RAF Wethersfield F100 Crash 1963

I’ve been over there today, and I’m 100% sure now that the Havoc crash is at Duck End, Finchingfield – there’s a relatively newly planted hedge that makes matching photographs a bit pointless, but in the picture of the chap with the US uniform holding the fire hose nozzle, the houses at the back of the photo are on the road out of the village towards Stambourne. When I’m home and on a faster net connection (and a browser I understand!) I’ll try to post a link to a location on Google Maps.

Adrian

http://www.416th.com/MACR_AAR/19440214_43-9213_AAR-44-2-14-501_Minnicks.html

The information on the Sugar Lane Crash.

Stuart Finches Farm was occupied the Runway in 1944 stopped at the point where they demolished Peacocks Farm.

It was walking the Dog on the Airfield when I lived on site that got me started on this, if you view the airfield on Google Sattalite view you can see the WW2 runway Dark surface and the 1959 extension in White longer for the F100s.

The fence line has a 55 panel jagged shape that made me curious as if straight would have saved 44 panels, Google map show the ruins of a house, Hawkes Hall 1066, the Americans just built the fence round it and knocked it down , no listed buildings then.

In 1990 the runway was to be extended again, in the museum I have the plans for Wetherfield to have been the 3rd Airforce HQ instead of Lakenheath, taken the compliment from 1700 to 6000, but Stanstead became an international airport the flight paths of the F111s would cross it , so the moved to Lakenheath and Mildenhall.

The story of Peacocks is interesting, in 1941 a grass runway from Broad Farm to Peacocks was made to support RAF Ridgewell with Spitfires, the Farmer used to fire his shotgun at them as they took of as the commandeered his fields, in 1943 when the concrete runway was made they demolished his farm and moved him to a house in Chelmsford with little compensation. The fortunes of his neighbour Peacocks Blacksmith were beter because his skills were needed for the war Effort they gave him a new Blacksmith Premises in one of the villages.

In the aerial photo section of Frans 416th you will see all the farms mentioned.

Reading the accident report, I’m even more convinced that I know the spot – if I don’t get there this weekend I’ll try over Christmas. The key fact to me is the eyewitness form the chap at the POW camp Finchingfield – which is now the last housing development on the Brent Hall Road – who’d have had a clear view.

Adrian

Good to have your local knowledge on these Adrian.

My pleasure, it’s good to be able to help instead of just reading and wondering! Should have guessed earlier that Sugar Lane was at Stuart’s end of the runway from the flatness – there’s a real plateau at that end of the airfield, it’s really out of character with the rest of the area which is rolling countryside – but hey!

If I get five minutes (I’m in Essex at the weekend) I might try to get over to Duck End, but I’ll certainly show Dad the pics.

Adrian

Project-9699 PM sent; didn’t see the attachment you sent until after! Sugar lane is opposite the entrance to our farm, and the field in question looks to be the one at this end with the wood roughly in line with the runway approach; I’ve always wondered if Finches farm (house) was occupied during the active days of the airfield, as it is squarely in line with the runway approach!

Good to have your local knowledge on these Adrian. And great to share its been 70 years and this history has been preserved for all to see, Fran also made 22 mins of film from his time at Wethersfield.

There’s a Sugar Lane Farm at Sible Hedingham, amongst other places, I’m guessing that’s the most likely one.

The 9th May 1944 (crew Battersby & Coleman) crash could be at Duck End Finchingfield – right sort of distance and direction if it’s given from the village rather than the airfield. Trouble is I’ve not been in that field for over twenty years, so I can’t remember how well you can see the village from there. However it’d be pretty much in line with one runway (the post-war main one), and in one picture you can see an aircraft overhead, plus what looks as though it could be Finchingfield’s “pepper-pot cottage” in the distance.

Beaufighter VI and RAF Rochford of this parish would be very interested in those – they are/were part of the group that investigated the site in 1980.

