Bomber Command Memorial Register

Mundford Lancaster Memorial

Mundford, Norfolk

Complete Record
Approximate location?

Help us verify this location. This memorial's position is not yet precisely confirmed. If you have local knowledge, photographs, or documentary evidence of the exact site, we'd love to hear from you.

Photographs

MundfordForest.Lanc .1 547x410
MundfordForest.Lanc .1 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
MundfordForest.Lanc .2 547x410
MundfordForest.Lanc .2 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
MundfordForest.Lanc .3 547x410
MundfordForest.Lanc .3 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
MundfordForest.Lanc .4 547x410
MundfordForest.Lanc .4 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
5e73756ecd6ab The new plinth 547x410
5e73756ecd6ab The new plinth 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
5e73756f1f1c6 The New plinth 2 547x410
5e73756f1f1c6 The New plinth 2 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
5e73756f5bf13 Close up of new plinth 547x410
5e73756f5bf13 Close up of new plinth 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online
5e737865d1417 Access to site 547x410
5e737865d1417 Access to site 547x410, Credit: Nick2 / War Memorials Online

Location

Mundford, Norfolk, Norfolk

what3words: ///spud.jaunts.riches

Narrative

On 22 March 1945, with the war in Europe entering its final weeks, Lancaster HK773 of 15 Squadron taxied out at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk for what should have been a routine departure for operations. Moments after becoming airborne at 11:00 hours, a fire erupted in the port outer engine. The pilot, Warrant Officer Newton of the Royal Australian Air Force, found himself in an impossible situation -- his aircraft was too low and too slow to bail the crew out, and too heavily laden with fuel and ordnance to maintain flight on three engines. Newton attempted an emergency crash landing in Thetford Forest, just across the county border in Norfolk near the village of Mundford. The Lancaster struck the trees and ploughed into the forest floor. On impact, the 4,000 lb "Blockbuster" high-capacity bomb in the bomb bay detonated, creating an enormous crater and killing all seven crew members instantly. The violence of the explosion was such that fragments of the aircraft are still being found in the surrounding forest today.

Aircraft & Operation Details

15 Squadron badgeAim sure
Aircraft Type
Lancaster
Serial Number
HK773
Squadron
15 Squadron
Station
Mildenhall
Date of Loss
1945-03-22
Operation Type
Taking off for operations
Cause of Loss
Fire in port outer engine shortly after take-off; pilot attempted emergency crash landing; 4,000 lb "Blockbuster" bomb detonated on impact

Crew (7 members)

RankNameRoleAgeNationalityFateBurial / Status
W/OFrederick Newton
RAAF
Pilot24AustralianKilled
CWGC
SgtCecil Church
RAFVR
Navigator19BritishKilled
CWGC
SgtGeorge Cope
RAFVR
Wireless Operator21BritishKilled
CWGC
SgtMartin Matthews
RAFVR
Bomb Aimer22BritishKilled
CWGC
SgtPeter Cooley
RAFVR
Mid-Upper Gunner20BritishKilled
CWGC
SgtTom Jenkins
RAFVR
Tail Gunner36BritishKilled
CWGC
SgtWilliam Dee
RAFVR
Flight Engineer20BritishKilled
CWGC

About the Crew

W/O Frederick Newton(age 24)Pilot

Australian pilot serving with the RAAF, aged 24. Attempted to save his crew by crash-landing in the forest after an engine fire on take-off.

Sgt Cecil Church(age 19)Navigator

Navigator serving with the RAFVR, just 19 years old -- the youngest of the crew.

Sgt George Cope(age 21)Wireless Operator

Wireless operator serving with the RAFVR, aged 21.

Sgt Martin Matthews(age 22)Bomb Aimer

Bomb aimer serving with the RAFVR, aged 22.

Sgt Peter Cooley(age 20)Mid-Upper Gunner

Mid-upper gunner serving with the RAFVR, aged 20.

Sgt Tom Jenkins(age 36)Tail Gunner

Tail gunner serving with the RAFVR, aged 36 -- the oldest crew member by far, more than twice the age of the youngest.

Sgt William Dee(age 20)Flight Engineer

Flight engineer serving with the RAFVR, aged 20.

Memorial Details

Type
Memorial stone

Memorial Care

parish council
Organisation
Mundford Parish Council

Local Contacts

These local organisations are connected to this memorial and may be able to help with information or visits.

Thetford Royal British Legionbritish legion

Local remembrance and memorial support

Mundford Parish Councilparish council

Local authority responsible for memorial upkeep

Further Reading

War Memorials OnlineRetrieved 2026-03-23

WMO entry for the Lancaster HK773 memorial at Mundford. The memorial garden includes a granite stone, eight crosses, Lancaster imagery, and recovered aircraft fragments. Originally dedicated in 1999 following a 1998 site investigation, updated in March 2020.

WMO reference 193683Original dedication 1999Updated memorial garden March 2020Crater still visible at site

Imperial War MuseumsRetrieved 2026-03-23

IWM War Memorials Register entry for the Avro Lancaster HK773 memorial near Mundford, Norfolk.

IWM memorial reference 99108Serial confirmed as HK773

TracesOfWar.comRetrieved 2026-03-23

International heritage database entry for the Lancaster crash memorial at Mundford.

Documented on international war heritage database

Thetford & Brandon TimesRetrieved 2026-03-23

Local press coverage of the memorial dedication for the crew of Lancaster HK773 at Mundford.

Local press coverage of dedicationCommunity-led maintenance effort

Sources

Credits & Acknowledgements

Record compiled by
Keith Binley
Heritage sources
War Memorials Online (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Imperial War Museums (retrieved 2026-03-23)
TracesOfWar.com (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Thetford & Brandon Times (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-23

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