Royal Air Force 83 SQN Vulcan Bomber - Brownstown Twp, MI - Non-Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

Located in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Brownstown Charter Township, Michigan, this memorial is dedicated to two groups of Royal Air Force airmen, one from the 1940's and the second from the 1958.

The first group mentioned on the memorial is 11 RAF student pilots killed during the Second World War in training accidents at nearby Naval Air Station Grosse Ile. These occurred in accidents spanning 1942-1944. Killed were Albert C. Summers, Robert Walker, Keith M. Hoare, Reginald J. Stephens, R.G. Ingouville, Arnold H. Tulloch, Derek R. Stewart, Arthur R. Turner, David S. Parker, Harry Threadgold, and WIlliam T.G. Pridmore.

The second dedication is to the six man crew of a Avro Vulcan. On 24 October 1958, Vulcan B.1 XA908 of No. 83 Squadron crashed east of Detroit, Michigan, USA. A complete electrical failure occurred around 30,000 ft (9,100 m). The backup system should have provided 20 minutes of emergency power, allowing XA908 to reach one of several airports in the area, but backup power lasted only three minutes due to a short circuit in the service busbar, locking the controls. Bound for Lincoln AFB in Nebraska, XA908 went into a steep dive before crashing, leaving a forty-foot (12 m) crater in the ground, which was later excavated while retrieving wreckage. Despite extensive property damage, there were no ground fatalities, only one person on the ground was hospitalized. All six crew members were killed, including the co-pilot, who had ejected. The co-pilot's ejection seat was found in Lake St Clair, but his body was not recovered until the following spring. Those killed in the crash were H.J. Scull, B. Peacock, J.D. Watson, J.W. Moore, A.D. Baker, and E.C. Evison.

The memorial consists of gray stone small monolith with black lettering. There are five flagpoles but only the southern most has a flag, that of the United States. In line with the flagpoles are the graves of the airmen who died in World War II training. Just to the west is the 6 graves of those killed in the Vulcan accident. Each of the headstones is flanked by an American and British flag.

Reprint of the original Detroit Free Press article.

Type of Memorial: Non-Specific Memorial In Honor Of: 11 British airmen killed While training at the Grosse Ile N.A.S. 1942-1944 And 6 R.A.F. crew of a Vulcan bomber Marker Text: The Royal Canadian Legion Downriver Post 92 U.S.A. Dedicated 2010 In honor of the 11 British airmen killed While training at the Grosse Ile N.A.S. 1942-1944 And 6 R.A.F. crew of a Vulcan bomber killed on a Goodwill tour from Lincoln England to Lincoln Nebraska, The year of 1958 Lest we forget Date of dedication: 2010 Who Put it Here?: The Royal Canadian Legion Downriver Post 92 Description of Memorial: The memorial consists of gray stone small monolith with black lettering. There are five flagpoles but only the southern most has a flag, that of the United States. In line with the flagpoles are the graves of the airmen who died in World War II training. Just to the west is the 6 graves of those killed in the Vulcan accident. Each of the headstones is flanked by an American and British flag. I discovered this when I was just passing some time with the kids before a dropoff so we took a leisurely drive through Oak Ridge Cemetery near our house. I saw the British flags and checked it out. Wars mentioned (Multi-war only): Not listed

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