Second World War memorial to be dedicated at tragic wartime crash site in at Warnford Hampshire's Meon Valley

The crash was a tragic incident in the midst of wartime that former servicemen aim to remember.

On April 4, 1944, an exercise to prepare for D-Day aimed to help those who would use gliders and parachutes to drop soldiers behind enemy lines.

An RAF plane was towing a Horsa glider with soldiers from the airborne infantry inside.

The night was very dark, and low cloud meant the pilots had to fly very low. There was little light, as the blackout was in force.

Sadly, the Stirling plane hit a tree to the east of Warnford Park.

The Horsa glider crashed, killing all 27 soldiers on board.

The Stirling plane flew on with catastrophic damage and crashed near Romsey, killing six crew members.

Exactly 78 years later, on April 4 this year, a memorial stone will be dedicated on the South Downs Way, between Exton and Old Winchester Hill, to remember those who lost their lives in this crash.

Current and former service personnel will join local clergy to recall the sacrifices that these 33 men, and countless others, made in two world wars and conflicts since.

Among them will be retired paratroopers Major Will Pike and Major General Jonathan Shaw, Warrant Officer Paul Dockrell, and Lt Col Ewen Stuart, who recently visited the site.

The service will take place between 10am and 12pm and will be led by Church of England priest the Rev Tony Forrest, rector of the Meon Bridge benefice.

The memorial stone will be sited on a hill with panoramic views of the flight path and crash site.

Tony said: ‘Every Remembrance Sunday, we recall the enormous sacrifices made by all those in the military and civilians in conflicts around the world.

‘Yet sometimes it is good to focus on individual incidents and recall exactly the circumstances in which people lost their lives.

‘In this case, it was part of the extraordinary preparation for the most significant operation of the Second World War.

‘Without these exercises, that D-Day invasion may not have been successful. We owe them so much.’

In 1943, the 7th Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers had been converted to the airborne infantry role, utilising gliders.

Between 1943 and 1944, exercises took place to prepare their division for parachute and glider operations.

As part of Exercise Dreme, the RAF Stirlings, towing their gliders, conducted a circuit from RAF Keevil in Wiltshire to East Sussex, with the gliders to be released over RAF Brize Norton.

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The glider that crashed contained members of No. 3 Platoon, ‘A’ Company, 7th (Airborne) Battalion, King’s Own Scottish Borderers.

If you would like to attend the dedication on April 4, please head for Peake Farm, Peake New Road, Warnford, SO32 3LA (off the A32 between Meonstoke and Warnford).

Visitors have been asked to be there by 10am on the day and there will be a quick five-minute walk up the hill to the site of the memorial stone.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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