Grange Hill
A Martin B26 Marauder ( 42-96175 6B-Y) which crash-landed after running out of fuel behind the houses on Grange Hill on Saturday 17th June 1944. It slid along the ground for a considerable distance and travelled through the gardens of Not 47, 45 and 43 before ending up in the garden of No 41. One of the propellors was reported to have landed behind No. 28 Grange Hill. The crew escaped serious injury.
A witness who lived in a house on Grange Hill heard a noise outside and when he looked out of his back window was confused at what looked like two bright lights getting closer together - it took a moment for him to realise that they were the landing lights of an aircraft careering along the ground and heading directly towards him!
An account by an eyewitness I.L Phillips.
‘It had been a lovely warm late spring day and I had attended the dance at the American Red Cross Club (St. Peters Hall). My mother was one of the voluntary helpers, and through her I was enrolled as one of the dance hostesses.
On Saturdays the dance always finished at 11pm because Miss Dorothy Mears the club director wished everyone to be home and the transport away to the bases, to ensure the village was quiet before midnight. Gerry Estie, trombonist in the Havocs band and his friend Jimmy had escorted me home, about 15 minutes walk from the village. The night was still and warm and dusk just beginning to fall, it was double summertime, 2 hours forward of G.M.T. and nearing the longest day. Just beyond the ten acre field opposite our house were the runways of the Rivenhall airbase, and as we stood talking at the garden gate we watched the Maurauders circling and going into land, one by one, apparently just returning from another mission.
Indoors, my mother was waiting up for me and I went through to the kitchen where she was preparing our bedtime drink. When suddenly there was a loud rending noise coming closer and closer. We ran through to the front of the house, throwing ourselves on the floor, expecting an explosion, as we both thought it to be a Vi flying bomb. However, all became quiet, so I returned to the kitchen and on opening the door was met by a hail of earth and branches from our fruit trees. I was amazed to see this aircraft a few yards away, as I walked towards it a voice called "quickly get an axe, get an axe" I immediately got one from the shed nearby. One of the crew had appeared, and taking the axe from me smashed the front of the cockpit to reach the pilot, who was bleeding profusely from the head and appeared to be unconscious. He was moaning and trembling, so I fetched a blanket to put round him, the airman applied some white powder to the head wounds. My mother had meanwhile alerted the civil defence, and it was not long before the local fire service arrived, fortunately they were not needed. I remained by the pilot's side holding the blanket round him for what seemed like ages before ambulances eventually arrived from the base to take the crew away.
Our neighbours were all asleep and were amazed at the sight the next day. The Marauder had ploughed through the laurel hedge of No 47 and the fences of No 45 and No 43, coming to a stop in our garden, No 41, right by our shed, three yards from the kitchen door. Two airmen were left to guard the plane night and day, until the following Wednesday when a transporter arrived to take it away.’
Juliet Snowling writes: ' Our neighbour told us that the plane landed across the gardens of 43 and 45 and he reckons that he couldn't grow potatoes because of the fuel and oil that had leaked out into the ground.'
Thanks also to Paul Shearman, Dawn Cranham and Jeremy Doughton.
Date; May 1944
Ref; 17/16
A Martin B26 Marauder ( 42-96175 6B-Y) which crash-landed after running out of fuel behind the houses on Grange Hill on Saturday 17th June 1944. It slid along the ground for a considerable distance and travelled through the gardens of Not 47, 45 and 43 before ending up in the garden of No 41. One of the propellors was reported to have landed behind No. 28 Grange Hill. The crew escaped serious injury.
A witness who lived in a house on Grange Hill heard a noise outside and when he looked out of his back window was confused at what looked like two bright lights getting closer together - it took a moment for him to realise that they were the landing lights of an aircraft careering along the ground and heading directly towards him!
An account by an eyewitness I.L Phillips.
‘It had been a lovely warm late spring day and I had attended the dance at the American Red Cross Club (St. Peters Hall). My mother was one of the voluntary helpers, and through her I was enrolled as one of the dance hostesses.
On Saturdays the dance always finished at 11pm because Miss Dorothy Mears the club director wished everyone to be home and the transport away to the bases, to ensure the village was quiet before midnight. Gerry Estie, trombonist in the Havocs band and his friend Jimmy had escorted me home, about 15 minutes walk from the village. The night was still and warm and dusk just beginning to fall, it was double summertime, 2 hours forward of G.M.T. and nearing the longest day. Just beyond the ten acre field opposite our house were the runways of the Rivenhall airbase, and as we stood talking at the garden gate we watched the Maurauders circling and going into land, one by one, apparently just returning from another mission.
Indoors, my mother was waiting up for me and I went through to the kitchen where she was preparing our bedtime drink. When suddenly there was a loud rending noise coming closer and closer. We ran through to the front of the house, throwing ourselves on the floor, expecting an explosion, as we both thought it to be a Vi flying bomb. However, all became quiet, so I returned to the kitchen and on opening the door was met by a hail of earth and branches from our fruit trees. I was amazed to see this aircraft a few yards away, as I walked towards it a voice called "quickly get an axe, get an axe" I immediately got one from the shed nearby. One of the crew had appeared, and taking the axe from me smashed the front of the cockpit to reach the pilot, who was bleeding profusely from the head and appeared to be unconscious. He was moaning and trembling, so I fetched a blanket to put round him, the airman applied some white powder to the head wounds. My mother had meanwhile alerted the civil defence, and it was not long before the local fire service arrived, fortunately they were not needed. I remained by the pilot's side holding the blanket round him for what seemed like ages before ambulances eventually arrived from the base to take the crew away.
Our neighbours were all asleep and were amazed at the sight the next day. The Marauder had ploughed through the laurel hedge of No 47 and the fences of No 45 and No 43, coming to a stop in our garden, No 41, right by our shed, three yards from the kitchen door. Two airmen were left to guard the plane night and day, until the following Wednesday when a transporter arrived to take it away.’
Juliet Snowling writes: ' Our neighbour told us that the plane landed across the gardens of 43 and 45 and he reckons that he couldn't grow potatoes because of the fuel and oil that had leaked out into the ground.'
Thanks also to Paul Shearman, Dawn Cranham and Jeremy Doughton.
Date; May 1944
Ref; 17/16
Also in: Bridge Street
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