Remembering five war time RAF crew members who died in Annesley crash

Where the A611 Derby Road and the A608 Mansfield Road converge at the island opposite Sherwood Business Park Annesley, sits a monument commemorating a piece of forgotten history.

It may be well-known to locals but it might not be familiar to the thousands of motorists passing by this plaque each day.

Roger West, a dedicated researcher and writer from Ashfield, learned about the crash of a Stirling Bomber Serial EH 988 in Annesley Forest on January 14, 1945 from ‘Passage To Destruction’, a book by Malcolm and Rose Bryan, available at The Kirkby Heritage shop.

The 1945 crash

The four-engine bomber was on a flight from RAF Winthorpe to Northern Ireland and suffered a loss of power, first from one engine, and then from two.

The pilot tried to bring the aircraft under control and reach RAF Hucknall.

When the aircraft became unmanageable, the pilot had no choice but to make an emergency landing in the nearest field.

Unfortunately, a smooth landing was not possible, as the plane rapidly lost altitude and crashed in Annesley Forest, near the memorial site.

The memorial plague was unveiled by RAF representatives and surviving family members of the victims in 1998.

The men who died

• 67707 Squadron Leader S.L Cockbain D.F.C, aged 28
• 1587047 Flight Sergeant E.C Barton, aged 21
• 2204311 Sergeant J. Littlemore, aged 19
• 1651299 Sergeant K. Harris, aged 22
• 1874899 Flight Sergeant T.A. Ball, aged 20

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How the memorial came to be

Brian Walker, another researcher and writer, like Roger West, wrote an article regarding this air crash in Annesley Forest for the then ‘Ashfield Historian’ magazine in May 1996.

He said: “May sometime in the future, local people might provide a suitable memorial.”

After reading the article and being members of the Sutton, Skegby, and Kirkby branch of the Royal Air Force Association, Malcolm and Rose Bryan decided to take on the challenge.

Roger said when the couple brought up the idea at a RAFA branch meeting, it was well-received.

The Bryans then approached Ashfield Council to explore the possibilities of implementing Brian Walker's suggestion.

The idea was met with enthusiasm by John Colgan, who was the head of the leisure department at that time, and he promised to provide all possible assistance.

A working team and a constitution team were established under the name ‘The Sterling Memorial Group’.

Other amounts and gifts came from Sir Richard Branson, Sir David Attenborough, Sir Kenneth Branagh and Brian Murphy.

An invitation to unveil the memorial was sent and accepted by Group Captain Cook, Commanding Officer of RAF Waddington.

Guards of Honour would be carried out by Sutton and Hucknall Air Cadets.

The icing on the cake was to be a fly-past and salute by the Battle of Britain Flight Lancaster ‘City Of Lincoln’.

Years later, the memorial garden surrounding the plaque was revitalised through collaborative efforts between Roger and his friend, Roger Wakefield, as both Rogers wanted to honour the five young aircrew who died.

With the help of Ashfield Council worker, Andy Burgin, the memorial site received a much-needed makeover which included sprucing up the site to ensure the history would live on for generations to come.

Both Rogers said they replaced the rotting woodwork for the information lectern, painted the supports and the board, varnished and stained the bench with a weather-proof protection, then painted all the steelwork.

The brambles were cut back, the laurel hedging was trimmed, the footpaths widened, the weeded areas were tidied and finally a good sweep up of rubbish and litter.

Roger West said: “We did it for those brave and couageous lads.

“It should never be forgotten that these five young airmen, and all of their kind, that we owe so much for the future they bestowed upon us.

“They gave their today for our tomorrow.

“Roger and myself have just one wish, and it’s that this Memorial Garden is treated with the respect and due care it truly deserves.

“It’s not much to ask; is it?”