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This contribution to WW2 People’s War was received by the Action Desk on ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio Norfolk. The story has been written and submitted to the website by Jane Bradbury (Volunteer Story Gatherer) with the full permission and on behalf of John Peacock.

In December 1945 we were detailed to take cargo (probably post and newspapers) from Rivenhall, Essex and fly to an airfield near Hanover, in Germany, in a 4 engined Stirling bomber. I had on board a crew of six, plus a pilot, a navigator and an engineer from Shepherd’s Grove, near Bury St. Edmunds, who were learning the ropes regarding the job we were doing.

The journey out to Germany was uneventful, we were unloaded and reloaded. The plane was ready for take off after we had had our lunch. As we ran down the runway, gaining flying speed, a very loud explosion was heard. Luckily, air speed had been obtained and I was able to take the aircraft off the ground. We flew around the aerodrome once or twice, deciding what to do, as we realised we had burst a tyre. We eventually set course for home and contacted group headquarters in England as to what we should do and where we should land. We were eventually instructed to divert to Woodbridge, in Suffolk, and take instructions from their control. This was a crash ‘drome, used so as not to litter up an operational station.

We eventually arrived over Woodbridge and made contact with their control and were told to land on the grass undershoot before the runway, with the wheels up(this, approximately 500 yards long, was only used for emergency landings, the grass slowing the plane up). We then began emergency procedure, and the crew went to their crash positions viz. myself and the co-pilot stayed at the controls and the seven crew members were sitting braced, their backs to the main spar. We jettisoned as much fuel as we could, because of the fire risk, leaving a minimum amount in case of having to overshoot. This was uppermost in our minds as we knew that, should we land on the runway itself, we would undoubtedly cause sparks, which would cause an explosion. We then commenced our descent.

All emergency vehicles were in place (fire engines, ‘blood wagons’ or ambulances and rescue vehicles) which followed the plane along the runway before landing, but I found it difficult to bring the plane down on the undershoot as we had no wheels or undercarriage, so it was difficult to determine the height above the ground.

We eventually landed on the grass overshoot instead (beyond the runway) and, once stopped, we began to evacuate the aircraft. I went to the emergency exit immediately above my head, as did the co-pilot. We walked along the top of the fuselage to where the crew were commencing to exit. They were not happy bunnies as it was ascertained that when we crashed down, the lid of the ‘Elsan’ (chemical toilet) had come off and scattered the contents over the seven poor crew members. As we had been flying perhaps six hours and with a crew of nine, the Elsan was rather ripe!

I was called all the rotten names under the sun and they were not at all grateful that I had brought them down safely. Once the smell had dissipated I became their bosom pal once more.

(A record of this crash landing is recorded in ‘The Stirling Story’ by Michael J.F. Bowyer published in 2002 by Crecy Pubs. Ltd.

LK290 8Z-Z, 8E-Z/295 Sqn 28.9.44, 570Sqn, FA 27.10.45 port tyre air burst, belly landed Woodbridge, RIW Sebro 3.12.45, Cat E 6.12.45.)

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