Exhibit at Newark Air Museum

Exhibit at Newark Air Museum

Exhibit displaying wooden cross from Eric Bailey's grave. There is a framed head and shoulders photograph of Sgt Bailey in uniform on the left of the cross and a framed account of his death on the right of the cross.

'Sgt. Bailey was killed flying from RAF Winthorpe on 28th October 1944. His aircraft, Stirling LJ586, GP-X, was at 17,500ft when severe icing forced the aircraft down. It broke cloud at 3,000ft and the pilot ordered the crew to bail out; by the time Sgt, Bailey (who was rear gunner) left the aircraft he was too low for his parachute to open properly. The aircraft crashed at Iwerne Minster, Blandford, Dorset and the pilot who had stayed with the aircraft survived the crash landing.'

An inscription below the cross reads:

'The wooden cross above was made and placed on the grave of Sgt Bailey by the Imperial War Graves Commission. Some years later such crosses were replaced with the more familiar stone memorials. The family of Sgt Bailey asked for this cross at that time and so it was preserved by them until 2014 when it was donated to this museum.'
Additional information about this item was kindly provided by the donor.

One colour photograph

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