I have always known I was named after my mother's brother, who was killed while serving in the RAF during the Second World War. At the time of his death his mission was secret, and remained so for the next 30 years. It was only when my cousin Richard Harris and a half cousin started doing some family research a few years ago that Leslie's story began to emerge. Much has been written since the documents were made public. However research continues at the more detailed level of individuals.
My interest began when Richard discovered material relating to the crash in which our uncle died. In his email to my brother, copied to me he wrote;
I came across RAF Oulton a few years ago when we visited Blickling Hall. I knew Uncle Leslie had been based at Oulton but assumed it was close to Oulton Broad near Lowestoft rather than North Norfolk. At the time there was an exhibition recounting details of RAF Oulton and a booklet mentioning the crash.
[On a recent visit] We managed to locate the sight of the crash to a small copse of trees at the old RAF Oulton base. Some of the runway can still be seen and several Nissen huts are still up. The control tower which was still present when we visited two or three years ago has been demolished. Some of the foundations of the sick bay can still be identified as the basic road layout has not changed. The oak tree is no longer there and John thinks that aviation fuel would have made it difficult for anything to grow for many years hence the trees in the copse are not particularly mature.
RAF Oulton was a dispersal airbase during the war and was used by a number of Squadrons including 214 Squadron. There is a memorial to the base a few hundred yards away from the crash site. In Blickling Church is a Book of Remembrance to those who died from RAF Oulton. It is in a locked case with a telephone number to call if you wished to inspect it. We called and a church warden came and unlocked it. He owned the farm on which the plane crashed. He remembered the night as he was home on leave from the army and was cycling home from Aylsham when the enemy aircraft attacked and had to dive for cover!
Then on holiday in North Norfolk in October 2002 with my parents we visited the Military Vehicle Museum, the Muckleburgh Collection; amongst the displays were photographs of Norwich during the Blitz - when my mother was living there. We also heard of another museum in Norfolk, and on holidaying in Norfolk again in May 2003 discovered there were actually three museums of interest.
The first was the RAF Air Defence Radar Museum at Neatishead, so secret until the end of the Cold War that it is only shown on the latest maps. Here you can enter a reconstruction of the Second World War operations room where the WAAFs plotted all the aircraft movements - and learn how it was done, and how British planes were given their positions and guided back. You can also visit the Cold War operations room, still as it was when decommissioned - and learn about the circumstances which would have led to the "MAD" button being pressed.
The second museum was the City of Norwich Aviation Museum which has a room displaying the work of 100 Group Bomber Command which was based in Norfolk. Here we found much more background information, including material relating specifically to Oulton, and it was here I joined the RAF 100 Group Association.
The third, not yet visited is the Norfolk and Suffolk Aviation Museum incorporating the RAF Bomber Command Museum.
All this prompted me to find out more details. My purpose: to put together a short biography of my uncle, who has now become my war hero, in the wider context of 100 Bomber Command, and made personal particularly by my mother's memories, but also through other documentary sources, and books written by survivors.
The Internet has made this easier, particularly as Hadder is a rare name. I did a search which came up with just four entries for Leslie Hadder! One was the article only recently put on the BBC website compiled partly from the memories of a survivor of the crash in which my uncle died.
In July 2004, after the death of my father in November 2003, I holidayed in Norfolk again with my mother and brother David, who once more acted as chauffer. At the Forum in Norwich I found two newly published books with relevant information on Oulton Airfield and the blitz in Norwich, though the 1930s bus station which I hoped to photograph had just been demolished. However during my first visit to the RAF Museum at Blickling Hall we discovered much more interesting information including a personal account of life on the airfield in 1944-5 which included a sketch map showing the site of a "Fortress crash."
At last in July 2004 I toured round, though not through, Oulton airfield and took a number of photographs, including those of my mother visiting the site. While staying at our holiday cottage in Little Snoring I noted down my mother's recollections. We also visited one of her cousins who was evacuated to Norwich at the beginning of the war and also knew Leslie.
