MOONSHINE
This is the P51 that we were originally looking for when we found the Cretingham B17. Just one of many post-VE day crashes which would warrant only a passing mention in unit histories or reference books. In this case, one where little was found but it did result in the death of a pilot and as such is nonetheless worth recording here.
The war in Europe was finished and as a fighter pilot Lt Preston McKeon had all but missed out on it, only transferring from flying bombers with the 34thBG and into the 361st Fighter Sqn of the 356th Fighter Group in May 1945. Up on a camera gunnery flight from Martlesham Heath on 18th June 1945, he encountered the 96th BG Flying Fortress of Lt Walter O Lowrie returning to Snetterton Heath after a practice bombing flight over the Orfordness ranges. Although an experienced pilot, Preston McKeon had less than forty hours in Mustangs. Lowrie was a veteran Fortress pilot with over half his 900hrs accumulated on the four engined Boeing aircraft. The weather that morning was ideal for gunnery, bombing or formation with a light wind and no cloud below 20,000ft. In his account of the accident, Lt Lowrie stated that the P-51 pilot had made simulated attacks on his plane and then had pulled up along side and flown on the left wing. McKeon then attempted to cross underneath the Fortress from left to right, however he pulled up in front of the nose and his vertical stabiliser and rudder were broken off in the impact with the front of the B-17.
With the Plexiglas nosepiece shattered and the No2 prop damaged, the Fortress was able to carry on and land at Snetterton about 15 minutes after the collision with only minor injuries to the bombardier, Lt Orin Hammond.
The Mustang however was doomed, Lt McKeon jettisoned his canopy but he was unable to leave the spinning aircraft as it nosed into '14 Acre Field' on Chapel Hill at Cretingham, he was thrown clear on impact but died instantly.
Lt Preston W McKeons' grave Madingley Cemetery
When interviewing an eye-witness, Mr Williams, he recalled that it wasn't McKeon's aircraft as it had another mans name on the canopy rail. He was correct, P-51D 44-15401, coded QI-Z; or 'Moonshine' was the regular mount of Lt John Dupuy.
From the photos on the Accident Report it can be seen that the aircraft was only just buried and little was likely to be found. However we were yet to obtain a copy of the report when we set out to locate the site. Within 30 minutes or so of arriving at the field one spring afternoon in 1988, a single propeller blade had been found and recovered from just below the reach of the plough. Other than small pieces of shattered aircraft little else remained to mark the event of 43 years earlier.
Lt Preston McKeon.
Photograph kindly supplied by Tommy McKeon