waz
ADMINISTRATOR
- Sep 15, 2006
- 21,197
- 91
- Country
- Location
Thousands of people cheered a flypast honouring 10 airmen who died when their plane crashed in a park 75 years ago.
The US bomber came down in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield on 22 February 1944, killing everyone on board.
A campaign for a flypast started after a chance meeting between BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker and Tony Foulds, who tends a park memorial.
A tearful Mr Foulds was given a rousing round of applause as the planes flew over. He said: "This is unbelievable."
Relatives of the aircrew and thousands of people from across Britain paid their respects as the planes roared over the memorial at about 08:45 GMT.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Foulds told the crowds: "Thank you very much for coming, it's lovely to see you."
Mr Foulds also met the families of some of the airmen who lost their lives in the crash 75 years ago and said they were "lovely, lovely people".
He added: "I never thought I would ever meet any of the families of this pilot and crew."
The flypast proved an emotional moment for Mr Walker, who is currently training for a Sport Relief Challenge in Tanzania.
He managed to watch the event and tweeted: "I can't talk."
The flypast involved military aircraft from Britain and the United States, who set off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk - home to the largest US Air Force base in the UK.
Speaking in Tanzania, Mr Walker told Mr Foulds: "The last six weeks have been remarkable from my point of view.
"I know you jokingly asked everybody for a tenner who are there at the park today, but it's not about the money, it's never been about you.
"Tony, it's always been about those 10 men who you think saved your life 75 years ago."
Mr Foulds said he and the other children were in the park 75 years ago because boys from two rival junior schools were fighting.
Of the airmen on board the B-17 Flying Fortress, known as Mi Amigo, he said: "If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't be here with my family.
"It's more than bravery, what they did. They saved me, and I mean saved me.
"These are now part of my family, my ashes are going to be put by the memorial. I might as well stay with them, you know."
Mr Walker, who met Mr Foulds while he was walking his dog in the park, described him as an "amazing man" after hearing his story in early January.
Mr Foulds was eight when he witnessed Mi Amigo crash and explode in the park as the pilot apparently tried to avoid him and his friends.
A social media-led campaign subsequently went transatlantic and a flypast was successfully organised along with new steps and a flagpole for the crash memorial.
As the flypast took place wreaths were laid at the graves of three of the American airmen who died in the crash.
Three of the 10 crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress, Mi Amigo, are interred at Cambridge American Cemetery.
The headstones of Staff Sergeant Harry W Estabrooks, Sergeant Maurice D Robbins and Sergeant Charles H Tuttle were dressed on Friday with sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
Mr Foulds said he felt responsible, because the plane was trying to avoid crashing into him.
Referring to his regular visits to the memorial, he said: "They are my family. I love them to pieces.
"If I go on holiday I always make sure my son goes to visit. I always tell them how I am, what I'm doing, what the weather's like."
Julia Johnson, who was among the crowds, said she had cried when she heard Mr Foulds' story and travelled up from London for the event.
Ms Johnson said: "I saw the article on the BBC website about Tony and the hard work and felt I really wanted to be here on the day, regardless of the flypast."
The florist said she had also offered to make a wreath for the servicemen who died in the crash.
The 10 men killed in the crash:
Lt Andrew Knighten, weapons systems officer in the F-15E, said: "It's pretty humbling, honestly, just for everyone that's gone before us and for us to get to fly over and just honour them."
The story
Lieutenant John Kriegshauser, a 23-year-old pilot from St Louis, Missouri, was on his 15th mission on February 22, 1944 - and on board with him were nine young men from every corner of America.
The mission was a daring daylight raid on the Aalborg airfield in occupied Denmark, a key fighter base that protected Germany from Allied bombers. Mi Amigo was hit in the attack and limped back across the North Sea, trying to get to a base in Chelveston, Northamptonshire.
But the weather was poor. When the plane broke through the clouds looking for somewhere to land, it was over Sheffield, 80 miles north west.
Tony Foulds was eight years old and had gathered with other children for a schoolyard brawl at Endcliffe Park, an oasis of green surrounded by terraced houses.