At this point a key document to acquire was still my uncle's Service Record, which I hoped to get copied from one of my cousins. This and copies of other material I obtained when I met with my cousins Anne Harris and Barbara Dodd later that year at my mother's home. Due to commuting I did not have time to incorporate this material until February 2005 after moving to Tring where I now work.
This, my article on my uncle, is the result of the research completed so far, up to the 60th anniversary of his death.
Flight Sergeant Leslie Hadder
After working as a Motor Mechanic's Mate from the age of 14 when the family moved to Norwich Leslie volunteered for the RAF on 31 March 1942 when he was seventeen and a half years old. He was placed in the Reserve on the following day, apparently at Euston. Nearly a year later, on 1 February 1943, he reported to the No.1 Aircrew Reception Centre, which was possibly at Lords Cricket Ground. He was described as 5 feet 9 inches tall, with a 31 inch chest, brown hair, grey eyes, fresh complexion, and with four vaccination scars on his left arm.
His training is a little difficult to follow, even by RAF historians, as ‘accurate office procedure in the orderly rooms was a little lacking in those days and therefore the actual sequence and reasons for entries can be confusing.’ (Jock M. Whitehouse, 214 Squadron Historian)
Entries in his Service Record under the heading "Mustering" show that when he was called up he was considered for pilot training. However his eyesight was not sufficiently good and this entry has been crossed out. He began his training as an AC2, Aircraftsman 2nd Class, and was promoted to LAC, Leading Aircraftsman, on 11 June 1943 when he was considered for training as a navigator, bomb aimer or wireless operator. But when he was promoted to T/Sgt on 21 October he was training as an Air Gunner. At the end of the year, and again a year later on 31 December 1944 Leslie's character was described as very good, and his proficiency as satisfactory.
Leslie's training began on 20 March 1943 at No.10 Initial Training Wing at Scarborough, as confirmed by the group photograph taken by Walkers Studios of St. Thomas Street, Scarborough below. He is the third man down on the right. In July he spent some time with an Elementary Training Wing under canvas at Ludlow, and at sometime during his initial training Leslie sent a photograph home to his mother with the message, ‘To my darling mother with love and best wishes from Leslie 1943’, (left). In September he went to No.2 Air Gunners School at Dalcross near Inverness, and on 21 October he qualified as an Air Gunner and was promoted to T/ Flight Sergeant. Five days later he was posted to No.11 Operational Training Unit at RAF Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire.
There were at least three Base HQs in 3 Group (31, 32 and 33) and during the first four months of 1944 Leslie moved through a number of units at 31 Base HQ at RAF Stradishall; No.1657 CU was the Heavy Conversion Unit at Stradishall (3-4 weeks course to become a proficient heavy-bomber crew); 1483 was the (Bomber) Target and Gunnery Flight based at RAF Marham (specialist gunnery training); and No.3 LFS was the Lancaster Finishing School based at Feltwell. He also spent some time during February 1944 at the Aircrew School at Methwold in Suffolk.
From late April Leslie spent three months in and out of Ely Hospital, though his Service Record does not specify why. During this time Ely Hospital was preparing for D Day, so he was sent for convalescence to Hoylake Remedial Centre in Liverpool. While in hospital the rest of his crew were killed when their plane was shot down over France. On discharge he was posted back to No.1657 CU at Stradishall, and on 28 September from there to 214 Squadron at Oulton, just west of Blickling Hall. This was one of the airfields in Norfolk used by No.100 (Bomber) Support where he trained with 1699 CU on Fortresses. However his Service Record has no more entries until "Killed in Action."
Leslie's Flight Log Book has not survived but that of Frank Hudson has, which shows that he also trained with the 1657 Conversion Unit at the same time, and from July 1944 under the same pilot - Flight Sergeant Harry Bennett. Hudson previously flew with F/S Gold as pilot, and his Log Book entry for 20 April reads "A/C CRASHED." Hudson was one of only two survivors.
Leslie survived 13 crash landings altogether!
