I took these September 2009. This is the 14th green of the Merrist Wood Golf Course. The aircraft was from 35 squadron, F-Freddy. Crashed here 10 March 1942.
The above tragic loss occurred on 10 March 1941. 10-11 March 1941 35 Squadron Halifax I L9489 TL-F Op. le Havre Took off from Linton-on-Ouse at 1908 hours. Intercepted by an Allied night-fighter and shot down at 2240 hours at Normandy, a small village on the Hampshire / Surrey border between Aldershot and Guildford. Crew. S/L. P A. Gilchrist DFC Sgt. R. Lucas + Sgt. R G. Aedy. Injured P/O. E R. Arnold + Sgt. S. Broardhurst + F/O. A E. Cooper + Source - RAF Bomber Command Losses Vol.2 - W R. Chorley. The Handley Page, Halifax L9489
The above tragic loss occurred on 10 March 1941. 10-11 March 1941 Crew. S/L. P A. Gilchrist DFC Sgt. R. Lucas + Sgt. R G. Aedy. Injured P/O. E R. Arnold + Sgt. S. Broardhurst + F/O. A E. Cooper + Source - RAF Bomber Command Losses Vol.2 - W R. Chorley. The Handley Page, Halifax L9489 Quite correct there Peter. I can just make-out (With a magnifying glass) the date near the top. The wrong date was information supplied from another source. :mellow:
this was the FIRST halifax bomber to be lost on an operational mission the SURREY ADVERTISER :- The night a crew's home thoughts were shot out of the sky . They were home safe . The enemy coast and the bitterly cold English Channel were behind them . Halifax L9489 F-Freddie was on course for its base at Linton-on-Ouse near York . The crew was more relaxed now , though still alert . As they approached the skies over Surrey , the thoughts of flight engineer Ron Aedy were probably on Kingston upon Thames, where he was born . Teddy Arnold , the observer , may have glanced down and wondered about his family in Leatherhead , where he was brought up . Wireless operator/air gunner Stan Broadhurst was another member of the crew with links with Surrey . He had been at school at Witley . Peter Gilchrist , having handed over control of the a/c to 2P Reg Lucas , was enjoying a flask of coffee . The mission to Le Havre was accomplished . Soon they would be landing at their home base . Suddenly * , a devastating burst of gun fire set the starboard outer engine of the Halifax on fire . Soon the fire spread to the inner engine , engulfing the wing . The a/c was doomed . Gilchrist ordered the a/c to be abandoned . It crashed in Minty's Field in the grounds of Merrist Wood Agricultural College . Only two of the crew of six survived . The tragedy of it all was that F-Freddie , on its first operational sortie , was not shot down by an enemy a/c but by one of our own , possibly an RAF night fighter which had mistaken the Halifax for a He 111 or a Ju 88 . The incident , blandly recorded in S/Ldr Gilchrist's log as : Shot down by night fighter (RAF) Aldershot - Guilford area . Sgt Aedy wounded , crew killed . A rather sad beginning has inspired retired headmaster Dennis Hoppe , who lives near Farnham , to write a book about the incident , about those who survived and those who were killed . It is a superbly researched story of a tragic accident , one of many during WWII , in which airmen died as the result of what became known as friendly fire . It is available from the author price £4.50 including postage . Dennis Hoppe is donating £1 for every sale to the RAF Benevolent Fund . Write to him at 2 Jubilee Lane , Wreccle-sham , Surrey GU10 4SZ . In the attack on F-Freddie , Sgt Aedy was severely wounded by shrapnel . Having given the order to abandon the a/c , S/Ldr Gilchrist left through the escape hatch above the pilot's seat . At the same time , the injured Aedy was assisted by his fellow crew members and bundled out of the main fuselage door , ensuring his rip cord was pulled as he left . In doing so , 2P Sgt Lucas , observer P/O Arnold , w/op a/g Sgt Broadhurst and rear gunner Sgt Cooper left it too late to save themselves and sacrificed their lives to save their crew mate . F-Freddie hit the ground in a corner of Minty's Field in Normandy at 22.40 . Peter Gilchrist landed in a field of cattle , opposite the Duke of Normandy pub , about a quarter of a mile from the crash site . Ron Aedy's cries for help brought rescuers to him and he was soon in hospital in Guilford . Reg Lucas was critically injured in the crash and died in Guilford Hospital the next day . His three companions perished in the crash . The port inner engine and much of the forward section of L9489 remained in the ground until unearthed by Croydon Aviation Archaeology Society . Today , a corner of Minty's Field remains a shrine to the memory of those who gave their lives in the cause of freedom and peace .
Does anyone know if the book, mentioned in the previous post, is still available from the same address? Also, does anyone have a photograph of the memorial which I can include on the relevant page on my No 35 Squadron website? Regards Pete
