Memorial service and fly-past to be held 80 years after Lancaster bomber crashed in Wolverhampton
A Lancaster bomber will fly over Wolverhampton tomorrow (Saturday, May 17)) - 80 years to the day since a similar plane crashed, killing all its crew.
Veterans, civic dignitaries, and relatives of crew members will be among those attending a service to commemorate the 80th anniversary of a tragic plane crash in Lichfield Road, Wednesfield, just nine days after VE Day.
Jane Tuner, grand-daughter of pilot Bernard Hall, and Barry Meade, son of air bomber Victor Meade, will be among those attending a memorial service at 11am. It will be followed by a fly-over by one of just two airworthy Lancaster bombers left in the UK at 2.05pm, subject to weather conditions.
Also killed were flight engineer Ronald O'Donnell, navigator Reginald Smith, wireless operator Gordon Rabbetts and air gunners Vincent Woodburn and John Sills in what is thought to be the only death of servicemen in Wolverhampton throughout the war.
The event has been organised by Wednesfield History Society, and lay minister Terry Braithwaite will be leading the service.
Ray Fellows of the society said St Gregory's marching band would be performing, with local veterans, councillors and MP Sureena Brackenridge joining history teacher Sam Kendall from Wednesfield Academy and RAF CCF Cadets.
Parking will be available at Wednesfield Academy, about 100 yards from the memorial, from 10am to 2.30pm.
The service is expected to take up to an hour, and people are invited to go to Wednesfield Royal British Legion in Vicarage Road, from noon onwards, where there will be food and refreshments, as well as display boards about the Lancaster.
"It promises to be a moving and memorable day," said Mr Fellows, who campaigned for a memorial to be built at the site to mark the 75th anniversary in 2020.
The tragic crash involving the bomber, from 630 Squadron operating out of East Kirkby, Lincolnshire, took place just nine days after Germany had surrendered and the war in Europe was effectively over.
The crash left a 5ft crater with the plane's wreckage spread over two miles. The wreckage and remains of the crew were buried in the crater and a local minister performed a simple funeral ceremony.
The plane was on a routine training flight before it crashed to the ground, although accounts vary as to which direction the plane approached from, as well as what caused it to come down.
Mr Fellows, who has been researching the crash since 1988 and has heard many different versions of the story, said: "It is such a shame that these lads died just after the war had finished and we need to remember them.
"As far as the debate goes, some people say it came over Wednesfield park and some say it came over Stubby Lane. It couldn't have done both, it didn't have the turning capacity to do it so quickly. It may be that we never get to the bottom of this."
