User:WHISKEYONE929

ROYAL AIR FORCE WEST RAYNHAM.

I, SAC John Walker was stationed at W.R. from January 1957 to October 1958  as MTD(H). From July 1957 I was seconded to the Station Sick Bay, from M.T., as duty Ambulance driver for both Domestic  and Crash ambulances. I also had a 'mate' with me TED. WE both had sleeping quarters within the Sick Bay annex to cater for a call out should an accident happen and require the Crash Ambulance's attendance.

On the night of 19th September 1957 our runway was in use by All Weather Wing aircraft (Gloster Javelin) but I received a call to say that our airfield would close down at 10 30PM and our Flare Path would be extinguished shortly after that time. I changed and went to bed at about 10.45PM. I was just about to drift off to sleep when I heard an aircraft obviously in distress, whose engines were making rather heavy weather of their operation. I looked out of my window and saw an aircraft low down at about 5-800 feet off the ground with on engine streaming out flames.

At that instant our crash alarm sounded so I rapidly dressed and rushed out to Crash 1 our four wheel drive ambulance and started the engine. Within 30 seconds one Sgt AMES (Senior Medic) joined me in the cab and urged me to "Get a move on". THis I did whilst Sgt Ames tried to communicate with our tower. With the flare path unlit the stricken aircraft a Boeing B45 Tornado from the 47th Bombardment wing based at USAF SCULTHORPE crashed into trees just outside our perimeter. There was no need to get map co-ordinates as the flames from the crash were visible for miles. After negotiating civilians who were crowding the only access road we got to the crash across a ploughed field. SGt AMES and I jumped out and tried to find the crew (3) who regrettably were all killed on impact and were very badly burned. Our fire crew were on scene and pouring foam onto the flames to extinguish them and to protect SGt Ames in his search. All three were found and were duly placed with revrence onto our stretcers and carried back to our waiting ambulance. Leaving both the RAF crew and the now arrived Sculthorpe crew to extinguish the fires and make the site safe we drove back to our mortuary where we placed the remains of all three onto the floor  still on the stretchers and covered in blankets.

After plugging in the heaters to the ambulance  we got back to the Sick Bay and consumed a large and welcome whiskey each. It was my belief that Sgt Ames should have won a decoration on that night for his actions to find the remains of the crew knowing that both full tanks of AVTUR were being carried plus a full complement of ordnance  for the aircraft that it would have carried on its intended North Sea patrol.

Needless to say No one had any sleep that night. The following morning a recovery team from Sculthorpe arrived  and repatriated the bodies for burial. After cleaning out the crash ambulance and washing it with copious quantities of disinfectant, situation normal resumed.

Shortly after, all those involved received a note of thanks both from our own Commandant Air Commodore E.L. Colbeck-Welch  and the Station Commander of Sculthorpe,  Colonel John G. GLOVER. JOhn B. Walker  11th June 2010