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