Friday, February 22, 2019

UK: Honours WW2 US aircrew who died crashing to avoid school children

(Sheffield) On the 22nd February 1944, Mi Amigo a B17 bomber returning from a mission over Denmark experienced engine trouble over the city of Sheffield. Spotting a park, the pilot descended and attempted to land on it, unfortunately for the crew of that B17 there were school children playing and as the bomber flew low waving at the children to get out of the way, they as children waved backed not understanding what was happening, the pilot decided to look elsewhere and crashed into woodland killing all the crew.


A memorial was built in honour of the crew and one of those children now 87 has spent the past several decades looking after said memorial  in memory of the crew of the B17.


6 weeks ago in January a BBC reporter walking his dog came across, Tony Foulds (That child now a pensioner) and asked him what the story was about the memorial. He told him the story and said he would love to see a military aircraft fly past in honour and remembrance of that ill-fated crew  who died so others could live. At the time Mr Foulds didn’t know the man walking his dog was a reporter and that reporter made a few calls


and today not just one,but several aircraft flew over the memorial on the 75th anniversary of the above crash. Thousands of people  turned up in which to join in with the commemoration.

The full story here