Sutton Wick Air Crash

On the 5th of March 1957 a Blackburn Beverley C Mk 1 heavy transport aircraft took off from Abindon  bound for RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. It was carrying cargo, a relief crew, eight RAF police dog handlers and eight police dogs. just after take off it developed a fuel leak and turned around to land back at Abingdon. The plane lost height very quickly and tried to land in a nearby field but hit some trees and a power line before hitting  a prefab house and a brick house killing two people it then somersaulted bursting into flames and killing most on board scattering the wreckage over three quarters of a mile including the police dogs. Two crew, two passengers and one RAF Police dog survived. You can read about the Sutton Wick Air Crash in the link. I went along to visit the memorial after visiting nearby Drayton Church

BBC News Video

The memorial on the green

The map shows the village before the plane crash in 1957, the Google earth shows the modern day area of the crash. I think the houses on the right hand side are built onthe cottage that the plane crashed into. The memorial is on the green triagle

The second map shows the cottages by the top of the S

The crew and passengers who were aboard the plane and died when it crashed were buried in two locations. Abingdon New Cemetery and Our Lady & St Edmund Church I disided to visit the tow places and get photos of the headstones I could find.

The first cemetery I visited was Abingdon New where I found the Commonwealth War graves amongst the other burials

 Aircraftman R. Rose-Harvey

 Aircraftman L.Corden 

&

Aircraftman G.R.Croucher

 Aircraftman C.J.Elsegood

 Corporal J.L.Spole 

&

Sergeant D.Robinson

They are buried near each other amond other RAF personel

Next I went along to Our Lady & St Thomas which is a short distance away. This is a catholic church so I can only presume this was the place they arns thier familys wanted them buried.

You can see the headstones as you walk in the chuchyard

 Flight Lieutenant R.G.Wilcox

Flight Sergeant J.Zarecky

&
Aircraftsman R.Thorley

The three of them are buried near each other on the West end of the church near the road

Thomas Arnison Jones is Buried in Glossop Cemetery

This is the video of the unveiling of the memorial in which you can hear a police dog howling, was he howling for his lost comrades? you tell me but there must be something in it

We will remember them 

Magdalen Hill Cemetery Winchester

The last place I visited on my Saturday tour The cemetery opened in 1914 and took over from the privately owned West Hill cemetery which was full and in financial difficulties. Originally the cemetery was run by the Winchester Burial board but now is  run under management by the City Council

 The main entrance to Winchester cemetery

The Cemetery lodge now used as an office

 War memorial which I think is a commonwealth cross of victory

If you look left at the junction you get this view of the cemetery

This is the cemetery to the fight of the road

Walking round the right hand fork you pass these amazing looking memorials all black marble. Some one told me the belonged to Travellers

further along you come to the Commonwealth War Graves

which date back to World War One

The cemetery looking towards the Cross

The Cross of Victory

Just up from that I noticed another cross surrounded by graves

This was in memory of the fallen Newfoundlanders

From that small cemetery you could look down over the rest of the cemetery

which had lots of different memorials

One unusual memorial on the left and a wooden cross to the right

This pillar stood out and was still looking good

Further up the cemetery you come across more war graves, these I think are people who served and when they passed away were given a commonwealth headstone

The memorial on the left is one of them A W Haydon was killed in action in 1940. His wide Vera died in 1997.
On the right is the Grave of Herman Blise from Wisconsin who died in 1918

There are quite a few graves like that in this are

some with different markers to other

some a lot more recent but all brothers in arms

The one here on the left is a little different the one on the right is not a war grave but had a coat of arms on it

From the look on this headstone Jack Crowson was of the Jewish Faith

There are a few war grave headstones like the one on the left which seem to be unique. On the right B Johnson was a fireman on the SS Pagasitikos 

Two RAF graves of F.N Healey and L.J. Kight you will find around the cemetery away from the rest of the war graves














At the present time they are extending the cemetery for future burials when the present one is full

Couple of the memorials that took my eye

The lower part of the cementery  looking towards the main entrance

I liked this cross with the two angels taking the diciest into heaven looking so happy

Looking up from the lower cemetery

Celtic Cross & anchor

There were a couple of this type of arch in the cemetery

This area beside the carpark is where the cremation memorials are

I'll leave you with my two favorite meorials, the child in the snowdrops is old and the name lost to time 

The sleeping angel more recent.

RIP Little ones.

Have a peaceful weekend