A marble plaque:
Remember before God with thanksgiving
the Gallant Crew of B24H 'ALFRED' of the 392nd BG USAAF
which crashed near this spot on 4th JANUARY 1944
whilst returning badly damaged from a mission to KIEL
in gratitude also to those who aided the survivors
in the common cause of freedom
2nd lt COLBY A WAUGH Pilot KIA
2nd Lt ARTHUR J GOUND Navigator KIA
2nd Lt VIRGIL E THOMSON Bombardier KIA
S/Sgt DOM C BELDEN Gunner KIA
S/Sgt EDWARD R MURPHY Gunner KIA
2/lt JAMES BARTON Co pilot
T/Sgt LESTER A WAGNER Engineer
T/Sgt PARKE V KENT Radio Operator
S/Sgt BART J JOHNSON Gunner
S/Sgt HENRY WILK Gunner
LEST WE FORGET
details of Mission:
This aircrew was returning from the combat mission to Kiel this date, and due to severe aircraft damage was forced to attempt a crash landing just on the Northeastern coast of East Anglia at the small village of Sheringham, Norfolk. The time of this crash was recorded at 1434 hours as the ship hit some trees in the attempted landing. Four (4) crewmen were killed outright in the crash and a fifth died in a hospital at Cromer four days later. The only record of an overseas burial is that of Lt. Thomson, the Bombardier, who is interred at CAMBRIDGE in Grave D-4-19 with an award of the Purple Heart posthumously noted. The aircraft was totally demolished in this tragic event and was #42-7485, nicknamed "ALFRED", 0-Bar, on its 16th combat mission, which plane had just been transferred from the 577th into the 578th. Home of record for Lt. Thompson was Alabama.
According to an article in the August 1993 issue of the 392nd BGMA NEWS, English eyewitness Stanley Wright "saw this aircraft coming in low over the water, losing height as it approached and it was obvious that it was in serious trouble. After crossing the coast at a height of about 200 feet and flying on just two engines, the plane turned sharply to port and stalled into rising ground near the woods on the Sherringham side of Pretty Corner. Mr. Wright recalls that the a/c was visibly badly damaged, particularly the starboard wing. The port wing and the tail unit had also suffered damage. He recalls: 'As the a/c turned, you could see daylight through the wings. There was a mighty roar as the remaining engines were put at full throttle in an attempt to avoid a stall and the a/c went into the port turn, but she rapidly lost height.' "
The May 1994 issue of the NEWS recounted S/Sgt Henry Wilk's memories of the crash: "On our mission to Kiel on Jan. 4, 1944 we were badly damaged over the target area by flak, and we lost an engine. Somewhere over the North Sea we lost the second engine. I can't recall if we were hit by fighters on that mission because there were so many that it is easy to get them mixed up. I know we were preparing to ditch when we were able to see the coast of England and we decided to try to make it home. The rest you pretty much know. There were no wounded aboard before the crash and I don't remember too much afterward. When I came to I was out of the a/c on top of the wing, and I recall seeing a man running toward us. The next thing I remember is being carried through a field or woods. When I opened my eyes again I found myself in the whitest hospital room I ever saw. The Kiel mission was my fourth and my crew's third, because I had flown one without them as a replacement. After the crash, I flew with a large number of different air crews and with the help of God I managed to get my 30."
On Jan. 4, 1994, a monument to the Waugh crew was placed in the All Saints Churchyard in Upper Sherringham. It says, "Remember before God with thanksgiving the gallant crew of B24H "Alfred" of the 392nd BG, USAAF which crashed near this spot on 4th January 1944 whilst returning badly damaged from a mission to Kiel. In gratitude also to those who aided the survivors in the common cause of freedom." The memorial then names the ten men in the crew with a notation "KIA" next to the five casualties, and concludes simply, "Lest we forget."
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