Reigate B-17 Memorial

I was at Reigate Hill today to pay respects to the crew of this B-17 which came to grief on 19th March 1945. The aircraft had been on a mission to Plauen oil refinery on the German/Czech border and was returning to Grafton  Underwood in Northants. The weather was extremely poor and descending in low cloud the Fortress hit tree tops and exploded on the ground, sadly killing all on board. There remains a gap in the tree line where the aircraft came in.

Today there is a memorial on the site in the form of carved oak B17 wing tips spaced the exact distance apart of the real aircraft. A small info board and memorial bench are also in place.

It was poignant to visit today as it was  a damp misty morning without too many people about and limited visibility in to the distance and gazing at the gap in the trees brought home what had taken place. RIP all.

Spitfire - Evolution of an Icon

 As we have some time off over the festive season and there is a new exhibition 'Spitfire - Evolution of an Icon' at Duxford it seemed like a good excuse to head north for the final time this year for a look around my favourite museum. The Spitfire exhibition is 12 marks ranging from 1 to 22 in the conservation area of the super hangar. There is nothing that we have not seen before as all of the Spits seem to be based at Duxford but it is a nice idea to put them on display together. The only real let down was the TFC Mk22 which is in bits as it has been for years and adds nothing to the display but was probably easier than trying to re-position the museum 24 from the main hangar.

A stroll around the rest of the site showed nothing much has changed since my last visit in October and all of the air show regulars are tucked up for winter. Anyway, here are some snaps from today.