Dorsal Queen and Raunchy Wolf Plaque
Details:
In the park next to the memorial bench.
A white rectangular plaque, printed in colors, and is inscribed in English text. 4 poppies are printed on each corner and on the center, are photographs of the two planes and the Dorsal Queen crew. The plaque narrates what happened in the incident of the collision.
Source of image: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register
Monument Text:
IN MEMORIUM - 26TH SEPTEMBER 1943
Two B17s of the 385th Bomb Group, 551st Bomb Squadron of the USAF, Dorsal Queen and Raunchy Wolf, were returning to their base at Great Ashfield, Suffolk.
The target of their mission had been Reims, France, but due to bad weather they were returning fully laden with bombs and incendiaries.
Near to West Horndon they collided, the wing of one slicing off the tail of the other.
At 6.53 in the evening they both crashed onto farmland. The only survivor was Staff Sgt. John J. Adams, who was the tail gunner. Twenty young men died.
(- B-17 plane -) | (-Dorsal Queen crew-) | (- B-17 plane -) | |
| |||
B-17F-45-DL "Raunchy Wolf"
1st Lt. John T Keeley Jr 1st Lt. Harry Coomes 1st Lt. Arthur R Moore 1st Lt. Theodore R Rouse Tech Sgt. Ledger Pontius Jr Tech Sgt. Samuel B Rochester Sgt. Raymond H Shepherd Staff Sgt. Robert L Banner Staff Sgt. Douglas Binford Staff Sgt. Edward Osborn | B-17F-95-BO "Dorsal Queen"
1st Lt. Paul M Yannello 1st Lt. Sidney S White 2nd Lt. Frederick E Wilson Jr 2nd Lt. Guilford N Black 2nd Lt. Charles A Wardle Tech Sgt. Stanley J Gula Tech Sgt. Walter F McMillan Staff Sgt. Marion E McGinnis Staff Sgt. Lawrence C Kern Staff Sgt. Edgar L Seitz | ||
And Staff Sgt. John J Adams the only survivor | |||
✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞✞
The Kohima Epitaph
When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
385th Bomber Group
551st Bomber Squadron, 385th Bomber Group, Heavy
8th Air Force
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII
Other images :
