Malling Mail
RESEARCH into a planning application for a 204 space car park close to West Malling Station has revealed details of a little known WWII plane crash at the site.
On September 11, 1942, a Stirling bomber took off from Bourn in Cambridgeshire at 9:05pm to bomb Düsseldorf. A huge force took off - a total of 479 aircraft made up of 242 Wellingtons, 89 Lancasters, 59 Halifaxes, 47 Stirlings, 28 Hampdens and 14 Whitleys.
Returning from the raid, planes came under heavy fire. Captain Flight Sergeant Harry Bannister aged 31, attempted an emergency landing instead at West Malling Airfield. Perhaps due to the very large undercarriage of this huge plane, it clipped the top of the rag stone wall along Lucks Hill, apparently regained enough height to clear the railway, and probably ditched in the orchards beyond the line near Eden Farm. All eight members of the crew were killed. Four including the pilot, are buried in Maidstone cemetery, and the others in London, Faversham, Cannock, and Portadown. Colonel Luck, then living in the Hermitage (the large house behind the Catholic church) recorded the incident in his diary. Crash sites are protected and any excavation requires a licence from the Ministry of Defence. Such a licence was granted in July 1993 for an area ‘north west of the station’ but it is unknown whether any excavation took place. It is likely that, given the size of the aircraft, debris was scattered over a very large area.
A20 relining
KCC officers have told parish council chairman David Thornewell the A20 is due to have its road markings renewed from Nepicar to Coldharbour roundabout. David said: “This cannot happen until the drainage blockages at Lunsford Lane, Winterfield Lane, and New Road are sorted out. Once this is done, we have asked for the relining to include two new yellow boxes on London Road/New Road junction, and at the Bradbourne Park access to New Road. ‘Keep Clear’ markings are also very faint and need renewing at New Hythe Lane, and between Wards estate agent and Wealden Hall, so that vehicles do not obstruct the junctions and accesses needlessly.” The relining will take 31 days to complete and will be done in the next three months.
Mar/Apr 2019
Serving local people, businesses & events in Addington, Birling, East Malling, Kings Hill, Larkfield, Leybourne, Mereworth, Offham, Ryarsh, Trottiscliffe, West Malling
Car park plans unearth bomber crash
Guidance to excavators warns of the risk of disturbing radium materials used in the flying instruments of the day. Pinpointing the exact location of the crash may be delaying the decision on a planning application for 80 homes on land between the station and Lavenders Road. This story was put together using information from local residents, aviation author Robin Brooks and MoD records. Please contact Trudy.
dean@kent.gov.uk if you remember the crash or have further information to add to the story.
Housing Select Committee
KCC undertakes in depth investigations into topics suggested by councillors. A committee is about to look into how the county council could use its resources to provide housing in Kent, particularly for ‘key workers’ such as care workers and teachers.
The topic was suggested by county councillor Trudy Dean, who is inviting people to get involved with the work of the committee. “We shall need the expertise of people involved in housing to tell us how we can help increase the numbers of low cost homes built in Kent, and from people whose inability to get such housing has influenced their career and family choices.”
A Malling Action Partnership publication
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