Transcription of LYNN NEWS & ADVERTISER – Front page article (continued on page 5) from Friday 25th January 1952
BOMBER CRASHES AT FINCHAM: FIVE MEN KILLED
ROARING THROUGH THE PITCH DARKNESS OF TUESDAY NIGHT. A LINCOLN FOUR ENGINED HEAVY BOMBER OF THE R.A.F. CROSSED THE LYNN-STOKE FERRY ROAD NEAR STRADSETT FOLDGATE CROSSROAD AT TREE TOP HEIGHT, HIT A TREE AND CRASHED INTO A FIELD AT FINCHAM. AS IT CRASHED IT BURST INTO FLAMES.
Two members of the crew were flung clear. Both were alive and conscious and able to speak when picked up, but one died almost immediately. The Air Ministry have since revealed that five airmen died in the crash. They were Flt.Sgt. B. Wedgeman (the pilot)*, Sgt. F.R. Edwards Flt.Sgt R.E. Griffiths, Sgt. W. Pickering, and Flying Officer Chaterjee.
The injured man is Sgt. J. F. Groom, who with cut head and badly injured legs, was taken by R.A.F. ambulance to the R.A.F. hospital at Ely.
The crash occurred at about 11.30 pm. A number of civilians sped quickly to the scene, soon joined by P.Sgt. W.H. Buckle, Fincham, who had sent out an alarm call to the R.A.F. and arranged for doctors and fire brigades to be notified.
*Wedgeman was an incorrect spelling of the Polish pilots name, which was Boleslaw WEJMAN
SEARCH PARTY
P.Sgt. Buckle organised civilians with lamps torches into a search party, in a long line, they carefully combed the area of the crash, for possible survivors, but none was found.
From Downham went Doctor Elsie Johnson, Doctor J. Gibb and Doctor J.R.Hall. Police Insp. G. Bartram, Downham arrived at the same time. Other police assisting were P.c Coady, Downham, P.c. Elsegood, Shouldham, and P.c. Fulcher, West Dereham.
The crash was three field to the east of the main Downham to Swaffham road and the approach was by Black Drove and then across a small stream, and through a field – with mud everywhere.
Pieces of the aircraft were scattered over a wide area with small scattered fires burning in the grass.
EXPLOSIONS
Lying about were a number of practice bombs, and there were two or three explosions at intervals.
While a search for survivors was going on, a big bomber, thought to be a Lincoln, and with its powerful landing lights trained downwards lit up the tragic scene for a few seconds.
Later, the R.A.F. from Marham aerodrome sent airmen equipped with powerful battery-operated portable searchlights.
Group-Capt. Casey, Officer Commanding Marham R.A.F. Station, also arrived and decided that operations would have to be suspended until daylight. An R.A.F. guard was mounted over the wrecked machine.
FIRE CREWS
Downham and Fincham fire tenders attended. The Downham crew was under Leading-Fireman Watson, and Sub-Officer Nelson was in charge of the Fincham crew. Five or six R.A.F. crash tenders and ambulances were there, too. None of the fire fighting equipment was used, however, as the main fire had largely burnt itself out.
The firemen assisted in the search for survivors and they carried the one survivor to the ambulance.
The airman was fully conscious. He wanted to know if the other members of the crew were all right (sic), spoke about his wife and child and wanted to know whether they had been told, and also asked how serious his own injuries were.
The Lincoln was not based at Marham, it was on a flight from Upwood, Huntingdonshire. It is understood it had been diverted and was waiting to land. The point of the crash is about three miles from the aerodrome.
For more than an hour before the crash one or more big bombers with normal navigation lights had passed over Downham two or three times at low altitude, but bombers were active generally in the locality and little attention was paid to it.
END OF ARTICLE
FOOTNOTE
On the night of Tuesday 22nd of January 1952, Mrs Pearl Claydon (nee Marriott) was contemplating the birth of her second child. She was at home in the family cottage in Black Drove, Fincham with her husband James Leonard (Len) Claydon and their fourteen year old daughter Judy Ann when the crash happened. Doctor Gibb, who attended the crash, was the Claydon family doctor, and as he passed her cottage on his way back to Downham the cottage was in darkness, so thought that he would not be needed that night.
However, the earlier crash proceedings brought on her labour and Mr Claydon, there being no public telephone, had to cycle into Downham to fetch Doctor Gibb, to supervise the birth of the Claydon’s new son, at 6.00 am on the 23rd January.
Because of the events, mum and dad decided on Lincoln as a suitable choice of Christian name for their newly arrived son. But it wasn’t to be, because their daughter insisted that her younger brother should be christened Roy, in tribute to her favourite film star, Roy Rogers, and she got her way! Roy Claydon still lives in the house in which he was born, in Black Drove, and has been an active member of the Fincham community for all of his life.
Links – https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/25099
https://www.49squadron.co.uk/personnel_index/detail/Wejman_FNU
https://www.49squadron.co.uk/personnel_index/detail/Pickering_FNU
https://www.49squadron.co.uk/personnel_index/detail/Groome_JF
I tried to find information about the survivor, Sgt. J. F. Groom, but had no success whatsoever. It is a great pity that his story will remain untold.
Submitted by Dave Stringer 10/09/2022
Fincham Local History Society 