Carreg Goch (Wellington MF509) Memorial

On the night of 20 November 1944, Wellington MF509 from 22 OTU at Wellesbourne Mountford was on a cross-country navigation exercise when the starboard Hercules XVI engine developed problems. The wireless operator requested permission to descend below the cloud base. But the aircraft had entered shower clouds that deposited heavy layers of ice on the wings, and with insufficient power from the port engine alone, the Wellington lost height and crashed into the south-west slopes of Carreg Goch. All six crew — known as 'the Alouettes' — were killed. All six were buried at Chester (Blacon) Cemetery. In 2013, Phyllis Allison, sister of bomb aimer William, visited the site — an extraordinary journey nearly 70 years after her brother's death.