Search for families of RAF victims of Avro Lincoln aircrash
St Peter & St Paul, Mautby, will commemorate the deaths of airmen in a 1947 tragedy - Credit: Eastern Daily Press © 2015
A 70th anniversary commemoration service will pay tribute to the crew of an Avro Lincoln plane which crashed in the village of Mautby.
The aircraft from No 97 Squadron RAF crashed in flames killing all nine crew members, returning to RAF Helmswell from a night navigation exercise to Cherbourg on September 24, 1947.
It had flown into heavy rain as it crossed the coast over Great Yarmouth and it is believed the aircraft was struck by lightning and went into a dive before crashing in flames at Waters Farm, Mautby.
Aviation historians Simon Baker and Bob Collins have been researching the crash for some time and produced an information file for Mautby’s church. This led to the planning of a special service at St Peter and St Paul’s Church on Saturday, September 23 to mark the 70th anniversary of the tragedy.
Simon said: “We are hoping to have a number of service association standards on parade and representation from the Royal Air Force. We have had contact with two of the families but would like to find any relatives of the other crew members who came from around the UK.”
The nine crew killed were:
Engineer II, W Allison, 34, RAF of Kinloch-Leven, Argyllshire
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Flt Lt J G Cook RAF(VR), 24, of Brasted Chart, Kent
AC1 D G F Cummings, 23, RAF(VR) of Woodlands Park, Berkshire
Pilot IV, J A Guest, 22, RAF(VR) of Edinburgh
Flt Lt R V Havard, 24, RAF(VR) of Trent Vale, Stoke on Trent
Signaller II, A Wattleworth, 22, RAF(VR) of Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester
Pilot I, S F Whitlock, 26, RAF(VR) of Downham, Bromley, Kent
Gunner II, V O Woods, 22, RAF(VR) of Morden, Surrey
Gunner II, R A Trundle, 22, RAF(VR) of Lowestoft
All the crew except Trundle, who is buried in Lowestoft cemetery, were interred in Caister cemetery.