Other entries in Frank's Log Book list training flights in September 1944. They were flying in Stirlings with the 1657 CU under Bennett's command and include night flying tests, fighter affiliation, cross country flights and bombing. Similar training flights were then undertaken in Fortresses with 1699 CU, including air to sea firing, air to air firing and circuits and landing.
By December 1944 Leslie and Frank had finished training and involved in Special Duties flying out to Osnabruck, Frankfurt, Munster and Coblenz. Some secret flights were not written down. In January 1945 there was only 18 hours and 35 minutes flying time due to bad weather, but Special Duties were carried out at Vohwinkel, Giessen and Mainz.
In February Special Duties took them to Mannheim and Wiesbaden before being shot up on 7th while returning from Dortmund.
Alastair McDirmid, a waist gunner with Leslie, has written an account of the duties of 214 Squadron in a letter to my cousin Richard Harris:-
214 was an interesting Squadron to be in. Our duties were varied and different to that of Bomber Squadrons; we did not carry any bombs, our purpose to support and help protect the bombers when flying over Europe at night, by jamming the early warning systems, and also the ground instructions to night-fighter aircraft, with the latest electronic (RADAR) gadgets with which we were equipped (much of which was Highly Secret and not supplied to Bomber Command aircraft).
To execute this we had 2 separate operations. 1) Firstly we would fly on Spoof (or Diversion) Raids - this entailed flying and windowing (in a particular way) to an area or town well away from the Target for To-night area, perhaps 20 minutes before the Bombers - to attract the night fighters to us and away from the Target; in the hope that they would not catch us and could not get back in time to harass the Bombers.
Normally we would do perhaps 3 Spoof Operations and then go on a Target operation with the Bombers. Some of our B17s were equipped with a large (Top Secret) Jostle machine in the bomb-bay (which was too large for the bomb-bay of Lancasters or Halifax's (the reason we flew in B17 aircraft)) and this was operated by German speaking Special Wireless Operators at the Target. He was expected to jam any ground instruction to the airborne N/F pilots. To do this our aircraft had to stop close to the Target area on one of 3 shifts, to ensure if one aircraft was hit we still had another aircraft (from 214) to cover, and operate. The shifts were H-5 to H+5 (minutes), H to H+10, H+5 to H+15. (H = Time arranged for the first flares to be dropped by Pathfinder aircraft, for the Bombers to bomb on. Normally a bombing run would be ½ minute. Pathfinders stayed 3 minutes, and as you will see 214 remained 10 minutes on the Target. (Some fun?)
Jostle would be turned ON and OFF. When ON, we were told later it was possible for night fighter aircraft to home-in on the beam. We learned later that Bomber Command believed that we might be subject to heavy losses, but fortunately this was not so, until we lost 6 B17 aircraft March/April 1945. As far as I am aware from Oct '44 we lost one aircraft in Nov '44 and one aircraft Feb'45 (landing on Fido at Foulsham) which was encouraging to the Operational Aircrews of 214 (Bomber losses probably much higher in comparable operational sorties).
As far as I am aware 214 was the only Squadron with Jostle - which was Top Secret for many, many years after the war. Crews were not to discuss with the Spec Operator his job or equipment, at any time. It was assumed that Ground Staff did not know what we were doing (their job was purely maintenance) or what the Window (metal strips dropped to flood the enemy radar screens) we carried was used for. We were called 100 Group B/S (Bomber Support) and our work was not made public before the 1970's or '80's - we were little known (even today) and even wartime Operational Bomber Crews knew very little, if anything, about us, so if Leslie said little about what he was doing (as he was instructed) you may now understand.
7 February 1945
On 7th February 1945, Leslie’s crew went on special duty operations jamming radio and radar while Six Group was bombing the Dortmund Ems Canal. There was heavy flak. They had been jamming for twenty minutes, then gained height slowly. The bombers were busy bombing the canal and dodging a horde of German night fighters.
