Long campaign to honour wartime air crash victims is realised with dedicated memorial

A memorial to the crew of an RAF plane which crashed in Erewash during the Second World War will be dedicated this weekend – nine years after a campaign was started to publicly recognise the tragedy.

The event will take place on Sunday (August 31st) - 81 years to the day that the seven crew perished when their Stirling bomber crashed into a field at Stanton-by-Dale near Ilkeston during a heavy thunderstorm.

The 2.5 metre metal sculpture designed by artist Malcolm Sier and produced by FC Laser based in the village stands on cages of Derbyshire limestone in a private grazing field off Dale Road so that it can be seen by passers-by.

It was on the night of August 31st, 1944 that the pilot and a raw crew based at RAF Wigsley in Nottinghamshire were on the last leg of a cross-country training flight when they encountered a severe thunderstorm and one of the plane's four engines caught fire.

Rapidly losing altitude the plane managed to clear a ridge on one side of Dale Road  but crashed at the bottom of a field next to Grove Farm at 11pm. 

It exploded with a huge flash, killing the crew, setting fire to nearby trees and scattering wreckage over a wide area – one wheel landed several hundred yards away.

People from the village and Stanton Ironworks rushed to the scene of the crash – believed to have been caused by lightning striking the aircraft – but there was nothing they could do for the young airmen.

The memorial is made from 28mm Corten steel that rusts but does not decay. The seven aircraft or stars featured represent the crew members. It is designed so that the actual crash site 300 metres away can be seen through the openwork of the metal. It bears the RAF motto Per Ardua ad Astra – Through Adversity to the Stars.

There is a plaque on the war memorial in the village church yard where a service is held each year on the date of the crash at 11am. The new memorial will be dedicated at 1.45pm by the Rev Phil Selby, rector of Stanton.

The idea for it came when a former RAF officer approached Stanton-by-Dale parish council 10 years ago and asked for help in securing an on-site memorial.

Two councillors, Paul Harvey and Chris Coates, were so moved that they decided to take on the task of raising money for a memorial because the parish council was not allowed under regulations to do so.

“It's been hard work over nine years particularly because of incidents such as covid and flooding at the site,” said Mr Harvey.  “But we are delighted to finally achieve what we set out to do and honour those brave young men who died in the service of their country.”

The project has cost several thousand pounds which was raised by donations and public events but there is still a shortfall caused by unforeseen flooding and other issues.

“We are grateful to all those who have generously given financially plus local companies who have been sympathetic and have given materials, time and effort to this special project,” said Mr Harvey.

Among those attending Sunday's event will be relatives of the crew – Pilot Officer B.G. Wilkinson, Flt Sgts P. Arthur and W. Cox, and Sgts A. Hughes, J Lambell, T. Westhead and R. Alexander. These include the daughter of Sgt Lambell coming from the north-east.

Members of the public will be welcome to attend. Dale Road will be closed between 11.30am-3.30pm near the site with diversions in place. Media and those attending will be allocated an area for parking, but visitors are urged to allow extra time to access specially set-up off-road parking areas.