Brookwood Military Cemetery/Lytchett Minster Churchyard/Glasgow Western Necropolis/ LANCASTER CRASH

We recently have been carrying out further searches for more relatives of the Shell family as despite their best efforts a photograph of John Shell couldn't be found from the existing ones we've contacted.

It now looks likely that we may have achieved this and we are hoping that we may receive a photo in the next day or so. If this occurrs we will have found a photo of all seven men on the aircraft. A pleasing result.


Ref the post above by 'Lofty1' - my good friend is full of praise. But in fact I must throw that back at him. Had it not been for him creating the circumstances of getting people interested in the same subject matter together chatting over a coffee and a bacon sandwich, we would probably would never of heard David (Seaborn) talk of the morning he saw a burning RAF Lancaster fly over where he lived as a boy, using his hands to show the way the aircraft banked away towards the airfield and heard him say just how unlucky the crew were.

Often its' only when the right conditions are there and people feel comfortable to talk, that we are priviliged into their memories.

No doubt as we progress and what we are doing becomes more known about we will hear of others accounts of what happened that morning. The catalyst however has been David's passionately spoken words, all made possible by Lofty.

 

These photos show the Boxted Airfield memorial situated near the end of the main runway in Park Lane Langham, built in 1992. (not the best photos we have).

The Lancaster crew memorial on Ipswich Road will be similar to this in size. The marble top will be black, and we will use paving slabs around the base. The brickwork will be cream coloured.

The top has been made by using the easy maintainance method, which means the background is shot blasted away leaving a buff surface and the letters standing proud in shiny black marble. This should not require any further attention in the years ahead.

The front marble section carrying the RAF motif we have used the more traditional method i.e. the marble is mostly shiny black with the motif depicted in white.

 

After 18 months of research we have now obtained a picture of the seventh and last crew member of the Lancaster, it came today, a big thank you must go to Janis Moyes who provided it.
This is a picture of Flight Sgt. John ("Jack") Lander Shell. Air bomber.
Now we have to think about getting the memorial built, which we hope to begin in Febuary, its all been carefully planned, and we seem to be ready to go, the bricks, the concrete plinth, the bricklayer, the black marble top (inscribed, done and ready as is the front panel) and a large gazebo to cover the site if the weather is still poor. its all falling into place.
Todays picture is very good news.

regards lofty

 

Roger Collier of Pristine Image has once again kindly stepped in to help enhance another image for us, the one sent to us from Jan Moyes.

The relative who Jan enquired to for possible photos, her fathers younger cousin, Peter now age 87, so happened to have been looking through his old photos recently with a view to writing his life history. Her enquiry came at the right time. Jan was also able to tell us that John Shell was known as 'Jack.'

Below is the link to Roger Colliers company PRISTINE IMAGE.

Well done Janis and thank you Roger.

A before and after here for comparison.


Pristine Image

 

Left 1943 map illustrates roughly where the main crash site was in relation to the airfield.

Second and third pics are official drawings / plans of the airfield showing site 7 in more detail.

The red marker is the main wreckage area of UM-K2 DV177.

 

In Canada the Veterans Affairs Agency has a 'Virtual War Memorial' on its website. This serves to honour all those who have died in conflicts. Anyone can donate their famlies lost one's records on there and this to some extent keeps their memory alive.

We have recently updated the three Canadian aircrews entry's

Click on portrait photo of Robert Edgar Hall Cameron to see the text.

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/Detail/2762101?Robert%20Edgar%20Hall%20Cameron

Click on portrait photo of Murray Langtry McPherson to see the text

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/Detail/2667671

Click on the portrait photo of Francis winburn Gunn to see the text

http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/collections/virtualmem/Detail/2666925

 

We are now working on the Order of Service. In this we probably will use 'High Flight' and one other.

I am open to suggestions for a third piece of verse to go on the back cover, so if anyone has some ideas please put them forward on this thread, thanks.


We now have our piece of verse. Thanks to those who put forward suggestions.