When it was home time, the crew set course but they got left behind as the other aircraft were a lot faster. In the vicinity of Essen they were coned by a multitude of searchlights. Essen was heavily defended with 400 heavy flak guns. One of the second tour waist gunners told the pilot H Bennett to fly into the thickest of the flak. When Frank Hudson, the tail gunner, asked him "Why?" the next day, he told Frank that the flak was automatically controlled so that the next burst would explode elsewhere.
They got past Essen but were jumped by a Junkers 88 night fighter, which stayed behind them and started shooting. This was a poor manoeuvre on his part, as he should have attacked on a curve pursuit. This though, gave Frank the opportunity to shoot point-blank. Frank's tracers converged on the fighter; knocking silver sparks off him. He had been aiming at the nose of the plane and had even seen the pilot, but Frank switched his gunfire to the fighter’s tanks, between the nose and the engines, knowing that his explosive incendiaries would penetrate the fighter’s armoured tanks. The fighter's pilot had stopped firing, presumably killed, when suddenly there was a great yellow flash from his exploding tanks. While Frank continued to fire at the fighter, the fighter's crew fired back with their cannons and machine guns. A tracer appeared to be coming straight towards Frank, so he yelled, "Port go …!" The tail of the Fortress came up and the tracer tore through the belly of the plane.
The radar device (H2S), fixed under the plane, was blown to bits. Frank lost his bike seat when it was also blown to smithereens. A cannon shell tugged at the crotch of his trousers, scorching his battle-dress pants. Frank also had a few holes in his clothes where bullets just missed him, and his epaulette was shot off. He had a penny in his pocket and a tin of tobacco. A spent bullet hit the tin and squashed the tobacco into a black pulp. It also put a big dent in the penny, which saved his hip joint from severe damage. Jock Murdoch, one of the waist gunners got a bullet through his forearm between the two bones. Being a Scotsman his swearing was magnificent! Bill Church, the other waist gunner, had his ammunition tank blown up. The flash blinded him temporarily. One wireless operator got a hole through his battle-dress, which wrecked his transmitter. The pilot had a heel of his boot shot off. The bottom got shot off the navigator’s compartment, losing the two nose guns. The navigator, Ernest "Paddy" Paddick, sat sideways and a cannon shell penetrated his hip joint, went through his lower belly and out the other hip joint and lay on the seat beside him without exploding. The mid-upper gunner, Leslie, tried to render first aid but Paddy fought back.
The bomb aimer wasn’t able to help as he couldn’t cross the great gap in the floor. They resumed course but there then appeared to be a fire under the starboard wing. On throttling back, the glow disappeared and they decided the turbo supercharger had been shot off one of the engines.
They continued home, heading for a long emergency strip at RAF Manston in Kent as they thought they would have no wheels. The bomb aimer, Frank Hares, navigated them to Manston, with the little remaining navigating equipment and he later received a D.F.M. for his efforts.
It was a pretty ropey landing. They did a few loops as they only had one wheel. The pilot, Harry "Benny" Bennett subsequently received the D.F.C. Frank Hudson was recommended for a D.F.C. by the gunnery leader Flight Lieutenant Phillips, but so many had been issued that month, that Frank was told he would receive his at the end of his tour. Frank never completed his tour so he never received his D.F.M. but the Group Captain did congratulate him.
Leslie got the unexploded shell from beside the navigator, "Paddy" Paddick, and put it in his pocket, no doubt thinking that if it fell on the concrete it might go off. He threw it into the long grass, but the captain made him go and look for it in case a mower hit it. So he took it to the armourers and they were very interested, as they had never seen one like it before. On x-raying it, they found it to be of a new design. The downing of the Junkers 88 was confirmed by several other crews, and also later by Bomber Command. All of the crew got back safely except Ernest Paddick, the navigator. He died on 8th February 1945, at the age of 23 and was buried in St. Marylebone cemetery in London.
From BBC's website, A Bomber Crews Story by Bill Knight.
The Fatal Knight
On the night of 3 - 4 March 1945 RAF Bomber Command despatched two forces of bombers, 234 aircraft to attack a synthetic oil plant at Kamen near Dortmund, and 222 aircraft to attack the Dortmund to Ems Canal at Ladbergen.
