Secret of wartime bomber smash

Kyt · Jan 23, 2008

Secret Of Wartime Bomber Smash (from This Is Hertfordshire)

AN AMATEUR historian believes he has uncovered the truth of how his cousin was killed in a wartime plane crash on the outskirts of St Albans.

Harry Green, 67, has spent eight years researching the story of a Lancaster bomber which came down in a ball of fire near Warren Farm, Colney Heath on the night of October 22, 1943.

All seven crew members lost their lives, including the 21-year-old wireless operator, Tom Green - cousin to Harry Green.

By publishing an appeal for information in the Review, Harry has traced several local people with memories of the fatal night, including a woman who, as an 18-year-old, was actually in Warren Farm at the time.

Harry told the Review: "She went upstairs to draw the blackout curtains.

"She saw this ball of fire coming straight towards the house.

"She though it was going to hit the house, but it crashed in a field."

Some of the crew's bodies, thrown clear of the stricken plane, were found in the farmyard.

They had embarked on a training flight from an RAF base near Lincoln, and Harry's research has uncovered a simultaneous German air-raid on the Handley Page aeroplane factory near Park Street.

He is keeping the details of exactly what happened up his sleeve until his book is published, but hinted to the Review that British anti-aircraft guns were to blame.

Harry's extensive research has encompassed inquest reports, RAF records and family documents.

He has written 160 pages for a book tracing the history of each of the crew members, including two Australians, but is yet to find a publisher.

Despite being only a toddler at the time of the crash, Harry has a clear memory of his doomed cousin.

He said: "My family lived in Godalming in Surrey, and his parents came to live near us when they were bombed out of London in the Blitz.

"I can remember seeing my cousin when he came home on leave.

"He was an only child - it was terrible for his parents.

"It is a very sad story, but it has got more and more interesting because I have spoken to local people.

"It is amazing - there were still quite a lot of people who remembered the crash.

"In some cases they were telling me about their parents' memories."
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Kyt · Jan 23, 2008

Should be an interesting read because Chorley in BCL Vol 8 states:

1654 Heavy Conversion Unit
Lancaster I L7575 UG-Q
Training

T/O 1855 Wigsley tasked for a command Bullseye. It is suspected that the crew encountered very severe turbalance and, possibly, icing which led to structural failure of the outer wings and tail. Thus, at 2012, debris literally rained from the skies over Warren House Farm at Colney Heath, 3 miles SE of St Albans in Herfordshire. The two Australians were laid to rest in Brookwood Military Cemetry, the bodies of their five companions being entrusted to relatives for private burial
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P/O E M Taylor RAAF
Sgt A Rooks
F/O E Williams
Sgt J F Thwaite
Sgt H T Green
F/Sgt G B Davies RAAF
Sgt E P Stock

Kyt · Jan 23, 2008

Interestingly, L7575 was an ex-97 Squadron aircraft:

97 Squadron Association - Gallery of Images

and more about one of the crew

Barrage Balloon Manual by LACW Margaret Lindsey

Eric Williams 909 Squadron East Ham, March 1939 - August 1941

A request from Mr Harry Green who is researching the above WWII Barrage balloon Operator who served at East Ham with 909 Squadron from March 1939 to August 1941. He spent some time training at Cardington between August and September 1940.Eric was born in 1910 and was from Manor Park, North London.

In 1941 he volunteered as aircrew and passed out as a Navigator serving with Lancaster crews until October 1943 when on a flying and training exercise his aircraft crashed killing all of the crew.

At that time he was Flying Officer 134704 Eric Williams aged 33 and was killed 22nd October 1943. He is buried at :

CITY OF LONDON CEMETERY AND CREMATORIUM, MANOR PARK.

The aircraft he was killed in was a Lancaster Mk I, L7575, and it crashed on Colney Heath near St Albans at approx 2000 hrs on

Friday 22nd October 1943. They were on their final exercise, flying from Conversion Unit 1654 at Wigsley, Notts.
They were due to be posted to 467 Squadron at Bottesford. This was an RAAF Squadron, probably chosen because their pilot was RAAF. Eric, aged 33, was single. His parents, Henry & Kate Williams, lived at 10 Station Road,

Manor Park, London, E.12. He had two older brothers, Harry and Frank. Harry was a high ranking Army officer.
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And the RAAF service files for:

Taylor:
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=5241536&I=1&SE=1

Davies:
http://naa12.naa.gov.au/scripts/imagine.asp?B=5531363&I=1&SE=1

Antipodean Andy · Jan 23, 2008

I wonder if he's considered a German intruder? I hope he gets published.

BC1 · Jan 26, 2008

Andy in West Oz said: ↑

I wonder if he's considered a German intruder? I hope he gets published.
Click to expand...

Interesting story.
There were no claims by the Me 410 intruder crews of 14/KG.2 that night.

BC

spidge · Jan 28, 2008

Renewing................

Kyt · Dec 7, 2008

The book has now been published. Available from

Woodfield Publishing Ltd | independent UK book publishers | We publish books | Your book published by a UK books publisher
(go to A-Z index)

Lost in Training: The Final Hours of Lancaster L7575 Harry Green

Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Woodfield Publishing (1 Oct 2008)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1846830664

and some photos

Wigsley crew Taylor

spidge · Dec 7, 2008

Thanks for the info Kyt.

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