Crash site
On 5 May 1945, 7 members of the 92nd Bomb Group boarded B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8436) nicknamed "Fort Worth Jail House" on a non-operational flight over the UK. The aircraft became lost in bad weather and ended up crashing into trees at Siddown Hill, Hampshire. 6 of the 7 on board the aircraft were killed in the incident.
Siddown Hill in Hampshire lies in the grounds of Highclere Castle, which serves as the location of the historic house in 'Downton Abbey'. Lady Canarvon who owns the house, excavated the radio compass from the aircraft in January 2018. She intends to create a memorial commemorating airmen from America, New Zealand and the UK who died in aircraft crashes in the grounds of the castle.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight engineer | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. 5-May-45. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: AM (4OLC), PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. 5-May-45. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: AM (4OLC), PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. 5-May-45. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. 5-May-45. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: DFC, AM(OLC), PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. 5-May-45. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. Sole survivor from crash. 5-May-45. Returned to Duty (RTD)
Awards: AM, PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x missions. Hit trees on Sidown Hill in B-17 44-8436 and crashed. 5-May-45. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: AM (3OLC), PH.
B-17 Flying Fortress
On May 5th 1945, just three days before the end of World War II, seven young men climbed into a B-17 from 326th Squadron and took off from RAF Podington. 1st Lt Reginald Hammond, 1st Lt Robert Sprout, 2nd Lt William J Dutton, T/Sgt Jacob Buikema, S/Sgt...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 24 May 2019 11:47:28 | Emily | Created entry with name, latitude, longitude, history, person associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.ladycarnarvon.com/high-above-highclere-january-1st/ https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/98303 Narrative provided by AAM users to aircraft page https://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/17294 |
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