Page 8. South East Times. Issue 65
Education
Reigate Hill WW2 plane crash memorial unveiled
A memorial is being unveiled for a World
War Two American aircraft crew who died
when their plane crashed 70 years ago on
Reigate Hill.
Friends and family of those who died will
be at a service later. It follows two years
of research into the area’s wartime past by
conservation organisations in Surrey.
A memorial made of two wing tips, carved
by sculptor Roger Day, has been placed at the
site. It includes fuselage aluminium from the crash. Mark Richards,
from the National Trust, said archaeologists had carried out surveys
of unidentified military structures and researchers had delved into
the national archives to find out more about how the B17G aircraft
crashed. He said the memorial was one of the abiding legacies of the
Front Line Surrey Hills project.
“Its beauty and poignancy [is] striking in what is now known as the
memorial glade,” he said.
Researchers discovered the crew from 384th Bomb Group were
on their 13th mission together and their target for 19 March 1945
was to be the oil facilities at Bohlen, Germany. During the mission,
the crew bombed secondary targets because they were hampered by
cloud. On their return, cloud led to further visibility problems and
the aircraft crashed into Reigate Hill in a huge explosion.
The clearing at the crash site was created by the force as the aircraft
crashed into the beech trees. The Front Line Surrey Hills project,
which included the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty,
the National Trust, Gatton Trust and Surrey County Council, received
£54,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund for its programme of
educational and research events.
High-achieving
Cranleigh
Cranleigh School is a leading, independent, co-educational
boarding and day school set in a stunning rural location on the edge
of the Surrey Hills.
We pride ourselves on the provision of academic excellence
along with a wide range of music, art, drama and sport and extracurricular activities that are all designed to help pupils to broaden
their horizons and exceed their expectations. There is a continuity
of education in sport and music running from age seven to 18 and
strong links between our School and nearby Cranleigh Preparatory
School. Pupils also join from a wide range of other schools across
London and the Home counties, creating a vibrant, House-based
community of young people who are drawn together by their
inherent love of life and getting involved in everything Cranleigh
has to offer.
Cranleigh demonstrates powerfully that academic success does not
have to be achieved at the expense of excellence in co-curricular
activity. Our scholarships and examination achievements are the
best ever and we continue to achieve exceptional results in national
sporting competitions; we were recently listed as the third top
independent school on the country for sports, for the breadth of
our national titles. But at Cranleigh we also work hard to recognise
and reward the achievements of all the pupils who put their heart
into every match, performance and examination, at every level of
achievement.
House life is geared towards supporting that recognition, and to
providing additional opportunities for pupils with every level of
ability to take part in plays, shows and events.
For more information or to arrange a visit, call 01483 273666
or email [email protected]