In addition to various diversionary raids by Mosquito bombers and a diversionary sweep over the North Sea by 95 training aircraft, Bomber Command also sent 61 aircraft, Fortresses, Halifaxes and possibly a small number of Stirlings, on radio counter measures flights.
At 6.40pm on Saturday 3 March Leslie's aircraft, Fortress III HB815, bearing the code letters "BU-J" took off from Oulton. He was on his third tour of duty, having completed 120 operations in the previous two.
As Frank Hudson was suffering from bronchitis and found it very difficult to cough at height due to the cold and difference in air pressure, he was off sick. The special operator, Steve Nessner, was also in sick quarters with tonsillitis. The navigator on this occasion was "Barney" Barnfield, who replaced Paddick. Some men from Crosbie’s crew made up the numbers; Patrick Healy took Frank’s place, Alistair McDirmid took "Jock" Murdoch’s place as waist gunner, Lindsay Odgers, an Australian, was substitute for Nessner and Leslie Billington was flight engineer.
The ten man crew consisted of:-
Pilot: F/O Harry "Benny" Bennett DFC
Flight Engineer: Sgt Leslie Ernest Billington
Navigator: F/Sgt Harry "Barney" Barnfield
Special Radio: W/O Lindsay Joseph Odgers RAAF
Radio Op: F/Sgt William Briddon
Air Bomber: F/Sgt Frank Hares DFM
Gunner: F/Sgt Leslie Arnold Hadder
Waist Gunner: Sgt Alistair McDirmid
Waist Gunner: W/O R. W. "Bill"Church
Tail Gunner: Sgt Patrick James Healy
The principal purpose of this sortie was apparently to drop quantities of WINDOW radar- jamming tin foil to confuse the enemy radar.
However it was on this particular night that the Luftwaffe mounted their long planned operation GISELLA. This was a large scale intruder attack by long range night fighters directed against the RAF bombers as they were returning to their bases in Britain. It was a bright moonlit night and this greatly aided the Germans.
The story is taken up by Alistair McDirmid who volunteered to go on this op, as he had missed two previous ones with flu, and this would help him finish his tour of duty at the same time as the rest of his usual crew.
Bennett was the skipper of the crew who shared our billet. When he came in and said they were flying that night I was interested. Here was the chance to make up one of my outstanding trips, with a crew I knew, rather than being asked to fly ‘a spare’ with strangers. So I volunteered to go as the starboard Waist-gunner. I was already aware he had some vacant positions, through illness and injury, because on returning from his previous trip they had been in combat with a German night fighter, which the rear gunner had shot down, and his navigator had received fatal injury. So in all he included three other members of Crosbie’s crew.
As an experienced crew, it was our hope, as always, that the trip on 3rd March 1945 would be completed successfully, without incident.
We left about 18.45 hrs on a routine Bomber Support mission to the Ruhr area, radar jamming and windowing. Take off & the outward leg proved uneventful. After we turned for home I ceased to open and eject my packets of Window, I resumed careful observation of the area from my starboard waist-gunner position, only interrupted for a few minutes when the Spec. W/Op took over whilst I got a cup of hot coffee from my Thermos. Resuming duty we arrived back at Base without mishap around midnight in advance of the ‘Target Bombers’. The skipper contacted control (Woodside jig to Azure) and was instructed ‘Your turn to land No.3’. We now joined the circuit until the prior 2 landed safely. Then it was our turn, the 'drome was lit up, we had our lights on, flaps down and wheels down coming into the funnel, when suddenly another aircraft called control stating that they had a damaged engine and requesting permission to come straight in. This was granted and control shot us a red flare, so we turned away to complete another circuit. Nearly in the same instant I observed tracer coming in from behind me and going away in the distance. With no ‘bandit’ warnings and no action calls from the other gunners on the intercom my first thought was that it may be some careless Air-gunner unloading, but I quickly realised it was far more serious as flames were then streaking from the engine (or wing) past my window, appearing almost close enough to touch. As there were still no calls or instructions over the intercom (possibly damaged) I bent down & put on my chest parachute, so the port waist-gunner did the same. I intended next to remove the rear door which was specially hinged, so as to make a quick exit at the opportune moment, but fate now took a hand.
