Monument record MLI98436 - Avro Lancaster Aircraft Crash Site, Sleaford Road, Branston
Summary
Crash site of an Avro Lancaster bomber aircraft, that came down to the rear of the Mill Row Cottages on Sleaford Road, Branston. The aircraft was designated R5489, and crashed during the Second World War.
Type and Period (3)
- AIRCRAFT CRASH SITE (Second World War - 1942 AD to 1942 AD)
- LANCASTER (Second World War - 1942 AD to 1942 AD)
- ARTEFACT SCATTER (Second World War - 1942 AD to 1942 AD)
Protected Status/Designation
- None recorded
Full Description
On the 16th of August 1942, at 7:15pm, Avro Lancaster Mk I bomber R5489 KM-G of 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron was preparing to land at RAF Waddington when a fire occurred in the starboard inner engine. The pilot instructed the flight engineer to press the extinguisher button and feather the prop but he mistakenly feathered the outer starboard prop. The aircraft stalled, went into a yaw and crashed on the edge of a field at the rear of a row of stone cottages known as Mill Row on Sleaford Road, demolishing a pig sty, a shed and a tree and shrubs in the back gardens of the cottages as it came to rest. On impact it broke in two and caught fire. Two crew members died in the crash but the rest of the crew were rescued by local people. {1}{2}
Abundant evidence of the air crash was recorded during a metal detecting survey, conducted in May 2015 to inform proposed residential development on land off Mere Road. The survey identified a concentrated spread of aluminium fuselage fragments, many of which were contorted or had been subjected to high temperatures, as would be consistent with the reports of the crash. Numerous fragments of internal copper alloy components were also recovered from this area, along with several pieces of .303 ammunition, very likely derived from the Browning machine guns fitted to the Avro Lancaster bomber. {3}{4}
Sources/Archives (4)
- <1> SLI13806 Website: 2012. Branston History Group. https://www.branstonhistorygroup.org.uk/. Accessed 11/06/2012.
- <2> SLI15183 Website: Bomber County Aviation Resource. 2008->. Bomber County Aviation Resource. http://www.bcar.org.uk/index. 1942 Crash Log.
- <3> SLI15651 Report: Archaeological Project Services. 2015. Land off Mere Road, Branston. APS site code: BRMR15.
- <4> SLI15652 Archive: Archaeological Project Services. 2015. Land off Mere Road, Branston. LCNCC 2015.50.
Map
Location
| Grid reference | Centred TF 0253 6698 (81m by 83m) |
|---|---|
| Civil Parish | BRANSTON AND MERE, NORTH KESTEVEN, LINCOLNSHIRE |
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (1)
Please contact the HER for details.
External Links (0)
Record last edited
Mar 21 2021 8:35PM
Feedback?
Your feedback is welcome. If you can provide any new information about this record, please contact us.