I READ Mr Stead's letter of January 12 and must concede he is most likely correct in stating that this bomb came from one of the two aircraft which collided near Howden in July 1944.
I do, however, have one or two small doubts. The aircraft were returning from an operation and the salvage crew probably assumed there were no bombs on board so did not mount any search. Also, if some time elapsed between the accident and the collection of the wreckage, this would have given the bomb time to sink into the soil.
One thing puzzles me. What happened to the fins?
The photographs show the bomb minus its fins. It is logical to assume that, if the salvage crew found a set of fins in the wreckage they would have assumed there was a bomb somewhere nearby and gone looking for it.
These fins were only attached at the last moment before the bombs were loaded and in a crash could easily become detached.
I agree that this area is about two-and-half miles from the Howden jettison area, but while this is along way to walk it is less than one-and-half minutes flying time, so it would be fairly easy for a crew of an aircraft losing height not to be too fussy where they jettisoned.
Finally, remember that 14 fine young men died in this accident, ironically just as they thought they were safe so honour.
Remember them along with the 55,500 aircrew of Bomber Command who died in the war - and who did not receive so much as a campaign medal and whose brilliant and inspiring leader, Air Marshall Harris, was totally ignored both in Churchill's victory speech and when peerages were handed out to other wartime leaders.
Mike Usherwood, Mendip Close, Huntington, York.
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