After five years of war, including German attacks on Sheffield's steel and armaments plants, the boys were accustomed to hearing planes. But the sound of this aircraft wasn't right - with one engine working, spitting oil and daylight visible through the tail.
The pilot circled when he saw the stretch of green, and waved his arms at the children. They waved back. Years later, Mr Foulds realised he was trying to get them to run out of the way.
The plane circled three times, the last time coming in so low it was just above the houses' chimneys. The pilot could have tried to land on the green, but he didn't. He turned his plane into the nearby woods, tried to rev up his only working engine and failed to gain altitude. The plane crashed and there were no survivors.
Mr Foulds has been wracked by guilt ever since, over why he could go on with his life, to have children and grandchildren, when the men on that plane were not.
Planes that took part in the flypast
The ten US airmen killed in February 1944 crash
+36
Pilot : Lieutenant John G. Kriegshause, 23, from St. Louis, Missouri
Co-pilot : 2nd Lieutenant Lyle Curtis of Idaho Falls
Navigator : 2nd Lieutenant John W. Humphrey of Wyoming, Illinois
Bombardier : 2nd Lieutenant Melchor Hernandez of Los Angeles, California
Radio operator : Staff Sergeant Robert Mayfield of Raymond, Illinois
Waist gunner : Sergeant Vito Ambrosio of Brooklyn, New York
Flight engineer and top turret gunner : Staff Sergeant Harry Estabrooks of Mound Valley, Kansas
Waist gunner : Sergeant George M. Williams of Faxon, Oklahoma
Ball turret gunner : Sergeant Charles Tuttle of Raceland, Kentucky
Rear gunner : Sergeant Maurice Robbins of Manor, Texas
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ome-true-flypast-marks-1944-bomber-crash.html
Wonderful tribute, thank you for your service.
@KAL-EL
@F-22Raptor
@Hamartia Antidote
@gambit
The US bomber came down in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield on 22 February 1944, killing everyone on board.
A campaign for a flypast started after a chance meeting between BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker and Tony Foulds, who tends a park memorial.
A tearful Mr Foulds was given a rousing round of applause as the planes flew over. He said: "This is unbelievable."
Relatives of the aircrew and thousands of people from across Britain paid their respects as the planes roared over the memorial at about 08:45 GMT.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Foulds told the crowds: "Thank you very much for coming, it's lovely to see you."
Mr Foulds also met the families of some of the airmen who lost their lives in the crash 75 years ago and said they were "lovely, lovely people".
He added: "I never thought I would ever meet any of the families of this pilot and crew."
The flypast proved an emotional moment for Mr Walker, who is currently training for a Sport Relief Challenge in Tanzania.
He managed to watch the event and tweeted: "I can't talk."
The flypast involved military aircraft from Britain and the United States, who set off from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk - home to the largest US Air Force base in the UK.
Speaking in Tanzania, Mr Walker told Mr Foulds: "The last six weeks have been remarkable from my point of view.
"I know you jokingly asked everybody for a tenner who are there at the park today, but it's not about the money, it's never been about you.
"Tony, it's always been about those 10 men who you think saved your life 75 years ago."
Mr Foulds said he and the other children were in the park 75 years ago because boys from two rival junior schools were fighting.
Of the airmen on board the B-17 Flying Fortress, known as Mi Amigo, he said: "If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't be here with my family.
"It's more than bravery, what they did. They saved me, and I mean saved me.
"These are now part of my family, my ashes are going to be put by the memorial. I might as well stay with them, you know."
Mr Walker, who met Mr Foulds while he was walking his dog in the park, described him as an "amazing man" after hearing his story in early January.
Mr Foulds was eight when he witnessed Mi Amigo crash and explode in the park as the pilot apparently tried to avoid him and his friends.
A social media-led campaign subsequently went transatlantic and a flypast was successfully organised along with new steps and a flagpole for the crash memorial.
As the flypast took place wreaths were laid at the graves of three of the American airmen who died in the crash.
Three of the 10 crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress, Mi Amigo, are interred at Cambridge American Cemetery.
The headstones of Staff Sergeant Harry W Estabrooks, Sergeant Maurice D Robbins and Sergeant Charles H Tuttle were dressed on Friday with sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, France.
