8th June 1945.

[Matt]

The 8th of June will be the 60th anniversary of an accident which shows that just because the war in Europe was over men who had lived through the war were not always safe.

On 8th June 1945 a B17G Flying Fortress of the 509th Bomb Squadron,351st Bomb Group took off from it's base at Polebrook in Northamptonshire on the first leg of the transatlantic flight to the USA,on board were ten crew and ten passengers.just over an hour into the flight the crew became lost in cloud and while trying to find RAF Valley they crashed into a mountain near Dolgellau in Mid Wales,all on board were killed instantly.

I have been researching this crash for over ten years and have met and am in contact with the families of several of the men who were on board.on the 8th I will be taking flowers to the site,which is only a mile from my home,as I have done for the last twelve years and flowers will be placed on the graves of the eleven men from that aircraft who are buried in the US military cemetery at Cambridge.

With all the VE day celebrations going on I just thought I'd post this here.

[armydriver]

Thanks for remembering this tradgic accident and posting the story on this site.

[Matt]

I took the wreath to the memorial below the crash site today and spent most of the day up there,the wreath is a white star on a blue background with a yellow edge,this represents the USAAF insignia and the pin given to mothers who lost sons during WW2.

At around 10.30am an RAF transport aircraft did a fly-by,just a single low pass,dipped his wing and carried on.the weather was perfect.

On the down side somone has been digging on the crash site again,why can't people just leave things alone? the families I am in contact with have made it clear they don't want the site disturbing.

I will obviously have to keep an even closer eye on the site,just wish I could actually catch somone digging up there.

[armydriver]

Thanks Matt for remembering. You are a good guy.