Hucknall area Memorials

[Ossington_2008]

I am not sure about the history of this one. It is set into a wall on a street in Hucknall, Wood Lane runs into West Street, about SK527493. Possibly the person concerned was billeted nearby? The only crash I know of that hit housing was on 23/09/40 when LAC EV Rozmiarek trainee pilot of a Battle, stalled onto a house at the corner of Ruffs Drive And Laughton Crescent killing himself and four members of the Evans family, but that location is much closer to the airfield. Possibly security was so tight at the time that nothing could be given away?

[REF]

This information was sent to me from Tony Glover.

Rozmiarek, Kpl, Edmund, P780509, 18 OTU
23.9.40 Age 25
LAC Rozmiarek was the pilot of Battle I K9480 from Hucknall which took off for a circuits and landings exercise and having attained a height of 500 feet then went into a right hand turn against the circuit, lost height and crashed into two houses at the corner of Ruffs Drive and Laughton Crescent, Hucknall.
All the family in the house were also killed. They were Albert Evans, age 28, his wife Alice, age 30, and their children Ronald age 8, Alice (jnr) age 6 and John age 2 who are all buried in Hucknall Urban District Cemetery. Next door Mr Smith and his 6 children were slightly injured. A soldier who made a rescue attempt received injuries and was admitted to the City Hospital and one Auxiliary Fire Service member was also injured fighting the fire.

Tony has also had the inscription translated and it reads as follows;

Either

Sleep friend within your dark grave and let Poland be in your dreams

Or

Sleep friend within your dark grave and may you dream of Poland

[Miley]

My mother in law lived a few streets away from Ruffs Drive (Longhill rise) and heard the bang as a child but there was never any explanation to her at the time. Amazing how they kept things quiet at the time.

[Miley]

I spoke to an old friend who was about at the time (He's also one of the people who maintained the Gonalston memorial) and he confirmed to me the memorial was from the Fairey Battle crash and his translation was " Sleep well dear friend and dream of a free Poland "

[Antoni]

Early in the war reporting of any aircraft crash, including enemy aircraft, was forbidden. Even at the inquest no mention was made of the incident being due to the crash of the Fairey Battle. The whole story is told in David Needham's Nottinghamshire Air Crashes. Edmund Rozmiarek is buried in Hucknall cemetery. There is a photograph of the house being demolished at the picturethepast website:

http://www.picturethepast.org.uk/fro...NCJng9NzgmeT03

[REF]

This was one the boarded up window of one of the shops in Hucknall in May 2009

[PETERTHEEATER]

Once in every lifetime there explodes to the screen a major motion picture; now see the Flying Bedstead in action:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8W2SI4c93s

[REF]

Received from Howard Heeley / Down to Earth Promotions

New Aviation Memorial
unveiled at Hucknall, Nottinghamshire

The dedication and formal unveiling of another aviation memorial in Nottinghamshire took place in Hucknall Market Place, Nottinghamshire, on Saturday 30th June 2012.

This new memorial stone was raised in memory of 504 Squadron (County of Nottingham) Royal Auxiliary Air Force (RAuxAF), which was formed at nearby RAF Hucknall on 26th March 1928.

Arrangements for the memorial were undertaken by 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron Association and the local council. A service of dedication was held in Hucknall Parish Church before the formal unveiling and wreath laying ceremonies.

The ceremony was attended by civic dignitaries; representatives of 504 Squadron, which is currently based at RAF Wittering; cadets from the local squadrons of the Air Training Corps; and members of the local Royal Air Force Association (RAFA). A wreath was laid on behalf of the 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron Association by Mrs Jacqui Thompson.

504 Squadron (County of Nottingham) RauxAF was incorporated into RAF Fighter Command at the outbreak of World War II and operated during the Battle of Britain; and flew Hurricanes and Spitfires. The squadron was disbanded in 1957; during the late 1990s a new unit was formed at RAF Cottesmore as an Offensive Support Role Support Squadron (OSRSS) of the RAF.

The new memorial helps the Nottinghamshire town of Hucknall maintain its ties with this historic squadron and maintains the town’s ‘claim to fame’ as having the highest number of aviation memorials in the county.