Heavenly Body fell from sky as Flying Fortress crashes
Reader Chris Salter answers question about Flying Fortress crash
READER Chris Salter has written in to tell us more about the Flying Fortress which crashed during the war mentioned in the paper last week. This is what he had to say: On Page 3 of last week’s issue of The Hinckley Times there is an appeal for information about a wartime Flying Fortress crash at Nailstone.
The basic details of this crash appeared on page 373 of local author Roy Bonser’s Aviation in Leicestershire & Rutland, published in 2001 by the then Hinckley-based, Midland Counties Publications. The entry stated that a B-17G Flying Fortress, tail number 43-37776, belonging to the 8th US Army Air Force’s 490th Bomb Group, based at Eye in Suffolk, crashed at 20.45hrs at Belchers Bar, Nailstone, on 28th September 1944 while on a night training exercise. The aircraft exploded on impact and all 12 occupants were killed.
A quick “google’ brought up the Peak District Air Accident Research site, and more details of the crash emerged. Firstly the date of the accident was given as the 27th, rather than the 28th September and the aircraft name was Heavenly Body.
The crew members were listed as: Pilot 1Lt Micheal H Primus, Co-pilot 1Lt Louis G Deputy, Navigator 2Lt Richard J Hermann*, Bomb Aimer 2Lt Robert C Simmons*, Flight Engineer Tech Sgt Ray E Griswold, Radio Operator Tech Sgt Claude Keel, the three Air Gunners were Staff Sgts Harry Stoever, Lawrence E Richter* and Americo Vergili. The three passengers, all Staff Sgts, were Ralph W Franke*, John C Barry and Edward Shively. Of the above, those marked * were subsequently buried in the American Cemetery near Madingley in Cambridgeshire.
A plaque to the 9 crew and 3 passengers was placed in a memorial garden close to the crash site, the location being quoted as N52° 39.665, W001° 23.010 and described as Elmdale Farm.
I hope that goes some way to resolving the query.