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I heard an aircraft had crashed in a field near by and ran to the scene to see the crew escaping. Fifty-six years later, I met up with two members of that wartime air crew.
I now live in Occold near Eye, and was 14 years old when the United States bomber, a B17 Flying Fortress, came down in the village of Ubbeston near Halesworth, ( where I lived at the time ).With other youngsters we ran to the scene and saw the crew emerge un scathed.
The memory of the incident which happened a few days before Christmas of 1943 has stayed with me through out my life. But 10 years ago a chance encounter put me on the path to make contact with the air crew.

My work me in to contact with a man who had access to files giving details of wartime aircraft crashes and that prompted me to make further inquiries in this country and in the United States. It turned out members of the air crew had ended the war as captives of the Germans after crashing in a later mission and, because they were taken to different camps, had lost touch with each other.
My efforts to trace the crew eventually drought its members back in touch with each other,
Although several have since died and one is very ill. I was able to go on the trip of a lifetime to the United States where I met up with two of the survivors of the Ubbeston crash gunner George Wall and radio operator Frank Miller, both now aged 78.
After two crashes in the war and returning safely home, the two had vowed never to fly again , so a meeting in Britain was out of the question. But they traveled from their homes in Indiana and Pennsylvania especially to meet up with me now aged 70 at a 25th anniversary reunion staged by the U.S 8th Air Force in Savannah Georgia, It was a bit emotional, but fntastiv to meet them after all these years. I鈥檇 often thought about them but, until recently, I never thought I would ever meet them. They told me their aircraft had been returning from a bombing raid in Germany when it suffered engine failure. They were going to come down at Theberton aerodrome, but knew that a crash-landing on the runway could prevent RAF fighters taking off, so they headed for the nearest suitable field which turned out to be Ubbeston. A year later, at the age of 15 I was lucky enough to hitch a ride in a B17 from Horham Airfield, Near Eye.

The Author
Frank Sherman is an Englishman who has befriended several of the men of the 357th Fighter Group. Keeps in touch with them and serves as their host when they visit England. The reference to Theberton Aerodrome is that of the Leiston Airfield just before the 357th Fighter group moved there. Our supporting group units were already in place at Leiston.
Frank attends the Leiston Rememberance Ceremonies and meets with the 357th Fighter Group Association delegation as well as the F.O.L.A. members.
Further Comments:
The crash was attended by Military Police from Theberton / Leiston Airfield who took the bomber crew to Leiston Airfield for the night. The crew was picked up the next day and flown back to Kimbolton, the home airfield of th 379th Bomber Group. One of the M.P.鈥檚 from the 1260th Mlitary Police Company, a George Sneath came from the same home town as the Bomber Radio Operator Frank Miller. In 1998 as Frank Sherman drove his guests M.P. Tony Stripe and Charlie Puleo of the 362nd Fighter Squadron about, he took them back to the site where the B-17 鈥淒esperate Dan鈥� crashed and Stripe stated he was one of the M.P.鈥檚 on duty at the crash site when it took place.

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