Avro Anson EG170 from 3 A.F.U , R.A.F Halfpenny Green,Sgt [KPL] Paluch Włodzimierz Marian , Brandnwood Cemetary

One from before the current problems .

The 3rd of August 1943 was over cast with low bases to the clouds, a lone Avro Anson EG170 from 3 A.F.U , R.A.F Halfpenny Green,Staffordshire took off into the weather for a local training flight .

The pilot Sgt [KPL] Paluch Włodzimierz Marian trying to stay below the clouds and maintain contact with the ground flew low over high ground near the village of Kinver but sadly the clouds dropped very low over Castle Hill, Kingsford it was here that Anson EG170 impacted sloping ground and slid into woodlands mortally injuring the young pilot who passed away on the 4th.

 At the site nothing can be seen from the footpath and it isn't possible to get too close as it is on private ground after talking to a Friendly estate worker I did manage to get a couple of pictures near where the plane crashed but the worker knew nothing more a local told me some years back that parts were still around on the hill but where I have no idea ,In Brandwood End Cemetery Birmingham Sgt Paluchs now lies in a small collection of Polish graves

Thunderbolt P-47c 41-6246 ' Sweet Pea ' 495 FTG RAF Atcham Shropshire Aran Fawddwy , Bala

A very early morning trip to Wales to visit the crash site of Thunderbolt P-47c 41-6246 ' Sweet Pea' from the 495 FTG RAF Atcham Shropshire .

41-6246 took off on a training flight over Wales on the 16th of September 1944 and headed into the cloudy and cold mountains piloted by F/o Peter Quinci , 41-6246 never returned home its remains and those of the pilot were not to be discovered for 6 days .

High on Aran Fawddwy by Bala, North Wales on the 22nd of September a local Trapper found the remains just below the ridge line the plane had impacted a cliff face and was totally destroyed with wreckage falling down 2 gullies to the valley floor ,RAF mountain rescue attended the scene but were driven off by very bad weather returning next day they found a P-47 checklist at the foot of one of the gullies confirming the planes identity after recovery of the pilots remains the site was left to recovery crews to deal with.

At the site today little remains near the impact point that could be seen under the ice covering the mountain moving lower bits started to show in the scree until at the bottom of the slope I found many parts scattered about over a wide area the biggest remains were of the tail and the supercharger nearby other bits were showing through the bog, the most interesting part I found which was one of the fighters wheel rims was quite a distance away and this was by pure luck as it wasn't in the wreckage field

Crew =

F/o Peter Quinci USAA,F

Halifax LW395 III, K-WO, 425sqn RCAF took from RAF.Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire 11th February 1944 Hanbury, Bromsgrove

In the lovely church of St Marys just out side Hanbury is a memorial to a local crash and the sad loss of 8 young lives .

Halifax LW395 III, K-WO, 425sqn RCAF took from RAF.Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire on the evening of the 11th February 1944 to conduct a 'Bullseye' flight over the midlands, just before 9pm the bomber was near Hanbury when the port outer suffered a failure the pilot who would have been under a heavy work load struggled to trim and bring LW395 back under control but the aircraft sadly broke up during recovery .

The planes break up scattered remains over a wide area a large part fell onto Carters Hill, Hanbury the crew of 7 were lost and one passenger Joseph Dubroy the brother of the W/o William Dubroy also sadly died in the crash .

At the site today nothing shows to mark this tragic loss but at the nearby Church the memorial serves to remind the passersby of this sad night .

Crew of LW395=

Sgt J.G.D.Aubin. RCAF. 
Sgt J.J.Shanahan.RAFVR 
F/S H.B.Mitton.RAFVR 
Sgt J.H.Y.Albert RCAF. 
Sgt J.O.R.Fieury. RACF. 
Sgt J.F.Mayville.RACF. 
P/ W.E.Dubroy.RACF. 
Passenger= 
Sgt J.L.Dubroy.RCCS

Wellington III BK562,30 OTU RAF Sleighford in Staffordshire. Wilford Nottingham ,11th / 12th August 1944

On the night of 11th / 12th August 1944 Wellington III BK562,30 OTU took off with a crew of 4 on a night navigation exercise from RAF Sleighford in Staffordshire.

The plane flying east eventually arrived near Nottingham over the small village of Wilford but the flight had gone wrong the artificial horizon had failed in cloud soon after other vital instruments went AWOL loosing control the pilot managed to bail tragically the 3 other crew did not have the chance before the bomber impacted the Tennis courts /allotments on the corner of Vernon avenue and Coronation Avenue, Wilford.

The road was blocked near the Ferry Inn for sometime by recovery operations later the site was covered by the building of St Patricks RC Church.

At the site today nothing remains but the names of the streets and the Inn but as its a nice pub and a lovely walk by the Trent so still a site worth a look .

Crew =

F/o P.W.Clifton ,RAFVR [survived ]

Lost =

W/o J.W.J.Butler RAFVR

Sgt W.S.Owens RAFVR

Sgt D.E.Townsend RAFVR

Fairey Battle K9480 on the 23rd of September 1940 in Hucknall, Nottingham LAC. E.V.Rozmiarak of 18 OTU

From my trip to Nottingham with the long suffering Tricia Quinlan but 2 sites visited .
The first is the site of the loss of Fairey Battle K9480 on the 23rd of September 1940 in Hucknall, Nottingham ,

 Pilot LAC. E.V.Rozmiarak of 18 OTU from nearby RAF Hucknall had taken off to practice circuits and landings the young pilot had executed 3 good circuits and bumps but on the 4th while climbing in a left hand turn the Battle stalled falling into a spin the plane impacted A house on the corner of Ruffs Drive and Laughton Crescent, Hucknall the crash took the life of the young pilot. Tragically it also took the lives of all 5 members of the Evans Family who were in the house the Smith family next door suffered injury's but thankfully survived 2 others a fireman and airman were injured in rescue efforts

At the crash site today nothing really remains to show the terrible history of this quiet corner quite a distance away a sandstone block in a wall on West street carries a small memorial to the accident .
Visiting Hucknall cemetery I found E.V.Rozmiarak's grave with its original grave stone laid below ,not far away is the new grave marker to the Evans family.
Rozmiarak was buried with full honors he was the first Bomber Command OTU Polish casualty of WW2 sadly the Evans were its first civilian losses .
In the hectic days of 1940 the family the only civilians lost in Hucknall during WW2 were buried in an unmarked paupers grave later in 2016 a relative Dorothy Bevins raised funds to finally place a stone over the family's last resting place .

K9480 =
LAC E.V.Rozmiarak's ,18 OTU
Civilians =
Albert EVANS ( 28 yrs)
Alice Evans (30 yrs)
Alice Evans ( 6 yrs)
John Evans ( 2yrs)
Ronald Evans ( 8 yrs)