As with much of the UK in WWII Norfolk beaches were heavily mined as a deterrent against a possible German invasion. Thankfully the mines were never needed in this way but consequently they had to be removed subsequently to make the coast safe again. Sadly this resulted in a number of deaths amongst bomb disposal units. This memorial at Mundesley remembers 27 personnel lost between 1944 and 1953.
Jolly 22 was the call sign of a USAF HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopter. Flying out of Lakenheath on 7th January 2014 it passed at low level over a nature reserve at Cley Marshes, Norfolk and impacted a flock of geese which appears to have disabled both pilot and co-pilot with the tragic result that the helicopter crashed killing all four crew on board.
A memorial to the crew has subsequently been put in place at Cley close by to the crash site.
Little Snoring opened in 1943 and was used mainly by Lancasters and Mosquitos. It was relinquished by the RAF in the 1950s but remains in use for general aviation via part of one of the original runways. I was passing by yesterday so detoured to have a quick look. Not much is accessible since it is an active airfield but the other end of the current runway was quite clear, albeit covered with piles of gravel, and the original control tower is still extant. An airfield memorial stone has been erected in the recent past.
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I last visited North Creake 9 years ago (airfield review) but since then a new memorial in the form of a roll of honour and a Stirling 'sculpture' have been erected and I called by today for a quick look and found it a quite impressive addition.
Incidentally, since my last visit the control tower has been completed as planned and is up and running as a B&B.
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Since my last visit to the former airfield at Langham a few years ago a new memorial has been erected. It is in memory of Richard Younghusband, an RAF pilot who joined the RAF in 1931 and went on to fly with Bristol Aeroplane Company as a test pilot, for Fairey Surveys and Marshalls of Cambridge. On 23rd July 1953 whilst with the Civilian Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit he took off from Langham in a silver MkIX Spitfire but crashed fatally nearby between Cockthorpe and Binham.
This replica Spitfire, donated by the RAF Museum Hendon, has been put up in his memory.
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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.
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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.
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