It must have been at this moment we hit some tall oak trees at the side of the main road. The pilot had possibly tried to come in on the other runway, but not had enough control of the damaged aircraft. I was told later that the aircraft had now exploded, disintegrating into small pieces, none much larger than an engine nacelle scattered over quite a wide area near Sick Quarters. So close in fact that the medics only needed to walk out of the door, rather than getting into the ambulance, in their quest for survivors.
The M.O. told me later in hospital that he found me sat on an ammo box, as rounds popped with the heat & it reminded him of Guy Fawkes. If it had been a less serious occasion he would have been tempted to go back for his camera.
The first memories I have after the crash were at the hospital [Norfolk & Norwich] where a nurse cut me out of my clothes to allow examination for broken bones or other injuries, which appeared to be only concussion and bruises.
After a week McDirmid was transferred to the RAF hospital at Ely for another two weeks before being deemed for a spot of Sick Leave. When he reported back to Oulton Crosbie’s crew, with its four replacements were just finishing their tour.
There had been no major enemy air attacks against the UK since the end of May 1944, and although the RAF had some intelligence warnings of the impending attack, it still took the British defences by surprise, causing major confusion amongst returning aircraft. In all 43 RAF aircraft were attacked, the Germans shooting down 19 bombers, destroying three on the ground and damaging 8 more. They also attacked at least 14 airfields. It is thought about 30 of the 140 German night fighters operated over Norfolk and Suffolk between midnight and 2am on the morning of 4th March.
Leslie's aircraft was coming in to land at Oulton at 00.50 hours when it was hit by fire from a Junkers Ju88G-6 of Luftwaffe unit 10/NJG.3 based at Jever, piloted by Lieutenant Arnold Doring. He reported flying over an airfield showing the letters DH in white, where he spotted a Drem light system in operation and a four engined aircraft with 'festival' (sic) lights showing. Doring flew beneath this aircraft, and recognised it as a B-17 Fortress from its tail shape; he attacked it with upward firing cannons, and thought he had hit the fuel tanks in the fuselage and wings, starting fires. He noted that the fire in the fuselage seemed to flare up and then diminish, and speculated that the crew were using fire extinguishers on it. The B-17 crashed just short of the Drem lights in ‘a large cloud of dust but with no fire.’
In addition to Leslie's aircraft two Halifaxes, a Lancaster, and a Mosquito were shot down over Norfolk that night, the Lancaster by Doring's crew.
The crash was witnessed by Leslie's Flight Commander Squadron Leader Bob Davies who was approaching Oulton at the same time in another Fortress; it was his aircraft that had been damaged and was given priority to land; Leslie's Fortress had to make another circuit, which led to its being attacked.
Davies's account is taken from Confounding the Reich by Bowman and Cushing.
‘Our return to Oulton in the early hours of 4 March was normal, the individual aircraft switching on their navigation lights some time before we crossed the Norfolk coast. As I approached Oulton I heard control give P/O Bennett clearance to join the circuit. I called saying I was on three engines and was told to come straight in. A few moments later Bennett, who I think was on longish finals, was told to go around again as I was turning long finals and was cleared to land on runway 45. I saw Bennett climbing away, and above me, to my right. Then I saw a fairly long burst of cannon fire and his No.2 engine and wing caught fire. I lost sight of him still climbing and turning right. At this time I heard the tower say ‘Bandits! Bandits! Switch off all lights.’ All airfield lights were extinguished. I had landed by now and was stationary. I switched off my navigation lights, or so I thought. However, my rear gunner said, ‘There is still a white light shining somewhere above me!’ I told him it was impossible as both my flight engineer, F/O Fitzsimmonds and I had checked all switches and they were definitely 'off.' While we started madly to check again all the switches the two of us began to feel very naked and also very panicky as we were expecting to be blown apart at any moment. I finally found the small switch which controlled the white formation light situated at the very top of the vertical stabiliser and switched it off. All ten of us only dared to breathe again when we finally found our blacked out dispersal.
