大象传媒

Author: Stanley Jones

Stanley Jones' boyhood memories of a plane crash continued to linger throughout his life - so much so that he decided to try and uncover just what happened that summer's day in 1944. Here's part 2...

SIXTY years later, after much discussion over the years as to what happened and why, and more importantly, who the brave pilot was 鈥� since the crash was not reported at the time, or has been since as far as its been possible to tell, on account of war-secrecy regulations 鈥� I managed to obtain the official accident report from an Internet website. From this I learnt of the pilot, his mission, how the plane caught fire, along with confirmation of the exact date and time it crashed. In separate enquiries, I discovered where the aircraft was manufactured, its model type and serial number, and how it got to be where it was that day. I also learned that the Rolls Royce powered Mustang 鈥� arguably the finest fighter aircraft of WWII 鈥� was not the easiest plane to fly, although once mastered was considered one of the best. A modification that added an 85-gallon fuel tank within the fuselage (immediately behind the cockpit) could make the plane a little tricky to handle 鈥� especially when the tank was full. Moreover, the plane鈥檚 long-nose design could impede the pilot's forward view, a situation that would possibly worsen when attempting an emergency crash-landing.

As our investigation progressed, it became apparent that Captain Perrin could have bailed out, thus saving his own life. Fortunately for the townsfolk of Stafford he heroically chose not to, realising such an action would endanger the lives of untold others when his fuel-laden plane exploded among them.

The wheat-field belonged to one Arthur James Malpass of Creswell Home Farm, Creswell, Stafford. The crash occurred at 5pm on Tuesday, 4th July 1944 鈥� ironically and terribly sadly, American Independence Day. Before joining the Ferrying Squadron, Captain Perrin piloted a P-47 Thunderbolt with more than 200 hours of combat duty over enemy territory. He was an accredited 鈥淎ce鈥� having shot down seven German planes for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal and three Oak Leaf Clusters (awarded posthumously). Before he dreamed of war or flying however, he was just another young man in his hometown, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA. A graduate of Toms River High School, John Perrin excelled at baseball and had studied in 1936 at Rutgers University before entering the US Army Air Corps in March 1941. He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant January 1942, promoted 1st Lieutenant July 1943 and Captain April 1944.

THE AIRCRAFT Captain Perrin was flying that day was brand-new. He was ferrying it from Warton, Lancashire, to an airfield at Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire. The Mustang, a P-51D-5-NA, SN 44-13635, to give it its full title, was the latest version of the famous plane, having only arrived in England from the Inglewood (California) manufacturer the previous month. It was Captain Perrin鈥檚 first flight in a Mustang. This led me to wonder whether lack of experience was a factor in the accident. As you will see, the deadly final circumstance of pilot and machine make this extremely unlikely. After scrutinising official accident reports compiled by a USAAF inspector and local police at the scene, examining eyewitness statements and recalling our own accounts, it became possible to reconstruct the final moments of the flight with a fair degree of accuracy.

Find out how the story end at... "The heroic story of Captain Perrin Part 3"

Maps relating to the story can also be found in "The heroic story of Captain Perrin Part 4 - appendix"

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War site by Jim Salveson on behalf of its author Stanley Jones and has been added to the site with his permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

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