They Did Remember Them

[soddim]

A fitting ceremony to remember them:

Special service for crashed Lancaster bomber - Horncastle News (http://www.horncastlenews.co.uk/leisure-features/Special-service-for-crashed-Lancaster.5719226.jp)

[Wensleydale]

According to the "Lost Bombers" web site, ED503 was from 9 Sqn and on a training flight (Fighter Affil). The crew were

F/L R.L.Lind KIA Sgt J.Doran KIA P/O C.W.H.Cocks KIA Sgt T.J.Henry KIA Sgt D.A.Brown KIA Sgt T.Wishart KIA.

The Navigator would not have been on board for this training - hence only a crew of 6.

RIP.

[Pontius Navigator]

The news article does not say it was a training flight and the names all suffix KIA.

The annual service takes place in a field at Sibsey Northlands where the bomber crashed in 1943 on its way to France

[November4]

Looks like the newspaper report is wrong - Checked in WR CHroley's RAF Bomber Command Losses 1943 and not surprisingly it gives the same details as Lost Bombers (Lost Bombers is the "lifted" and republished version of BCL)

"9 Sqn Lancaster Mk III ED503 WS+ Crashed at 1530 during fighter affiliation training practice on open fen land at Sibsey, 5 miles NNE of Boston Lincs. Sgt Wishart, the tail gunner is buried in Dalkeith but the rest are commemorate on the Runnymede memorial.

Flt Lt RL Lind
Sgt J Doran
Plt Off CWH Cocks
Sgt TJ Henry
Sgt DA Brown
Sgt T Wishart

The parents of the deceased later had erected at the crash site a stone memorial cross, bearing the names while in Cambridge Regional Cemetery, a plaque simiarly inscribed has been placed in their memory"

Chorley lists Flt Lt Lind as RL Lind yet CWGC shows him as Robert Frood Lind

Just found on EBay - Fate Has no Reason (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FATE-HAS-NO-REASON-%2FChris-Howard--LANCASTER-ED503-CRASH_W0QQitemZ200392007964QQcmdZViewItemQQimsxq20091008?IMS fp=TL0910081410001r26743) - Lancaster ED503 crash

[Mandator]

At East Kirkby they sell a magnificent little booklet "Memorial Lancaster ED503 - Lest We Forget" by Stanley Naylor, published by the Sibsey Lancaster Memorial Trust, ISBN 0-9527846-6-1 at the price of £4.75.

The rear cover of the booklet states that "The mystery crash happened at approx 3.30 pm on Friday 29 January 1943 when the brans new aircraft was on an engine and airframe test flight incorporating a fighter affiliation exercise with a Spitfire fighter aircraft".

The booklet provides a narrative of the events leading up to the accident and the subsequent recovery operations. Also, the booklet contains the Order of Service which is used at the annual commemoration Service held at the Memorial.

[November4]

Runnymede Memorial

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae191/November4_photos/Brown.jpg

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae191/November4_photos/Cocks.jpg

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae191/November4_photos/Doran.jpg

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae191/November4_photos/Henry.jpg

http://i971.photobucket.com/albums/ae191/November4_photos/Lind.jpg