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World War Two Aircraft Crash Sites

Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
in Not Sports Related
Tomorrow marks the start of Big Week. 81 years ago most aircraft’s had been grounded for the last four days due to extremely bad weather.

On the night of 19th May 1944 Bomber Command launched an attack on Leipzig .
The intended target was the Messerschmitt aircraft factories and a ball bearing plant in Leipzig. 
A total of 823 aircraft’s were involved in this operation . Lancasters 561,Halifax’s 255 and 
7 mosquitos.

 78 aircraft’s and 420 air crew never returned back from that mission.

Lancaster MK3 bomber JB109 was one of the aircraft’s lost that night along with its 7 man crew. 
We have several crash sites not so far away and all have been remembered by the local council.

Do any other people have crash sites close to them? Would love to hear about them.
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    ForeverAddicktedForeverAddickted
    edited February 2023
    This is the one I know about in East Sussex, so a bit further from home for the majority of us

    http://www.dakota-kg630-memorial.org.uk/

    There is a Memorial Service each February

    George Stevens one of those killed, was my Grandad's older Brother, hence how I know about it
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    DaarrzzetbumDaarrzzetbum
    Clee Hill, which I can see from my gaff in the distance, has a very interesting history, WW2 crashes all accidents and not due to combat, link as below 

    https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/features/2020/11/17/the-deadly-toll-extracted-by-beautiful-clee-hills/
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    StigStig
    As a kid in the '70s I had several bits of twisted aluminium that I'd scavenged from the mud flats off Canvey Point. These were, I believe, fragments of wreckage from the B17 that crashed there. My mate's uncle who had grown up in the '50s told us that he also used to go out there and had found other more recognisable relics than our fragments of mangled airframe. The thing that enthralled us kids the most was his story of finding an old flying helmet. As he dug it out of the mud a skull fell out! With age I grew to suspect that there was a lot of embellishment going on here, but it was a great story all the same.

    https://www.canveyisland.org/history-2/wartime-canvey/wwii/relics-retrieved-from-the-b17-crash-of-1944

    I see from this website that a Heinkell 111 was shot down nearby too.  
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    CharltonKerryCharltonKerry
    Here’s one in Dartford, note the civilians that also died.

    Very brief history At around 4am on July 31, 1941, a Hampden Bomber is thought to have got caught in an electrical storm when it was returning from a bombing raid on Cologne.

    Three airmen and three civilians were killed after the plane crashed into houses in East Hill, Dartford.

    The pilot managed to escape but is believed to have died nine days later when he went missing on another raid over Germany.



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    StigStig
    Here's one with a real Charlton interest, because our own Ted Croker was on board as a trainee pilot. There can't many people who've gone on to play professional football after breaking both ankles in a 120mph crash. 

    https://aircrashsites.co.uk/air-crash-sites-5/airspeed-oxford-hn594-brown-knoll-edale-england/


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    Arthur_TrudgillArthur_Trudgill
    edited February 2023
    Two Hurricanes were shot down over Joyden's Wood in Bexley https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/woods/joydens-wood

    There's a commemorative wooden sculpture of a crashed plane there.
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    Todds_right_hookTodds_right_hook
    There's a park in gravesend by the river where either a spitfire or hurricane crashed, killing the pilot 
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    fat man on a mopedfat man on a moped
    Not near me but close to my son's house in Sheffield, a Flying Fortress which crashed on 22nd February 1944
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi_Amigo_memorial
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    ArkwrightArkwright
    Chelsfield - Court Farm Warren Road Flight Sergeant John Ellis RAFVR. Hurricane 29/8/1940
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    Off_itOff_it
    There's a memorial at Point Hill in Greenwich to an Australian hurricane pilot, Richard Reynell, who was shot down and bailed out but his parachute failed to open.

    https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/richard-reynell
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    golfaddickgolfaddick
    There is one on Manning's Heath golf course in Horsham. There is a plaque by the tee on a par 3 (14th?). British fighter plane I think.
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    blackpool72blackpool72
    Arkwright said:
    Chelsfield - Court Farm Warren Road Flight Sergeant John Ellis RAFVR. Hurricane 29/8/1940
    I walk my dog past this most days.
    Great views of London when it's not cloudy. 
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    SoundAsa£SoundAsa£
    edited February 2023
    There’s one in Farningham on Sparepenny Lane….A 1940 New Zealand Spitfire pilot.
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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
    fat man on a moped said:
    Not near me but close to my son's house in Sheffield, a Flying Fortress which crashed on 22nd February 1944
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mi_Amigo_memorial
    That’s interesting re the trees for the air crew.This crash was on BBC news re 75th anniversary with a fly pass in the City of Sheffield.
    This was also part of the Big Week , bad weather forces many aircraft’s returning home to crash that night. 41 aircraft’s are losser that night.
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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
    Off_it said:
    There's a memorial at Point Hill in Greenwich to an Australian hurricane pilot, Richard Reynell, who was shot down and bailed out but his parachute failed to open.

