Village honours crash war hero
Pilot escaped from occupied France days before Spitfire plummeted into field
With the passing years, the Second World War is becoming increasingly distant. The village of Nettlestead, however, is determined to keep alive the memory of at least one of those heroes who fell in the conflict.
Richmond Blumer was an Australian, born in New South Wales, who died when his Spitfire plummeted to the ground in fields near the Hop Pole pub in Nettlestead Green on June 25, 1944.
There is a mystery around the cause of the crash. Flying had been curtailed for most of the day due to bad weather, but Warrant Officer Blumer took part in the last patrol of that day, destroying a flying bomb between Tenterden and Ashford.
After the patrol headed home to West Malling, he landed at the Advanced Landing Ground at Staplehurst to refuel. He took off again, but crashed just a mile or two short of his destination.
Witnesses in Nettlestead recall seeing the plane diving straight to the ground. WO Blumer, who was only 25, was killed instantly. He was buried at Brookwood Cemetery, Surrey.
This year, as it has every year since 2005, the village held a memorial service for him at the Hop Pole Farm, where he is also remembered with a picture and information panel.
The service was attended by Squadron Leader Daniel Dobbin, of the Royal Australian Air Force, and around 40 villagers, including two who had also served during the war – Nancy Bennett in the WAAF and Frank Bell in the Army.
WO Blumer was known as “Tony” by his family and “Red” by his flying colleagues, on account of his red hair.
The fatal crash was not his first flying accident.
He joined the Royal Australian Air Force after a brief spell as a dispatch rider. He was training in Canada and by all accounts performing very well when he took a dare to fly between two grain silos near the airfield. There wasn’t room and he crashed and his crewman was seriously injured. The incident set back his career. He was kept at the camp for a year as staff pilot and not sent to England until late 1943.
Assigned to 91 (Nigeria) Squadron at RAF Westhampnett in Sussex, he flew a number of bomber escort missions and shot down a Focke Wulf, piloted by Helmut Baümener, over Lille in France.
Only days later, on September 18, 1943, his plane came down in the sea near Deal after developing engine problems following a dogfight. He was unhurt and quickly rescued.
He took his revenge, shooting down a Messerschmitt Bf 109G a little later.
On November 6, 1943, during a raid on railway lines in France, his plane was brought down and he was rescued by members of the French Resistance. His journey home was via Switzerland, back to France, to Spain and then to Gibraltar.
Three days later and he was flying again, helping to shoot down or tip over the V-1 flying bombs.
There is some speculation that his return to active service was too soon after his escape ordeal, and this may have contributed to his final crash.
The crash site was excavated in 1992, and a number of personal items were recovered, including WO Blumer’s flying helmet, watch and coins.