From the Goole Times 2 April 2015 Committee members in charge of the running of the Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden were treated to a visit from two Second World War RAF Veterans as they made their yearly visit to pay their respects and discuss the Snaith-based 51 Squadron. Could someone please give details of the two crashes mentioned in the article please? Thank you. Lesley
Hi Lesley Bumping around I came across this link for the Halifax incident: http://www.aircrewremembered.com/raf1944/Seaman.html Mission: Frankfurt Date: 18th March 1944 Unit: No. 51 Squadron Type: Halifax III Serial: LK750 Code: MH-Y2 Base: Snaith, Yorkshire Location: Baumholder, Germany Pilot: F/Sgt. Charles Roland Seaman 1484103 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed Fl/Eng: Sgt. William Powell 1589940 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. (P.O.W. No:3203 Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria) Nav: F/Sgt. William A. Robson 1576137 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. (P.O.W. No:3204 Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria) Air/Bmr: F/Sgt. Edward Andrew Glover 426086 R.A.A.F. Age. 29. Killed W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Robert H. Pickford 1330795 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. (P.O.W. No:3205 Stalag Luft Sagan and Belaria) Air/Gnr: Sgt. Louis Henderson Gulliver 635576 R.A.F.V.R. P.O.W. (Badly Injured - P.O.W. Details to follow) Air/Gnr: Sgt. Leslie Harold Baldwin 1825182 R.A.F.V.R. Age ? Killed REASON FOR LOSS: Took off at 1932 hrs from R.A.F. Snaith in East Yorkshire to bomb the German city of Frankfurt. 846 aircraft took part: 620 Lancaster's, 209 Halifax's and 17 Mosquitos. During the raid 22 aircraft were lost (12 Halifax's and 10 Lancaster's) 20 were claimed to have been shot down by the Luftwaffe night fighters and two by flak over the target. Halifax LK750 was hit by flak and then attacked by Oblt. Hans-Georg Birkenstock at a height of 6.000 mtrs. at 23.05hrs over Baumholder who was also shot down by return fire from LK750 - he and his two other crew members bailed out and survived but the aircraft a Bf110 G-4 of Stab1/NJG/5 crashed near to Halifax LK750. (Oblt. Hans-Jörg Birkenstock:- Total of 7 claims before being killed on the 19/20th May 1944 in a crash following air combat at Vossenack/Eifel) The report from surviving crew members is that the Bf110 rammed the Halifax after being hit. The Halifax broke into 3 pieces and Sgt. Louis Gulliver came down in the centre section of the aircraft and dropped 23,000 ft without exiting the aircraft and although very badly injured, survived. The raid destroyed 5,495 houses, 99 Industrial buildings, 412 smaller industrial units, 56 public buildings. 421 civilians were killed and 55,000 people were without homes. A military train was also hit and 20 soldiers killed with another 80 wounded although the report from Frankfurt states that this was shot up by cannon fire and may have been attacked by R.A.F. Fighter Command Intruder aircraft. The usual Mid upper gunner, F/Sgt. Stan Walton D.F.M. did not take part in the operation that night. Notes on the fate of the Luftwaffe Nachtjäger crew: Aircraft: Bf 110 G4. After combat and subsequent collision with enemy aircraft. Halifax III LK750 MH-V 51 Squadron Oblt. (Oberleutnant) Hansjörg Birkenstock, baled out-wounded (Later killed in action 19.05.1944) Bordfunker (Wireless Operator): Uffz. Walter Welz, baled out-wounded (Believed to have survived the war) Bordschütze (air gunner): Ogfr. Kurt Maciejewski, baled out-wounded (Later killed in action - 27.05.1944) TD
No 51 Squadron have a long standing squadron association which meet annually.There are many memorials in the memorial garden to crews lost and those who had served and others who had passed on.I think Northern Straw now own the site and it was through their permission that the garden was established.Good examples of J type hangars survive in the technical area. A section of the airfield is now a pig farm where the animals are free to roam and root out in large pens as natural as possible.As regards the runways,these were clipped off by the construction of the M62 in the late 1970s, at their northern ends. The memorial garden is situated on the left hand side of the former main entrance into the camp on the site of the Station HQ. Pollington airfield is situated very close to the Kings Cross/Edinburgh main line,the bomb dump being connected to the main line by a spur.It was the scene in 1943 when there was a huge explosion at the bomb dump on the western side of the airfield between the airfield and the main line which killed 18 station armourers.It was also close to the thresholds of the main and a secondary runway and the runway itself. It put the station out of service for about 3 days....some of the armourer's bodies were never found,some being interred at Selby. The Station Commander,Tom Sawyer surveyed the devastated scene in a Tiger Moth as a first stage to get the station back on operations.The Station Armament Officer received an award for gallantry for his involvement in the aftermath of the explosion in making the area safe. Keith Ford an ex Instrument mechanic on No 51 Squadron wrote an account in the early 1990s of the squadron's activities as "Snaith Days...Life with No 51 Squadron 1942-1945"..... an excellent record of the operational activity of a bomber squadron of No 4 Group Bomber Command
Nice article in the Goole Times Thursday, May 14th 2015 The Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden Committee held a special reunion for Veterans and a Memorial Service on Sunday, May 10th. Current Officers from 51 and 150 Squadrons attended the event, alongside Veterans Alan Jones, Geoff Towers, John Rose, Charles Colman and Alan Gaskill, with local dignitaries and members of the Goole Air Cadets. There was an Australian theme to the event, with the highest ranking Australian Officer and families from down under visiting to lay new plaques in memory of their relatives. Wendy Louth was presented with her father's lost British Empire Medal by Squadron Leader Dave McRitchie. Her father, Sergeant Alexander Barrie rescued a pilot from a burning plane during World War Two.
Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden....3 March 2010 Memorial plaque to F/S C R Seaman and two of his crew who were killed when Halifax 111 LK 750 was lost on the op to Frankfurt.
Pollington Airfield Memorial Garden....3 March 2010 Memorial plaque to F/S C R Seaman and two of his crew who were killed when Halifax 111 LK 750 was lost on the op to Frankfurt.
