Type Stirling Mk111
Serial Number LJ518
Squadron 199
X1D EX-K
Operation Mandrel
Date 1 25th September 1944
Date 2 26th September 1944
Crew: Normally 7.
Delivered to No10 MU 22nd Dec 1943 and to Squadron 199 South Creake (100 group) 29th April 1944.
P/O F.R.Chatwin, Sgt A.W.Loveland, F/S R.T.P.Savage RAAF.
F/S C.S.Henderson RNZAF, Sgt R.C.Saddler, Sgt P.O.Roberts, Sgt J.W.Naylor.
F/O L.A.Barham Specialist Operator on Mandrel equipment. All Killed.
Airborne 19.02 from North Creake tasked to provide a Mandrel Screen (radar jamming) operation over the North Sea.
On return from the sortie, the aircraft descended through low cloud and hit the tops of some trees. The aircraft pulled up steeply, stalled, and dived into the ground at 21.45 at Edgefield Street, 3 miles NNW of Saxthorpe, Norfolk where it completely disintegrated and burst into flames, killing all the crew. The minor road was blocked by the wreckage for a short time.
(The position of crash site is in direct line of the runway at North Creake Airfield).
The two Commonwealth airmen are buried in Cambridge City Cemetery while the others were taken to their homes, which in the case of F/O Barham, the Specialist Operator, was a mere 5 miles away at Cawston.
In July 1995, F/O Barham's niece and family attended a special unveiling ceremony of an exhibition cabinet, dedicated to the crew and their aircraft, at Flixton Aviation Museum. Much of what is held in the cabinet was found in 1987 by a team from the Norfolk and Suffolk. Crash site is also reported as 'Saxthorpe at 2145hrs'. "
Eye witness account. By Mr K Gray (father of Richard Gray)
At the time I was eighteen and was working for Earnest Doe and Sons as a scraper driver constructing airfields across East Anglia. (Served in R.E. 21st December 1944 – 2nd February 1948).
I was cycling from Saxthorpe to my home at The Bungalow, Briston road, Saxthorpe. When I heard a low flying aircraft, I looked to my right and saw a plane hit some trees near where the searchlight was situated, it’s engines then seemed to go to full power and it plunged to the ground taken off part the hedge in the road to Edgefield.
By the time I reached it, it was a mass of flames and bullets were exploding, I was there for a while until RAF and USAAF crash crews turned up, as I left they were arguing over whether it was an English or American plane, I left them to it and made my way home. On my way home I spotted a Perspex plane window lying in the lane, I picked it up and took it back to the crash crews and from this it was determined that it was in fact a Stirling.
Crew of Stirling LJ518
Name: CHATWIN, FRANCIS REGINALD
Initials: F R
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Pilot Officer (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 199 Sqdn.
Age: 26
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 179033
Additional information: Son of Frank and Dorothy Ettey Chatwin, of Birmingham; husband of Phyllis Irene Chatwin, of Bolton, Lancashire.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 1.
Cemetery: BIRMINGHAM MUNICIPAL CREMATORIUM
Name: LOVELAND, AMBROSE WILLIAM
Initials: A W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Flt. Engr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 199 Sqdn.
Age: 31
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 1896159
Additional information: Son of William George and Hilda Nellie Loveland; husband of Marguerite Doreen Loveland, of Shirley, Croydon, Surrey.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Cemetery: WEST WICKHAM (ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST) CHURCHYARD
Name: SAVAGE, RICHARD THOMAS PERCIVAL
Initials: R T P
Nationality: Australian
Rank: Flight Sergeant
Regiment/Service: Royal Australian Air Force
Age: 22
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 425365
Additional information: Son of Richard Francis and Mary Elizabeth Savage, of Tivoli Hill, Queensland, Australia.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 15127.
Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Name: HENDERSON, COLIN SILKIRK
Initials: C S
Nationality: New Zealand
Rank: Flight Sergeant (Air Bomber)
Regiment/Service: Royal New Zealand Air Force
Unit Text: 199 (R.A.F.) Sqdn.
Age: 25
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 426126
Additional information: Son of Thomas Henderson and of Marion Henderson (nee Kerr), of Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 15327.
Cemetery: CAMBRIDGE CITY CEMETERY
Name: SADDLER, ROBERT CAMPBELL
Initials: R C
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (W.Op./Air Gnr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 199 Sqdn.
Age: 22
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 1271349
Additional information: Son of Archie Campbell Saddler and Mabel Gertrude Saddler, of Hastings.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Div. O. Sec. A. Grave 102.
Cemetery: HASTINGS CEMETERY, Sussex
Name: BARHAM, LEONARD ALFRED
Initials: L A
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Flying Officer (Air Bomber)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 199 Sqdn.
Age: 29
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 137581
Additional information: Son of William John and Anna Barham, of Cawston.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. H. Grave 8.
Cemetery: CAWSTON CEMETERY
Name: ROBERTS, PYRS OWEN
Initials: P O
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Air Gnr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 199 Sqdn.
Age: 19
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 2210829
Additional information: Son of William and Elizabeth Roberts of Nantgwynant.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Cemetery: BEDDGELERT NEW CEMETERY Row E. Grave 1
Name: NAYLOR, JOHN WILLIAM
Initials: J W
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Sergeant (Air Gnr.)
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Unit Text: 199 Sqdn.
Age: 36
Date of Death: 25/09/1944
Service No: 1898463
Additional information: Son of Herbert Edward and Elizabeth Ann Naylor; husband of Ena Naylor, of Southall, Middlesex.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Cemetery: GEDNEY HILL (HOLY TRINITY) CHURCHYARD
