A touching memorial in a quiet corner of Dartmoor.
On the 22nd of March 1941, a Hamden bomber belonging to 49 squadron was returning to RAF Scrampton from operations in France when, during poor visibility, the plane crashed into Hameldown Tor on Dartmoor.
All 4 crew perished in the crash, and the initials of the crew are carved into one side of the memorial. – Dartmoor’s unrelenting weather has, however, worn away the writing quite severely, so here is the text in full:
R A F
S. 49
R D W
C J L
R B
R L A E
21.3.41
Helpfully, a plaque was added to the memorial in 1991.
To reach the memorial, you need to walk for a good 30 minutes over Moorland from nearby Grimspound and Hookney Tor. – It’s for sure the wildest/most remote memorial I’ve ever found, but it was well worth the effort in order to pay some respects to their sacrifice.
(This is a repost from Instagram from August 1st, 2024)