The
scale of RAF Bomber Command losses meant that large numbers of new aircrew were
constantly having to be trained. Also crews from Squadrons operating older types of
aircraft had to be converted on to the newer types. Both of these forms of
training could be costly in men and machines. One such was the Short Stirling four engined
bomber of 1657 Conversion Unit that crashed at Lt. Glemham on the night of 18th April 1944.
The crew of 9, including the experienced instructor pilot and engineer, took off
from Stradishall to perform night landings and circuits at Polebrook airfield
in Bedfordshire.
American bases were often used for this as they were clear from operational flights
at night. As the Stirling, EJ108, was on its fourth take-off three cyclists were
seen riding down the East - West runway as they returned from an evening pass. Unable to avoid them, the American
NCO's from the 545 Bomb Sqn were
struck and killed.
An
engine was damaged and the dinghy was released from its housing, possibly
damaging the elevators in the process. In light of the damage the crew were instructed to divert to RAF Woodbridge, an
ELG – Emergency Landing Ground – an airfield especially designed for aircraft
in distress to land at.
As they neared Woodbridge the aircraft became more difficult to control. The screen pilot New Zealander F/Lt Hugh Wilkie DFC and screen engineer W/O William Watson DFM, a Scot, would attempt to land the aircraft, once the rest of the crew had baled out. Ironically these two men had probably completed a tour of 'ops' and had been posted to a training unit for a 'rest' from the hazards of operations. Shortly after the others had left the aircraft, there was an explosion on board and the aircraft crashed out of control into a field at Moat Farm on the edge of a pond. The two airmen on board were killed instantly; another, F/Sgt Frederick Atkins fell to his death in a field at Pettistree when his parachute failed.
Sgt Frederick Atkins of Hammersmith
The firefighters from the nearby USAAF airfield at Parham were quickly upon the scene and using their foam tender extinguished the fire and recovered the bodies of Wilkie, a and Watson, a Scot. The NFS engines from Framlingham, Woodbridge and Southwold also attended the scene. A cottage at the far side of the pond was slightly damaged, with doors blown open, ceilings damaged and a window broken. The occupants, William Carter and his sister were unharmed though.
Of the men to bale out safely; P/O Rickard, Sgt Faulkner, Sgt Stannard, Sgt Perry, Sgt Nairne and Sgt Woodford, five were to lose their lives together in Lancaster HK558 on 30th July 1944, coincidentally, a 75(NZ) Sqn aircraft; with whom EJ108 had flown operationally. Rickard, a New Zealander, apparently survived the war.
Items
recovered from the pond, by means of grappling iron (below left) and rummaging
about in the mud on the bottom in a dry suit (bottom) at Lt. Glemham included engine cowlings, (the one above
carried the painted legend revealing it to be the cowl for the starboard inner
engine and confirmed the serial as EJ108), oil cooler, propeller blade and engine exhaust
ring (below right). Two more propeller blades
were found buried in the field nearby.
An earlier incident involving EJ108
As a result of the above account appearing here I was contacted by Mrs Russell, from New Zealand, regarding her uncle F/Sgt Walter Hurdle. Prior to being on the strength on 1657 CU, the Stirling had been with 75(NZ) Sqn. It was at this time F/Sgt Hurdle had flown and died in EJ108. Posted to the squadron at Mepal on 8th September 1943, he became the Rear Gunner on F/O Eric Witting's crew. All were novices, the others had only arrived at the sqn a few days earlier. New crews were often sent on mine laying, 'gardening', sorties, as they were regarded as safer for new crews to gain experience on. Their first was such a trip, in EE958, to the Gironde estuary, on 18th September. Together they also flew six operations in EJ108. Going twice to Hanover, once each to Kassel and Mannheim and on two more mine laying flights, both to the Kattegat. The second of these was on 4th November 1943, when they were unable to lay the mines due to cloud cover. Standing instructions were to return with the mines if they could not be dropped accurately. As they headed away from Denmark and towards the North Sea at 9000ft they were attacked by a German nightfighter, it made one pass during which the aircraft was badly damaged. Eric Witting put the Stirling into a steep dive which successfully shook off their attacker, but he was only able to regain control and pull out of the dive at around 1000ft. The only member of the crew to be hit by the nightfighter was Walter Hurdle, he was found to have been killed when the rear of the Stirling was raked by cannon and machine gun fire. Jettisoning the mines, they resumed their 3 hour journey back to Mepal and a difficult but safe landing in the severely damaged aircraft. Shaken by that nights experience and the loss of their friend and comrade the crew were given 48 hours leave. Returning their next duty was that of pallbearers. The following day they had a new rear gunner, another plane and they were back at war.
Walter Hurdle (seen above cleaning his guns) was buried in Cambridge City Cemetery, there he is one of the 829 Commonwealth servicemen buried there.
EJ108 sustained extensive damage, the starboard flap was shot away, the port elevator was almost severed, the rear turret was badly damaged and large holes were left in the fuselage. She was repaired and returned to the squadron on 13th December 1943, but was not used on operations again until 27th January 1944. She flew a total of 26 operations with 75(NZ) Sqn before being posted to 1657 CU.
Eric Witting and his crew in front of EJ108
Left to right;
F/Sgt R.E. Morfett (mid-upper-gunner) from Yorkshire
Sgt A.R. Gunn (engineer) from Stoke
F/O J. Thomas (bomb aimer) from Bradford
F/O E.F. Witting (pilot) from Invercargill, New Zealand
F/O W.E. Anderson (navigator) from Christchurch, New Zealand
F/Sgt G.O. Marshall (w/op) from Wairoa, New Zealand
F/Sgt W. Hurdle (rear gunner) from Feilding, New Zealand.
Many thanks to John Reid and Mrs Lorna Russell for their help with the research for this account.