Beaufighter Mk IF, R2299 22 October 1941 F/O Josef Kloboucník .RAFVR Sgt Josef Klvácek.RAFVR 68 Sqn RAF High Ercal

Late on the evening of the 22 October 1941 Beaufighter Mk IF, R2299 sat waiting for its crew of 2, the crew both Czechoslovak exiles F/O Josef Kloboucník .RAFVR and Sgt Josef Klvácek.RAFVR had escaped to the UK to fight on with other countrymen and joined 68 Squadron, along with 2 other exiles this young crew formed the first of the Czechoslovak night fighters in England  the other s were  P/O Miloslav Mansfeld who with Sgt Slavomil Janáce  scored the first kills for the 68^th on the 12-13^th of October with the shooting down of 2 HE111s.

Formed at RAF Catterick in January 1941 68 squadron  took on the duties of night fighter unit  first with Bristol Blenheims  then later, after moving to RAF High Ercall, Shropshire the Squadron converted to  the Beaufighter.

 Taking off R2299 headed into the dark from its base, on the lookout for raiding aircraft at some point the crew were informed of a target and started the hunt. During this engagement the night fighter took hits from return fire, damaging the plane and causing the crew to turn away and head for High Ercall. Nearing their home base at 00.05 the Fighter was in serious trouble losing power and height, with no time left the plane pancaked into a field near Poynton Green, a scant few miles from the base.  The plane tore across the crops and burst into flames, a local farmer who had seen the plane impact his field ran to help but couldn’t get near the burning wreck, tragically both of the crew were lost.

 I have not found this site sadly few details are available but Tricia and I did visit Wellington Cemetery where in a quiet corner both of the crew rest next to each other.

 In an odd twist to this sad loss the farmer reported that as he stood by the burning plane a small black cat walked out of the wreck and approached him, then wandered off across the fields. Later he said that the cat had found a local woman’s house and moved in, it lived there for many years until she passed away where upon the cat disappeared but has been said to be seen at the site over the years.

 I will add nothing more to the local Ghost stories this sad loss may have brought about, these 2 brave young men deserve a remembrance in their own right.

 Many thanks to Rob Evans whose picture out of all the world I stumbled across and so beautifully fits with this story  

Wellington V HF465, 12 OTU, 28th of October 1944 RAF Chipping Warden Bridgemere Cheshire

At 9.13am on the 28^th of October 1944 Wellington V HF465, 12 OTU lumbered into the dark sky from RAF Chipping Warden, Oxfordshire.

 

The bomber and its crew of 7, were tasked to fly a daytime cross country training flight, this would have been one of the crews last training missions as they were nearing the end of the schooling and going onto operations.  Heading  North West the bomber ran into very severe weather over Cheshire,  it is not known for sure what happened but whilst the pilot was descending through the heavy cloud  HF465 fell into a very high speed dive tearing the wings and tail off, the fuselage and engines impacted a field on Prices Hill, Bridgemere, Cheshire.

 

Tragically 6 of the crew were lost with only one survivor Sgt D.S.H.Wilson, who suffered serious injury after managing to bail out of the falling plane.

 

 At the site today on the A51 is a well-built memorial next to the site of the crash, this was placed here in 2003 by local residents and local organisations and it is a fitting reminder of this sad loss.

Crew lost in HF465 –

F/S L.J. Timperley

P/O C.F. Holmes

Sgt L.E. Harrison

Sgt J.D. Milne

Sgt R. Whitely

Sgt A.F. Baker

 

By the tree nearby is a notice board  which Tricia spotted  as it had fallen over, on the board is a poem for the crew it is well worth a read if you can expand the picture but if not please take a few moments

 

                                                          Go to your sweet rest.

                                                   It is a farmer’s field like any other

                                                      Where the wind blows free

                                                         And the song birds gather

                                                There are spirits among the flowers

                                          Who walk the hedgerow and mark the hours

                                            Six brave souls whose wings were broken

                                              But of their sacrifice no word is spoken

                                                     It was up to those left behind 

                                       To bear the wounds with no reason or rhyme  

                                  To make sense of the thing that made no sense at all

                           Forfeiting lives full of promise with those who answered the call 

 

                                                   It’s just a farmer’s field like any other

                                                        But here the winds can fall silent

                                                         And the songbirds will linger

                                           For spirits walk around the hallowed flowers

                                         Along the sacred hedgerows spending timeless hours

                                                     Six souls who went boldly forward

                                             Bearing old man’s burdens bravely shouldered 

                                           It was up to those who begged the angels nightly

                                                To rebuild lives now shattered and empty

                                       Was it for the glory of war or the will of god almighty

                                              This dreadful price to pay for love of country

 

                                             It will remain just a farmer’s field like any other

                                                           Where the wind carry voices

                                                              And the song birds answer

                                               For the spirits here we lay pure white flowers

                                               By the hedgerow chapel for a few brief hours 

                                       For the six precious souls who left the world too quickly

                                         We honour your sacrifice your courage your bravery

                                             You died not in vain but for some higher purpose 

                                         Now your memory lives on in hearts you never knew

                                                  Go now you young cavaliers of the sky 

                                              Go to your sweet rest as we bid you goodbye.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Carol Jane Shelton