On this day, August 23, 1944, the deadliest aircraft accident to occur in Britain during World War II occurred.

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Freckleton air disaster

Coordinates: 53.75472°N 2.86585°W


The aftermath of the Freckleton air disaster

Accident
Date: 23 August 1944
Summary: Loss of control. Precise cause unknown
Site: Vicinity of Lytham Road, Freckleton, Lancashire, England; 53.75472°N 2.86585°W
Total fatalities: 61

Aircraft
Aircraft type: Consolidated B-24H Liberator
Aircraft name: Classy Chassis II
Operator: US Army Air Force
Registration: 42-50291
Flight origin RAF Warton
Destination: RAF Warton

Passengers: 0
Crew: 3 (pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer)
Fatalities: 3
Survivors: 0

Ground casualties
Ground fatalities: 58 (38 children; 2 teachers; 7 civilians; 4 British servicemen; 7 American servicemen)

On 23 August 1944, a United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) Consolidated B-24 Liberator crashed during a test flight into the centre of the village of Freckleton, Lancashire, England, killing all three crewmen aboard the aircraft and 58 individuals on the ground, including 38 children aged four to six.

An official inquiry was unable to pinpoint an exact cause for the accident, although a sudden thunderstorm and the resultant reduced visibility immediately prior to the accident had caused the test pilot of the B-24, First Lieutenant John Bloemendal, to be ordered to abandon the test fight and attempt to return to base. The report was unable to discount structural failure of the aircraft in such extreme weather conditions as a factor for the accident, and recommended that American pilots be warned how to respond to British thunderstorms.

This aviation accident would prove to be the deadliest to occur in Britain during World War II, and would remain the second worst aviation accident in the world (in terms of number of fatalities) until the 1950 Llandlow air disaster.

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Casualties

Fifty-one people (the three crew members on the B-24, 34 children, six American servicemen, one RAF airman, six staff at the Sad Sack Snack Bar and a 15-year-old boy within the cafè) died almost instantly, with ten others (four children, two teachers, an American serviceman and three RAF airmen) later dying in hospital from their injuries. Although several thousand aviation accidents involving American aircraft—both minor and major—would occur during World War II, this aviation accident would prove to be the most catastrophic.

Almost five per cent of the village's population died in the Freckleton air disaster. Seven of the child victims were either first or second cousins to one other. Three others were evacuees from Greater London who had been relocated to Freckleton to protect them from German air raids. Only one of these three evacuees would survive. Several children who escaped from the relatively unscathed junior classrooms would struggle with survivor guilt throughout their lives. One of these individuals was Jackie Nichol, who had just begun to open the door to the infants' classroom to ensure all windows were closed when fuel and other debris collided into the classroom. Nichol observed a "blinding orange flash" and a fireball immediately spread across the ceiling as teacher Louisa Hulme, standing close to the classroom door, became "engulfed in flames". Nichol's own lungs briefly deflated as the fire rapidly consumed the oxygen within the classroom.

Only two of the servicemen recovered from the ruins of the Sad Sack Snack Bar, RAF airmen William Bone and Ray Brooke, would survive their injuries. They and three children recovered from the infants' classroom of the Holy Trinity School—George Carey, Ruby Whittle and David Madden—were the only survivors of the aviation accident. All five casualties would endure multiple operations spanning—in some cases—several years, but all would survive their injuries.

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Military investigation

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Scrutiny of findings

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"If Bloemendal and Manassero had taken their aircraft aloft at 8.30 a.m., there would not have been an accident. Thirty-eight children would have reached adulthood and the promise of their potential. Ten American and four British servicemen would have returned to the happiness, love, and security of their families after the war. The Sad Sack Snack Bar might have remained a popular fixture in post-war Freckleton. One teacher would have retired while another began a rewarding career ... When lives are measured in years, who would have thought two brief hours would be so important?"

James Hedtke. Author of The Freckleton, England, Air Disaster, reflecting on the fateful decision at BAD-2 to postpone the 23 August 1944 test flights by two hours. 2014.[68]

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[68] Hedtke, James R. (2014). The Freckleton, England, Air Disaster: The B-24 Crash that Killed 38 Preschoolers and 23 Adults. August 23, 1944. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland Publishing. ISBN 978-0-786-47841-5. Google Books preview of pages 1-17

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