Poignant day remembers Parson Drove war plane crash heroes

An emotional day to commemorate the lives of WWII heroes killed in a plane crash 80 years ago ended with a nostalgic fly past.

One of only two Lancaster bombers currently flying in the world graced the skies over Parson Drove on Sunday to mark the conclusion of an afternoon of remembrance for the crew of one of the aircraft that crashed into the darkened fields off Sealey Lane at 1.40am on July 9 1943.

Bill Welbourne one of a dedicated committee who helped organise the event explained the day was poignant not only because it was remembering the lives lost, but because members of the families whose relatives died in the crash were also present – some having travelled from Australia.

Lancaster bomber ED360 was on a mission flying from RAF Swinderby in Lincolnshire to bomb the German city of Cologne.

However, within a short time after take off the plane, which had seven crew members on board, developed engine problems. The crew worked to isolate the outer rear starboard engine and continued on their way to Germany.

However, when they reached the Dutch coast it was decided to abort the mission and return home. The crew dumped most of the payload as the crossed the Channel, but unfortunately a 4,000lbs bomb was still on board.

As they reached the English landfall it was decided to untether the problem engine and make an attempt to start it, but unfortunately this resulted in the engine catching fire.

With the plane losing height the crew began to bail out, with Sgt Louise Hazell, the bomb aimer, the first to drop to safety.

He was followed by Sgt Frank Scattergood, the flight engineer.

Sgt hazell landed in a dyke and although injured managed to seek help, Sgt Scattergood, was not so lucky landing on the now-gone Woad Mill roof and suffering serious injuries, which prevented him from flying again.

Of the remaining crew members Sgt Clifford Simm (rear gunner) , Flt Sgt Kenneth Murphy (of the Canadian RAF and mid upper gunner) and flight navigator Sgt James Johns also bailed out, however by the time the exited the crashing plane it was too low and they hit the ground before their parachutes could open.

Their bodies lay undiscovered for over three days and were eventually found by women going into the fields for harvesting.

Moments after they jumped the plane crashed into the ground, exploding on impact, and showering a one mile radius with debris, sadly the explosion left no trace of the remaining two crew members, pilot Flt Sg Arthur Bristow and wireless operator Sgt Wilfred Worthington.

Bill said: “The explosion would have been enormous, it happened in the middle of the night. There would have been a black out in place so the crew had no chance of spotting a safe place to land.”

The crash happened very close to a local farm house, home to Caroline and Albert Britton. Albert was awake enough to look out of the window just as the impact happened and was covered in glass which left him blinded. His wife was uninjured.

The Newton family, who were also living close by in a converted railway carriage, managed to escape with cuts to their feet thanks to the courage and strength of their father as he held up the roof long enough for his wife and children to escape before managing to get out himself.

Sunday’s commemoration started at the village hall with refreshments and included a service at the village war memorial, where a marble book with the names of the crew inscribed was unveiled, before dignitaries and others were transported to the crash site for the unveiling of a commemorative board outlining details of the crash.

There was also a short service with the playing of the Last Post and the Lancaster flypast took place.

Bill said: “It was very emotional, especially for the family members. The Lancaster flying over head brought a tear to a few people’s eyes. It did the traditional clover pattern before heading off into sky.”

Among those present was a representative of the Canadian Air Force, Lt Col Colin Bylsma; Wing Cdr Darren Clark from RAF Marham; Col Mark Knight, deputy Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire and Dr Bharat Khetani, High Sherrif of Cambridgeshire.

Hazel Clark the 88-year-old sister of Sgt Wilfred Worthington was among the family members of the various crew and these included visitors from Australia who happened to be holidaying in the UK.

The event has taken two years to organise and was funded with the help of money from the local Wrydcroft Community Fund.