    https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/richard-reynell
    Didn’t realize this must have missed it.
    Next time in the park I will visit .
    Have now read the story,thank you.
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    LordflashheartLordflashheart
    Shoreham Aircraft Museum have memorials to pilots dotted around the area - there is one in Hesketh Park, Dartford

    We have lots of parts salvaged from crash sites - will get them out and put photos on here (note - none of the crash sites were ones where the pilot’s remains were still there)
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    LordflashheartLordflashheart
    http://www.shoreham-aircraft-museum.co.uk/memorials-project.htm
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    Off_itOff_it
    Lewis Coaches said:
    Off_it said:
    There's a memorial at Point Hill in Greenwich to an Australian hurricane pilot, Richard Reynell, who was shot down and bailed out but his parachute failed to open.

    https://www.londonremembers.com/memorials/richard-reynell
    Didn’t realize this must have missed it.
    Next time in the park I will visit .
    Have now read the story,thank you.
    My pleasure. Great views from there as well.
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    cafckevcafckev
    There is a memorial to a fighter pilot outside the Woolwich barracks on the grass area to the right of the guard house which was placed by the Shoreham project several years ago 
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    IdleHansIdleHans
    Not so much of this kind of thing in my area, but there's a memorial to an American bomber crew whose B-17 blew up in mid air over the Thames between Wargrave and Shiplake having dumped its bombs. 9 of the ten crew were killed.

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-30030648.amp

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    ChippycafcChippycafc
    In the pilot inn in dungeness there is an engine from a flying fortress and a bit about the crew that day.

    https://dungeness.org.uk/info/wwii-b17-flying-fortress-engine-surfaces/
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    ShootersHillGuruShootersHillGuru
    edited February 2023
    About 500 metres from my daughters house in Tingley (West Yorkshire) is a memorial to a crashed WW2 Halifax bomber. Crashed eight minutes into a training flight in November 1944. The ages of those brave young men is frightening. RIP. All bar one in their 20’s bar the Navigator aged 33. Pilot (flight Sgnt) Aged 21.
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    LonelyNorthernAddickLonelyNorthernAddick
    There is wreckage of a b26 Marauder on one of the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, Chimney Rock to be specific. I haven't been up to look at it yet though I think it takes a little searching to find. I don't know much about it but found the below link whilst looking for a picture which seems to have some info for anyone interested, a accident during training it seems. 

    http://www.chimneyrockb26crash.com/

    Chimney Rock Mountain - GI Trail NI - discover the path the GIs took in Northern Ireland Think that's Rocky mountain in the background (inventive name...)
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    TELTEL
    edited February 2023
    Some interesting history around West Kingsdown, where I lived for many years. Here's a link to a Hurricane crash at nearby Stansted.

    https://stanstedhistory.org/events-hurricane-crash/

    also of interest was a radio interference group based at Hollywood manor, later the residence of a certain London gangster in Hollywood Lane West Kingsdown. 

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    guinnessaddickguinnessaddick
    Crash sites in Ireland.

    http://www.ww2irishaviation.com/
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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
    This is a monument site near small town of Harderwijk in the Veluwemeer (Zuiderzee at the time) remembering the 117 aircrew that were lost crashing into this water 
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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches

    Today at 12.12 hrs is the 78th anniversary of the loss of this P51 Mustang and its pilot Ft/l Horace B. Smith (US) 
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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
    28th February 1945 at 14-15 
    F/L Archibald Angus McIntyre age 22 died when his RAF Hawker Tempest MK 5
    Code NV680ZD crashed in a field and caught alight by the Kienschulpenweg.

    It was a busy day with many operations with 873 RAF fighters and bombers taking part.
    Attacking railwaylines ,locomotives and vehicles. 11 planes did not return that day.

    F/L Archibald Angus McIntyre was attached to 222 squadron .
    He carried with him 9 pass photos and one of a little girl. These photos were passed on to the red cross on 9th March 1945

    His final resting place is in our village.

    RIP and thank you.Never Forgotten.

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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
    28 of February 1945 14-15 crashed
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    Lewis CoachesLewis Coaches
    8th March 1944 
    F/2nd Lt Clyde L Coldren age 24 USAAF 
    lost his life when the plane he was flying crashed onto a shop @16.14 hour.

    He was returning from a raid on Berlin when he crashed. Home base Raydon Suffolk of 366 squadron.

    Pilot Clyde Lee Coldren was married to Joan Bessie Price on 6th Feb 1943 and had a daughter Candace born 22nd Jan 1944.

    Never forgotten.
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