Memorial project

On 22nd November 1946, at around 4pm, eight young men from RAF Locking lost their lives in a tragic accident in Weston-super-Mare. A Boston Mk III 467 aircraft, coming in to land at Weston Airport (now the Haywood Village development), collided with the second double-decker bus in a convoy of three travelling along Locking Moor Road.

These buses were carrying 57 airmen to Weston-super-Mare railway station as they began their weekend leave – a moment that should have marked a return to loved ones. Instead, eight of these airmen never made it home.

All eight were seated on the top deck of the bus when the aircraft struck, and twelve other airmen were injured. The youngest killed was just 18 years old.

For the last two years I’ve been researching this incident and exploring the possibility of creating a memorial near Haywood Village – if this is something the families of the men would wish.

But I need your help.

I know I’m looking for a needle in a haystack, and these families will be dotted across the UK but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. I’m hoping through the power of social media this message will be seen by relatives of these airmen – so please share this post widely to help, and if you are related to any of the airmen listed below, contact me directly: [email protected]

The eight airmen who died that day, and the additional information I’ve been able to identify is:

• James Halliday (22), Ardock Crescent, Bruce Hill, Dunbartonshire (1229141, AC2)
• Eric Wilfred Bellamy (25), Wall Road, Hull (1598231, AC2)
• Edward Jackson (26), Mill Street, Nantwich, Cheshire (2260394, AC2)
• Ernest Henry Pearson (23), married, River Way, Ewell, Surrey (2296456, AC2)
• Roy Lawton (18), New Chester Road, New Ferry, Cheshire (2285878, AC2)
• Frank Wilson (22), married, Upper Thong, Holmfirth, near Huddersfield (2258573, AC2)
• James Ifould Davis (20), Dyrevor Estate, Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire (3059401, AC2)
• Sidney Gordon Fairweather (19), Percy Road, Shepherd’s Bush, London (2291233, AC1)

My sincere thanks go to the Weston Branch of the RAF Association and Frank for their support and advice, Persimmon Homes for helping identify a potential memorial site, historian John Crockford-Hawley for sharing his knowledge, the resident whose suggestion kick started this, the Helicopter Museum for the information that started the research, the MoD and archives staff for their guidance, and the Weston Mercury, whose original 1946 reporting has been invaluable.

I have reproduced the original Mercury articles on this incident below.