Memorial for crew of World War II bomber that crashed near Battle

The annual service to remember the crew of a World War II Wellington bomber which crashed in Netherfield takes place at the village War Memorial on on Darwell Hill on Sunday 29 May at 3pm.
Laying flowers at the Polish war memorial in NetherfieldLaying flowers at the Polish war memorial in Netherfield
Laying flowers at the Polish war memorial in Netherfield

On the night of 28/29 May 1941 RAF Wellington bombers from 304 Squadron - mainly Polish crews - were tasked with bombing Boulogne to disrupt the German invasion barges being assembled there.

One was hit by flak and an engine set on fire. The aircraft limped back to England on one engine, the young crew were only in their early 20s.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Shortly after crossing the Sussex coast the remaining engine began misfiring and Radio operator Stanislaw Jozefiak managed to eject and landed in a tree near Netherfield, badly breaking a leg. The four aircrew were killed. Stan was almost shot by the locals who thought he was German but he was eventually taken to hospital where he spent several months recovering, going on to fly Spitfires for the duration of the war with over 200 missions to his credit and being awarded the Polish equivalent of the Victoria Cross.

After 60 years Stan managed to locate the area of the crash and single-handedly built a large memorial to honour his fellow crew members and he and his family returned each year to attend a service in their honour.

Stan died in December 2015 in his 90s, but the service continues now in his memory also with a monument built in his honour.

The service resumed last year after a two year break due to Covid. There is some parking on site but care needs to be taken for walkers and vehicles as the B2096 is a busy road.

Related topics: