevented bystanders from being able to help any of the young airmen onboard the doomed Bomber.When the gravity of the situation was fully realised, 13 American Airmen, 4 British civilians and one horse had all tragically succumbed to the horrific accident which still to this day ranks as one of the very worst aviation related loss of life incidents in the whole of the Mid-Suffolk District.
Fressingfield lorry driver Roland Thirkettle narrowly avoided serious injury when he was stood beside his truck close to Brome Crossroads and saw the aircraft approaching at what he estimated to only be 100 feet high and heading directly towards him. It cleared the trees, violently nosed down, hit the road and came to an abrupt halt in the ploughed field with the tumbril beneath it. He stated in his report written on the day of the crash that he “had to run fast to keep from being hit!’
The local roadmen killed in the crash were Walter Clarkeaged 50 from Stradbroke, William Charles (Charlie) Burridge aged 54 of Langton Green, Eye, William Dixonof Finningham (who also owned the horse and tumbril) and Ernest Barker of Wetheringsett who died of his injuries two days later in Hartismere Hospital, Eye. (Dixon was working at the time for a Mr G Arnold and his former employer was a Mr R Turner – These details are provided in the faint hope that somebody might just have a picture of Dixon with his horse and tumbril).
Another eyewitness to the incident, William Cooper Browne, a local Builder, stated “I saw an Officer rush up to the burning plane, dive under one wing and drag out two of the badly burnt roadmen. In view of the intense heat, this Army Officer demonstrated the highest bravery and disregard for his own life.” Sadly both of those men rescued did not survive the ordeal.
Whilst Press censorship, propaganda and the issues of public morale often compromised such stories from being told during times of war, the incident was covered by the local Diss Express Newspaper at the time where funeral details of all the civilians killed were posted in the November 19th 1943 edition of the Newspaper. The bodies of the 13 young Servicemen who were aboard the aircraft were also recovered and buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey with full Military honours. At the end of WWII, the next-of-kin for all those men where given the choice of having their sons and husbands returned to America for family burials or to be reinterred at the American Military Cemetery at Cambridge along with their fellow combatants, on land gifted for the purpose by Cambridge University at Madingley. Five of the Aircrew lost in the Brome crash still rest at Madingley today, including the pilot of the aircraft, Lt. Arthur Reynolds, who had previously flown a Combat Tour of missions over Europe with 91st Bomb Group, to which the famous B-17 ‘Memphis Belle’ was assigned.
It is very much hoped that any descendant family members of those locals who were both eyewitnesses to the tragedy and the four roadmen who were killed, could be traced in time to attend an unveiling of a new Memorial to honour all those who lost their lives at Brome eighty years ago this coming November. Ipswich resident Tarkey Barker of Chantry Estate, has spent the past few years researching his family tree and determined to be a distant cousin of Ernest Barker of Wetheringsett.
On Friday November 10th at 10:40am, exactly 80 years to the minute that the mighty bomber crashed, local people are being invited to attend a Memorial Dedication Ceremony in the grounds of the Oaksmere Country Hotel, Brome, where current serving United States Air Force (USAF) personnel from Alconbury, near Huntingdon will perform an Honour Guard Ceremony and Folding of the Flag. The original B-17F Bomber, which was a top-secret radar equipped Pathfinder aircraft, was assigned to the 482nd Bomb Group and stationed at Alconbury Airfield and was performing a routine non-combat transit flight from Thorpe Abbotts Airfield and returning back to its home base, when events overtook the airmen moments into what should have been an entirely routine flight in unlimited ceiling and 1500 yards visibility.
The organisers are very keen to gain any further information concerning the accident and would very much like to hear from anybody with a family connection to those involved. Local WWII Historians Maggie Aggiss, Steve Andrews and Clive Stevens who are coordinating the Memorial Project, can be contacted on3drews@tiscali.co.uk and stressed that the general public are very much welcome to attend the Memorial unveiling ceremony in November, just 48 hours before the whole Country falls silent on Remembrance Sunday itself.
The timing of the Memorial Unveiling Service (which has been largely dictated by the date of the original crash) is anticipated to gain greater interest from the public due to the eagerly awaited release this Autumn of Stephen Spielberg & Tom Hank’s final ‘tip of the hat’ to WWII – Masters of the Air. Based upon the story of the United States 100th Bomb Group, who were posted to Thorpe Abbotts airfield in Norfolk in 1943, this new television Nine Part Series (and sister series to the award winning 2001 Band of Brothers), has been entirely filmed in the UK and charts the story of the United States Eighth Air Force daylight bombing campaign, flown from the many wartime airfields of Suffolk & Norfolk.
Fund-Raising for this significant Memorial Project is very much an ongoing effort and any individual or business that might wish to consider donating towards to the extensive costs of constructing the Memorial can find out more details from the GoFundMe website by looking up ‘B-17 Crash Memorial Project – Suffolk, England.’
The official November 1943 Accident Report concluded, from both eyewitnesses interviews and the condition of the plexiglass canopy that was throw clear upon impact, that the pilots were combating fire in the cockpit at the point of loosing control, but the cause of the fire was 100% undetermined. It is hoped that by the placing of the Memorial in a prominent position within the beautiful grounds of The Oaksmere Hotel, the names of the many individuals who lost their lives that day will be forever remembered and the tragic story surrounding their deaths exposed to a new, younger audience, who are most probably unaware of what took place in the village eighty years ago.
Please do not hesitate to make contact for any further details on the Pathfinder Memorial Project and we very much welcome your enquiry.
In Part 3 Little Snoring had seen some short stay visitors, it had been attacked by enemy bombers and a famous face had been posted here. The bad weather had played havoc with flying duties but the parties had more than made up for it. In the final part, the war draws to a close, the airfield declines eventually closing to military activity. But its not quite the end for this little airfield with a big, big history.
The dawn of 1945 brought more of the same with both squadrons remaining here until after the end of hostilities.
The Sunderland Cup, an annual award presented to the most efficient WAAF section within Bomber Command, finally came to Little Snoring in 1945. A prestigious award, it brought many dignitaries to the airfield including: Air Commodore R.G. Spencer, Group Captain B.R. O’B. Hoare, DSO., DFC., and Air Vice Marshal E.B. Addison, CB., CBE., Air Officer Commanding 100 Group.
The cup was presented by Group Officer C. Woodhead, Deputy Director WAAF. to Flight Officer C.L. Gallavan, officer in charge of the WAAF. Section at the airfield. It was a very proud moment for the ladies of the airfield.
515 were finally disbanded on June 10th that year whilst 23 Squadron remained in situ until 25th September 1945. With the addition of 141 Squadron in July 1945, the last few months were much quieter operationally even though there were three squadrons on the base, During this time, a great change began in the structure of the Air Force, with crews being posted out to other squadrons and units, and surplus aircraft being put into storage. Operational records show a continuous list of ‘Operational Flying Hours – Nil’.
The new Mosquito NF XXXs began replacing the ‘old stock’ of Mosquitoes that had been so successful in the previous months and years. But these updated models, with their more sophisticated radars, were not to see any operational flights with these units.
Eventually in September 1945, flying officially ceased and the airfield was soon reduced to care and maintenance. Given over to 274 Maintenance Unit it became a storage site designated as No 112 Storage Sub-Site.
Like other airfields in this area, it became the home for surplus Mosquitoes on their way to a sad ending under the choppers blade. Luckily for some though, their fate would not be so awful and they were fired up and flight tested ready for delivery to the Fleet Air Arm or alternative Air Forces overseas. Many sadly though, ended up as fire wood.
The Nissen huts, like many airfield huts, were used to accommodate civilians until such times as suitable housing became available locally. In July 1951, No. 2 Civilian Anti-Aircraft Cooperation Unit (CAACU) was formed here, and flying a collection of warbirds including a: Beaufighter TT 10 (RD781); Spitfire XVI (TD344); Mosquito TT.35 (TA633); Vampires FB.5 (WA117); FB.9 (WL573); T11 (WZ584); Oxfords and an Anson. These would take to the skies, operating over the Wash off the Lincolnshire / Norfolk coast. In 1953 they too pulled out though, the airfield becoming too run down to be operational.
At this point, the site was largely passed to civilian hands, what was left was used by the Americans to store their own surplus equipment and not for any flying activities. A short lived move that eventually led to the final closure and demise of the airfield.
Following sale of the site, a large number of buildings were demolished or taken away for use elsewhere. The officers’ mess – which housed four ornately and beautifully written honours and awards boards, painted by Douglas Higgins – was also demolished, but luckily, these were saved by a local woman and now reside in the base’s ‘official’ church, St. Andrew’s, on the west wall. Written in paint, they detail the awards and ‘kills’ of the various crew members stationed at Little Snoring. Just a short walk from the church is the village sign which depicts a Mosquito, often seen over the skies of Little Snoring all those years ago.
In 1957, the McAully Flying Club was established here as the Fakenham Flying Club headed by its founder Elwyn ‘Mac’ McAully who sadly lost his life three years later in a flying accident at the airfield.
Since its closure, the runways have virtually all been removed, with only a few remnants of concrete left existing; the northern threshold of the main runway being used to store gravel and other road material. The largest and best preserved examples are two of the original T2 hangars, both used to store farm produce. A blister hangar is also on site but thought not an original of Little Snoring. Private flying now occurs on the sole remaining part of the runway located to the west. Part of the perimeter track forms the public road on the boundary of the eastern side of the airfield, and a small number of buildings, mainly huts, exist in private gardens used as storage sheds. The local caravan site has what is believed to be the base hospital and / or mortuary now a washing block.
Little Snoring’s gem is its watch office, standing proud in the centre of the site, a lone wind sock fluttering from its walls. Run down and dilapidated, it is crying out for love and restoration, but I suspect this isn’t going to happen and perhaps its days are very sadly numbered.
During its short operational life, twelve Lancasters and forty-three Mosquitoes were lost during missions over enemy territory and up until 2018, there existed no ‘official’ memorial in memory of these tragic losses. In July, the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust placed an airfield marker on the western end of the site, just beyond the runway’s threshold, that omission has at least been corrected.
The base commander, ‘glass eyed’ Group Captain ‘Bertie’ Rex O’Bryan Hoare (Sammy) was a known character and has been mentioned in a number of books discussing night intruder missions. He was a very successful Mosquito pilot and looked up to by his fellow pilots. A superbly detailed account of him appears in ‘The Snoring Villages‘and is certainly worth a read. He sadly died in an air accident in 1947 in Singapore.
Little Snoring was by far a sleepy airfield. Those who were stationed here made the best use of what they had, and when the cold winter weather put paid to operational activities, recreational ‘sorties’ took over and the airfield came to life in other ways. Operationally, Little Snoring played a huge part in intruder operations, strafing airfields and interfering with German Night Fighter operations. Even Adolf Galland in his book ‘The First and the Last‘ acknowledges the extent to which 100 Group went to “set really difficult problems for the German Night Fighter Command”. A true accolade to any wartime airfield and the men and women who worked there.
Sources and further reading
*1 National Archives AIR 27/890/15; AIR 27/890/16; AIR 27/1094/17; AIR 27/288/11; AIR 27/1981/31
*2 Ward C., & Smith S. “3 Group Bomber Command An Operational Record” Pen and Sword, 2008
*3 This is taken from the official Squadron Operational records, other sources including Chorley’s Bomber Command Losses state the crash was near to Broughton near Huntingdon.
*4 Bowman, M., “Battle of Berlin: Bomber Command over the Third Reich, 1943–1945” 2020, page 297Pen and Sword (accessed via google books)
Galland, A., “The First and and the Last“. Methuen & Co., London, 1955
The four award and honours boards in St. Andrew’s Church can be seen on the Flickr page.
A personal recollection of life at Little Snoring can be heard via the International Bomber Command Website.
Aviation Trails 