LONG OVERDUE:
76 years ago, Peter Capewell and Bernard Dale – then aged 13 and 11 – were among the Kingsley residents who witnessed a Halifax Bomber crash on farm land.
Now, eight decades later, a plaque of remembrance has been erected to the six men who died in the crash.
SEVENTY six years after a war time air crash which killed six people, a plaque of remembrance has been erected.
At around 6.30pm on February 7, 1944, a Handley Page Halifax bomber on a training mission crashed on farm land some 200 yards from the A52 adjacent to the Blakeley Lane Chapel near Kingsley Moor.
The incident was witnessed by youngsters Peter Capewell and Bernard Dale.
Local residents rushed to the crash site but all members of the crew were already dead – except for the rear gunner, who was mortally wounded.
Today there is no evidence of the events of that night in 1944 at the site and few have any knowledge of it.
The crash was uncovered while researching Kingsley’s WW2 history.
Last Friday members of the RAF joined Kingsley Parish councillors, Royal British Legion members and local residents to unveil a plaque erected on the wall of Blakeley Lane Chapel to remember those who lost their lives.
Speaking at the event, Martyn Hordern, who re-discovered the story of the accident, said: “I would like to thank all at Blakeley Lane Chapel for allowing the plaque to be sited at the chapel and especially to Ivan Mear for all his help; Kingsley Parish Council for funding the plaque, and the RAF personnel from RAF Shawbury who have made the trip to us.
“I mentioned that some four years ago while researching the book All the Kingsley Men I met Peter Capewell whose father and two uncles had served in WW1.
“During our conversations he mentioned to me that as a young lad he had seen an RAF bomber crash in the fields behind his then home nearby to the chapel.
“Last February like many I had watched the broadcast and the news media story of the Mi Amigo crash 75th anniversary commemoration in Sheffield with military bands and a fly past by both the American air force and the RAF. “I checked the records and found that we had missed the 75th anniversary of the Blakeley Lane crash by a couple of weeks.
“There was no fly past, no bands on that day to remember the six men killed. I then set out to put that right.
“Serving as air crew with Bomber Command in WW2 was a perilous occupation.
“Out of 125,000 men who served over 55,000 were killed, of those over 8,000 were killed in flying accidents like the one we are commemorating today, 9,000 were taken prisoner, 8,000 were wounded.
“An example of the scale of loss which at times saw the life expectancy of aircrew less than a junior officer on the Western Front in WW1 was this: Of 100 men setting out on their 30 mission tour of duty 55 would be killed or die of wounds, three would be injured, 12 would be taken prisoner, two shot down evading capture and just 27 would complete their tour.
“We owe these men a debt of gratitude in that we are able to stand at the chapel and to be able to remember their sacrifice.”
Peter Capewell was just 13 years old when he witnessed the crash.
He said: “I was down the road when I saw it coming down, I thought it was going to hit some houses. The noise was very bad. The rear gunner lay on the floor, I can still remember it clearly after all these years.”
Bernard Dale was only 11 when he saw the plane come down.
He said: “I was up on the hill with three friends when I saw it clearly. It burst into flames, the noise was terrific. I ran down to the road to look at it. Neighbours came out very quickly but there was nothing they could do. It seemed to come down on an angle.”
Those who lost their lives were Flying Officer Ernest Charles David Richards; Sgt Kenneth Murray; Sgt William Desmond Joshua; Sgt Herbert John Couling; Sgt Albert John Denny and Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve Flying Officer Hubert Lloyd Kerr, Royal Canadian Air Force.