 

Pics 1 and 2 show where we believe main crash site was; photos were taken from different directions.
Pic 3 shows a footpath which leads onto Ipswich Road. In pic 4 the footpath is to the left behind the grey metal fencing. At the end of the car parking area which is visible, somewhere near to the two conifer trees are, we believe that the tail plane of the aircraft came to rest.

 

Yesterday we had some publicity photos taken on site which will be appear in our local newspaper on Monday and Friday next week. Once we have the report we'll post it here.

 

Hi all,
Work started today at the memorial site,we have now dug the hole for the footings, and are about to arrange for the concrete, it was great to get started on this first phase of the build,and we are looking forward to seeing all come together.
I have added some pics of three forum members and a hole, taken yesterday--Monday

regards lofty

 

MEMORIAL TO AIRCREW IS TO BE UNVEILED 69 YEARS AFTER CRASH
Tonights local paper.

regards lofty

 

Concrete is done. it does not seem a very big hole but it took 12 barrow loads, with many thanks to DB Concrete for thier input.

lofty

 

The picture here shows Lofty, Peter Potter, David Seaborn and Michael Heath.

Peter Potter served as an Air Gunner in the same Squadron as the lost Lancaster crew (626 Wickenby), and is keen to represent his Squadron at the forthcoming memorial, which will jointly be unveiled by David and Michael.


(Photo credit Paul Rickwood).

 

Photo from the newspaper report: Left to right:

Susan Ho and her partner from Seven Seas Worktops; Peter Potter;
Lofty Tolhurst; Jim Moran, the stonemason of JSM Essex Ltd; Josh Tolhurst (kneeling); David Seaborn; Phil Clarke, local manager of Space Makers Safestore; Sue Moran, wife of Jim; David Harmer, Musical Director of The Harwich Royal British Legion Brass Band; Michael Heath.

(Photo credit: James Calnan & Seana - Colchester Evening Gazette / Essex County Standard).

 

In the summer last year we acquired nearly 400 images from the Wickenby Museum curator. Some of the people in the images looked similar to the crew of UM-K2 but it is thought to be unlikely any of them as not all in the picture groups matched the crew. Crews generally stayed together most of the time.

It would be interesting however to see what others monitoring the thread on here think.

Here are two pictures of the Navigator Francis Gunn which were taken before the war sent to us by a relative, and a newspaper cutting photo obtained from Wickenbys collection. The person in the centre of the picture looks similar to the portrait images??

 

Here are two portrait images of James Mayger the Flight Engineer and Murray McPherson the Pilot, sent into us by relatives.

In the group standing by the aircraft (which is ? a Wellington), going from left to right, could the first person by Murray McPherson and third person James Mayger??

 

Hi Chris, Hi Lofty, Third on the left - Mayger, i don't think so. Something to do with the ears and chin maybe.

 

Please note that the date printed here is incorrect. It should read 25th April.

The square like object in the newspaper photo is the mobile Receiver Station which was situated on the back of a truck prior to the Lancaster colliding with it. To the right of the photo can be seen the aerial mast. If you look closely there is a ? American serviceman standing in a gap the hedgeline, top right.

(See post 56 for more crash site photos).



Additional pictures: L - R: Michael Heath and David Seaborn, who both saw the aircraft moments before it came down. (Pictures of them courtesy of The Colchester Evening Gazette and Essex County Standard).

Also shown is the truck which the Receiver Station was on. Note the bent chassis.

 

It looks very promising that a local film club will take footage of the ceremony for us. This will provide us with a good record of the morning.

This is now confirmed and we will have a meet up with them a couple of weeks before the event. We expect them to carry out interviews of our witnesses as well, so that should be good. They will use two - three cameras at the ceremony I'm informed.

 

Just a quick update on progress, the footings are in and the pillar is now built, still some more to get on with, but the weather seems very much against us, but it will be done and ready for the day.
Many thanks must go to the kindly gentleman bricklayer who braved the poor weather to do this and keep the project on schedule, he asked to remain anonymous.

regards lofty