Downham Market VC winners

Bexwell VC with Church - Taken by Janet A Fancy 10 Jan 2013

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Bexwell Memorial - Taken by Janet A Fancy 10 Jan 2013

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Bexwell Memorial - Taken by Janet A Fancy 10 Jan 2013

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Bexwell Memorial - Taken by Janet A Fancy 10 Jan 2013

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Bexwell VC - Taken by Janet A Fancy 10 Jan 2013

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Bexwell VC - Taken by Janet A Fancy 10 Jan 2013

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RAF Downham Market VC Winners - Taken by Nick2 05 Jan 2015

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RAF Downham Market VC Winners - Taken by Nick2 05 Jan 2015

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RAF Downham Market VC Winners - Taken by Nick2 05 Jan 2015

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Downham Market VC Winners - Taken by Adrian S. Pye 05 Jan 2018

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Downham Market VC Winners - Taken by Adrian S. Pye 05 Feb 2018

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Renovated memorial with new steel structure - Taken by Steven Thornber 03 Jun 2023

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Renovated memorial in situ - Taken by Steven Thornber 03 Jun 2023

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Whole memorial, inc. new(?) backplate - Taken by Ian Blackmore 17 Mar 2024

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Detail of new (?) backplate - Taken by Ian Blackmore 17 Mar 2024

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Display case in poor condition - Taken by Ian Blackmore 17 Mar 2024

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Reference WMO/72073

Address:

Bexwell Lane

Bexwell Road

Bexwell

Downham Market

PE38

England

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War Memorials Trust case: War Memorials Trust needs to avoid Contributors changing location/description details as we help to protect and conserve this war memorial through our casework. You can still add photographs, update condition and use the tabs below. If you believe any of the information you cannot edit is wrong or information is missing, please make a note of the reference number and include it in your email when you contact us.

Status: On original site

Type: Freestanding

Location: External

Setting: Within a garden/park/churchyard/enclosure/Marketplace

Description: Board/Plaque/ Tablet

Materials:

Metal Bronze
Timber Timber (any)

Lettering: Raised

Conflicts:

Second World War (1939-1945)

About the memorial: On a green in front of the manor, and beside the parish church. A glazed cabinet upon two supports, within which is a triangular shaped general commemoration to RAF Downham Market, below which are two memorial tablets, one to Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, VC, DFM, RAFVR, 218 Squadron, the other to Squadron Leader Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, VC, DFC, RAFVR, 635 Squadron, above each of which is an effigy of the Victoria Cross.All the tablets and emblems in the case appear to be of bronze/brass. There is a second memorial to these two men in the town.

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Comments:

Top Central Triangular plaque reads; 'R.A.F. DOWNHAM MARKET  From this airfield, during the Second World War, many men of the Royal Air Force flew on missions, from which some did not return.  This memorial is dedicated to those men, and in particular to two men, both of whom were awarded, posthumously, the Victoria Cross.'

Plaque on left reads;
'Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, V.C., D.F.M.; Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. No. 218 Squadron.' 
'On the night of 12th August 1943, Flight Sergeant Aaron was captain and pilot of a Stirling bomber detailed to attack Turin.  His plane was hit by an enemy fighter, causing it to become unstable.  Flight Sergeant Aaron had been hit in the face, arm and lung, and was unable to speak or use his right arm.  With the navigator dead and other crewmen wounded, he urged the bomb almer by signs to take the controls, and set a course for North Africa.  After treatment, he insisted on returning to the cockpit, where he helped to navigate by writing instructions with his left hand.  
Five hours later, the flare path at Bone airfield in Algeria was sighted, and Flight Sergeant Aaron summoned enough strength to direct the bomb aimer in the hazardous task of landing the damaged aircraft, in darkness, with the undercarriage retracted.  By the fifth attempt in landing he was near to collapse, but the landing was completed by the bomb almer.  
Nine hours after landing, Flight Sergeant Aaron died from exhaustion.  Had he been content to rest and conserve his strength, he would probably have recovered, but his determination and sense of responsibility for his aircraft and crew enabled him to confront the crisis, and give generously of himself until he could give no more.'

Plaque on right reads;
'Acting Squadron Leader Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, V.C., D.F.C, R.A.F.V.R. No. 635 Squadron.'
'On 4th August 1944, Squadron Leader Bazalgette was "master bomber" of a Pathfinder squadron detailed to mark a rocket and bomb site at Trossy-St. Maximin.  Anti-aircraft fire destroyed both starboard engines on his Lancaster, and fires broke out in the fuselage.  The bomb-aimer was badly wounded, the mid-upper gunner overcome by fumes.  With his deputy master bomber already shot down, Squadron Leader Bazalgette knew the success of the attack depended on him.  In spite of the condition of his aircraft, he pressed on and accurately marked and bombed the target.  
The Lancaster was by now virtually out of control, but by considerable skill and effort he regained control sufficiently to enable the other crewmen to leave by parachute.  He remained at the controls in an attempt to land the crippled and blazing aircraft, hoping to save the two injured crewmen.  Managing to avoid the village of Senantes, he actually landed the plane, but it then exploded.  
His heroic sacrifice marked the climax of a long career, during which he always chose the more dangerous and exacting roles, showing a remarkable courage and devotion to duty.'

(note, wording in the images is unclear due to rain and condensation and not a defect with the memorial)

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Names:

Flight Sergeant Arthur Louis Aaron, VC, DFM, RAFVR, No. 218 Squadron. Acting Squadron Leader Ian Willoughby Bazalgette, VC, DFC, RAFVR, No. 635 Squadron.

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