Adrian

Stuart Gowans, check these crashes out
http://www.416th.com/CachatPhotos/Cachat_PLANE_CRASHES.html

What about Sugar lane Farm? Any idea where that is?

http://www.historynet.com/deadly-sabre-dance.htm

Story and video of the first “Sabre Dance” F-100 crash.

Cabbage I was not offended , if there such a thing as the Sabre Dance then that’s all part of the learning curve about the aircraft of Wethersfield, so no problem here 🙂

Project-9699,

Sorry I didn’t mean to imply that the “Sabre Dance” was the cause. I love the appearance of the F-100 and every time I see that video (I think it involved a Test Pilot) it sends shivers down my spine.

If I have caused offence, I sincerely appologise, and ask the Mods to remove the post.

Is this from the Wethersfield Page? Will try and find out some more I think it was discussed on the Raf Wethersfield Facebook Page and the people that went to school with the Majors children discussed it.[ATTACH=CONFIG]233841[/ATTACH]

Having read the details of the ’57 crash on the Wethersfield facebook, and had a walk down the field, it looks very much like the tree that the Super sabre struck is just past our boundary, (that corner of the field was sold off to a neighbour at the same time we bought the property) the Grimwoods only removed the runway marker poles (from their land) last year, and said tree is the tallest and nearest to that line.

It would appear that although they got the era wrong, there was sadly more truth than myth to this particular story, they did say that nothing grew in that part of the field for years after, because of the fuel contamination.

Do you happen to know the actual date of the crash?

Stuart the 1957 crash was in that area, the Grimwoods were first on the scene. I will find the info about that one later.

Stuart I have photos of all the crashes during 1944 when the 416th were there, One pilot Dave Andrews came to visit last year he is now 92, he flew behind 9699 on mission 10 and took that place when Bill Cramsie dropped from formation. I took Dave to Maddingley and Duxford, I have video of him when he zoomed of in his electric chair they give free use of at Duxford, towards the Doodlebug, he had never seen one yet flew 55 missions from Wethersfield bombing them, in the video he tells of the night a V1 exploded just short of the East end of the runway.

On the day we were at Duxford they were filming Monuments Men, It was surreal to see this D,Day Pilot drive through all the extras in WW2 American and British uniforms and the planes all in D Day markings, he attended the DDay ceremonies that week and last year in France, and was featured on USA Tv.

Have you been on the Base, you can visit the museum and base via me.

“I rather get the impression that the F100 was a bit like the Luftwaffe’s F104s – want a jet fighter? Just buy a field, and you’ll get a jet in it before long”.

I’ve got a field on the end of the eastern approach , apparently they did have something crash in there during the war, not sure what though as details are a bit sketchy, nothing flying out of there now, not even the gliders this year.

Thanks Adrian, I will look at using Flickr or something, the 1944 photos all taken by Capt Fran Cachat are already on line so I think I will just use a link to them. Going to delete the transcript and find a better way to link it.

Will start a Wethersfield 1960s thread and put the local farmers photo up.

I will PM you if I am going to be at the Base and if your able to, come and visit.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]233823[/ATTACH]

No worse than most jet fighters of the period.

Almost certainly true – given the massive pace of development and change at the time, I guess it was inevitable.

I don’t know the Lancaster gunner, but I know the Belgian lady (to be honest, I didn’t find out she was Belgian until this summer… then did a huge double-take when I saw signed pictures at an event with her name, nee her father’s name, on them!). Haven’t been up to the Base (as it was always known) since about 1990 at the latest, though we did visit with primary school a couple of times. If there’s an opportunity when I’m that way…

Thanks for the heads up on the facebook page, I’ll have to investigate.

As far as I recall the quota is fixed. The best way round it is to get an account at a photo sharing site eg Photobucket, and paste the picture as an IMG file (they make it dead easy – if you’re not sure, PM me, and I’ll talk you through). That way you can post all you like, effectively without using any filespace.

Bet my Dad would recognise a few of those farmers… my brother used to do contracting work at Flowers Hall.

Adrian

[ATTACH=CONFIG]233822[/ATTACH]