Mr Foulds said he felt responsible, because the plane was trying to avoid crashing into him.
Referring to his regular visits to the memorial, he said: "They are my family. I love them to pieces.
"If I go on holiday I always make sure my son goes to visit. I always tell them how I am, what I'm doing, what the weather's like."
Julia Johnson, who was among the crowds, said she had cried when she heard Mr Foulds' story and travelled up from London for the event.
Ms Johnson said: "I saw the article on the BBC website about Tony and the hard work and felt I really wanted to be here on the day, regardless of the flypast."
The florist said she had also offered to make a wreath for the servicemen who died in the crash.
The 10 men killed in the crash:
- Pilot Lt John Kriegshauser, pilot from Missouri
- 2nd Lt Lyle Curtis, co-pilot from Idaho
- 2nd Lt John Humphrey, navigator from Illinois
- Melchor Hernandez, bombardier from California
- Harry Estabrooks, engineer and gunner from Kansas
- Charles Tuttle, gunner from Kentucky
- Robert Mayfield, radio operator from Illinois
- Vito Ambrosio, gunner from New York
- Malcolm Williams, gunner from Oklahoma
- Maurice Robbins, gunner from Texas
Lt Andrew Knighten, weapons systems officer in the F-15E, said: "It's pretty humbling, honestly, just for everyone that's gone before us and for us to get to fly over and just honour them."
The story
Lieutenant John Kriegshauser, a 23-year-old pilot from St Louis, Missouri, was on his 15th mission on February 22, 1944 - and on board with him were nine young men from every corner of America.
The mission was a daring daylight raid on the Aalborg airfield in occupied Denmark, a key fighter base that protected Germany from Allied bombers. Mi Amigo was hit in the attack and limped back across the North Sea, trying to get to a base in Chelveston, Northamptonshire.
But the weather was poor. When the plane broke through the clouds looking for somewhere to land, it was over Sheffield, 80 miles north west.
Tony Foulds was eight years old and had gathered with other children for a schoolyard brawl at Endcliffe Park, an oasis of green surrounded by terraced houses.
After five years of war, including German attacks on Sheffield's steel and armaments plants, the boys were accustomed to hearing planes. But the sound of this aircraft wasn't right - with one engine working, spitting oil and daylight visible through the tail.
The pilot circled when he saw the stretch of green, and waved his arms at the children. They waved back. Years later, Mr Foulds realised he was trying to get them to run out of the way.
The plane circled three times, the last time coming in so low it was just above the houses' chimneys. The pilot could have tried to land on the green, but he didn't. He turned his plane into the nearby woods, tried to rev up his only working engine and failed to gain altitude. The plane crashed and there were no survivors.
Mr Foulds has been wracked by guilt ever since, over why he could go on with his life, to have children and grandchildren, when the men on that plane were not.
Planes that took part in the flypast
- F-15E Strike Eagles from RAF Lakenheath
- KC-135 Stratotanker
- MC-130J Commando II
- CV-22 Osprey from RAF Mildenhall
- Typhoon from RAF Coningsby
- Dakota from RAF Coningsby
The ten US airmen killed in February 1944 crash
+36
Pilot : Lieutenant John G. Kriegshause, 23, from St. Louis, Missouri
Co-pilot : 2nd Lieutenant Lyle Curtis of Idaho Falls
Navigator : 2nd Lieutenant John W. Humphrey of Wyoming, Illinois
Bombardier : 2nd Lieutenant Melchor Hernandez of Los Angeles, California
Radio operator : Staff Sergeant Robert Mayfield of Raymond, Illinois
Waist gunner : Sergeant Vito Ambrosio of Brooklyn, New York
Flight engineer and top turret gunner : Staff Sergeant Harry Estabrooks of Mound Valley, Kansas
Waist gunner : Sergeant George M. Williams of Faxon, Oklahoma
Ball turret gunner : Sergeant Charles Tuttle of Raceland, Kentucky
Rear gunner : Sergeant Maurice Robbins of Manor, Texas
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ome-true-flypast-marks-1944-bomber-crash.html
Wonderful tribute, thank you for your service.
@KAL-EL
@F-22Raptor
@Hamartia Antidote
@gambit