However, the night and the fright were not yet over. As my Hillman pick-up was parked at dispersal, I drove with my flight engineer to the still fiercely burning wreck which must have roughly impacted in a flying position. The fuselage (or what was left of it) had broken off aft of the radio room and also aft of the beam gun position. I could not believe any of the crew had survived but both waist gunners, Sgt Alastair McDirmid and W/O R. W. Church, had 'walked' from the blazing inferno. They had been taken to sick quarters where I spoke briefly to them.’
My mother remembers dreaming that night that she heard her brother cry out ‘Mum!’ The one thing Leslie feared was to be burnt. The last time she had seen him was when he left Norwich bus station on his way back to Oulton after being on leave. Although she had now left school and was working at the bus station she did not usually see Leslie leaving.
Mr. & Mrs. Hadder were notified of their son's death by telegram on the Sunday morning. Pamela accompanied Leslie's fiancée Barbara to her home in Sutton Coldfield, returning with her and family members later in the week for the funeral. The family were not allowed to see his body.
The crash was also witnessed by other people on the ground.
One was Murray Peden who recollected it in his book ‘A Thousand Shall Fall.’
‘It got dark very early. 214's aircraft departed, did the operation, and were arriving back before midnight. Meantime, I had been up at the aerodrome all night as Officer-in-Charge of night flying, had seen all my charges safely down, and was cycling back to the hut as our returning operational Fortresses began droning into the circuit. As I was propping my bike against the side of the hut, I heard the noise of an unfamiliar engine. We were so used to the sound of our own Wright Cyclones, and the Merlins and Hercs of the ubiquitous Mosquitoes, Lancasters, and Halifaxes, that anything outside that category attracted attention. This one was definitely out of place. I looked up but could not see any navigation lights in the area from which the sound appeared to be coming.
For a few moments I stood uneasily looking over in the direction of the aerodrome, then saw a pair of navigation lights heading steadily towards the funnel. A few seconds later I heard, and saw, a long burst of fire streak towards the aircraft in the funnel. It was not machine gun fire but the slower, heavy pounding of cannon fire. The target aircraft burst into flames, but maintained for several seconds its steady descent toward the runway; then, as the flames spread and leapt in the clear night air the dying aircraft slumped into a gentle curving dive and crashed a few hundred yards away from the hospital. Every member of the crew died. It turned out to be Bennett's crew.’
The farmer who owned Lodge Farm where the crash happened was on leave from the army and cycling home from Aylsham when the Junkers attacked and he had to dive for cover. Three years ago he was still church warden at Blickling Church nearby, and unlocked the case for my cousin Richard Harris (son of Leslie's sister Rose) to inspect the Roll of Honour.
Leslie Arnold Hadder, Flight Sergeant 180464, was first to be buried at Thorpe St. Andrew cemetery in Norwich.
Leslie was given three awards from the Campaign Stars, Clasps and Medals which were instituted in recognition of service in the war of 1939-45. These were the War Medal 1939-45 itself; the 1939-45 Star and the France and Germany Star.
After the war the Eastern Counties Omnibus Company dedicated a memorial plaque to their employees killed during the war.
Leslie, after his promotion to Flight Sergeant, with his sister Doris
Mum and I at the Memorial at Oulton
This article is from the Winter 2009 issue of Confound and Destroy
Update - November 2020
I was contacted in October 2020 by a gentleman called Dale Wiseman who with a small group of volunteers was in the process of clearing all the burial plots at Thorpe St Andrew cemetery and had come across the last resting place of Leslie Hadder.
On Remembrance Sunday a small service was conducted by Revd James Stewart where his name was read out alongside 13 others.
Below is a photo of the plot.
