Nelson Oscar Bjarne

Monuments

B-24 (42-95133) 'Lady Jane' Crash Site Plaque

B-24 'Lady Jane' (42-95133) Memorial

Name:

Oscar Bjarne Nelson

Rank:

Staff Sergeant

Serial Number:

19030249

Unit:

753rd Bomber Squadron, 458th Bomber Group (Heavy)

Date of Death:

1944-11-24

State:

Washington

Cemetery:

Vashon Island Cemetery, Vashon, Washington

Plot:

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Oscar Bjarne Nelson was born on July 30, 1920. He was the son of Otto Martin Nelson and Karen Christine Pedersen Sandnes Nelson. He served in the 753rd Bomber Squadron, 458th Bomber Group (Heavy) as a Staff Sergeant and Ball Turret Gunner on the B-24 42-95133 "Lady Jane", Dooley crew, during World War II.

Lady Jane took off from RAF Horsham St.Faith /AAF Station 123 on November 24, 1944 on a practice mission but fatally crashed due to bad weather. Flying at low level with a 10/10s cloud base at 400-600 feet and poor horizontal visibility the B-24 struck the steeple of St Philip's Church, losing the outer part of the RH wing and RH tail assembly. Those on the ground saw the bomber fly on for about another 1,000 yards, before banking steeply to the right and plunging onto the Barker Street rail depot. There were no casualties on the ground, but all crew members aboard died in the crash.

SSGT Nelson is now buried in the Vashon Island Cemetery, Vashon, King County, Washington, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, aviation-safety.net