Airmen memorial in Wednesfield to be unveiled
A memorial honouring seven airmen killed in a plane crash during the last days of the Second World War will finally be unveiled tomorrow.
A small ceremony will be held at the site of the crash in Wednesfield, Wolverhampton, at 5.15pm tomorrow, the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.
The monument was originally due to have been unveiled on May 17, to mark the 75th anniversary of the crash, but the ceremony had to be postponed because of the coronavirus crisis.
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The memorial stone commemorates seven airmen who died when their Lancaster bomber crashed on farmland off Lichfield Road on May 17, 1945.
The precise cause of the crash has never been formally identified, although eye-witnesses reported seeing smoke billowing from the plane before it hit the ground.
Ray Fellows, who had been the driving force behind securing the memorial to the airmen, will be joined by a standard bearer from the Royal British Legion, and a bugler from the marching band of St Gregory's for the unveiling.
But Mr Fellows said social distancing guidelines meant members of the public were being asked to stay away.
"We would have liked to have invited some of the local folk who witnessed the crash, but it has not been possible," he said, adding that people would be invited to attend a larger ceremony next year.
A Spitfire fly-past had originally been planned for the unveiling of the stone in May, and Barry Meade, the son of 22-year-old Flying Officer Victor Meade who was killed in the crash, had been due to attend.
Routine
Pilot Bernard Hall, flight engineer Ronald James O’Donnell, navigator Reginald Smith, wireless operator Gordon Rabbetts and air gunners Vincent Southworth and John Sills also died.
Mr Fellows said Bloxwich-based Hilton Main Construction covered most of the £6,000 cost of the monument.
"We at Wednesfield History Society would like to thank all of the folk that have been involved with making donations and doing collections for the memorial," he said.
Perry Hall School, the staff at Juicy Fruits in High Street, local pubs, stonemason Jonathon Edwards, and Jo Onions from Wolverhampton Council had all played an important role, he said.
The crash created a five-foot crater in the ground, and the men were buried at the scene, with a local church minister performing a simple funeral ceremony.
The men were later given memorials at cemeteries in their home towns.
They were serving with 630 Squadron operating out of East Kirkby, Lincolnshire, and the crash took place just nine days after Germany had surrendered and the war in Europe was officially over.
The plane was on a routine training flight when it crashed to the ground and killed the crew on board.
