SGT. J.R. BARLOW (R.A.A.F.) DIED.                      SGT. W. J. BAKER (R.A.A.F.) DIED.

F/S. H.J. BUCKLEY (R.A.F.) DIED.                          F/O. J. LOVE (R.A.A.F.) DIED.

F/O. K. PETTIFORD (R.A.A.F.) DIED.                     F/S. S. CHEEK (R.A.A.F.) INJURED.

 

DETAILS OF ACCIDENT.

Took off from Lichfield at 08.03 on a bombing and photograph exercise. Early in the flight, two Spitfires came near to the Wellington Bomber. It was said that they came from an American unit. They passed so closely that they took off the trailing aerial leaving the Wellington with no wireless equipment.

At about 14.10, eye witnesses on the ground saw the aircraft flying low over some factory buildings near Leek in Staffordshire and then, to their horror, it smashed into high ground at a place called Hen Cloud. All of the crew were killed except for F/S. Cheek. He was taken Leek Cottage Hospital before being sent to Cosford Hospital. The four Australians were buried in St. Stephens Churchyard in Fradley and F/S. Buckley was buried in his home town of Pontypridd in Wales.