Foxley Field, County of Norfolk, England February 9, 2020

I’ve been working on my family tree since May 2017 and I have made many discoveries. However, my “favorite discovery” just happened the first week-end of February 2020. On Saturday night I received an email message through Ancestry.com from Andrew Wells, an Englishman from Norwich, England. He wrote [“i wonder if you can help me ,mark sadly died in a plane crash on my familys land in foxley england, i have been researching the crash and wonder if you have a photo or any information on mark”.] sic  Foxley is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.

That’s it; that’s all he wrote. From family history, I knew Andy was inquiring about Mark Fitzgerald, my dad’s first cousin. Dad was only a few months older than Mark, born in 1920 and 1921 respectively. Mark died in a mid-air plane crash in England during WWII. I have a very fuzzy copy of his obituary from newspapers.com, but not his picture, in my Ancestry file. Andy found my record of Mark Fitzgerald in my Ancestry file.

Mark Edmond Fitzgerald was born October 5, 1921 in the Town of Lebanon, Waupaca County, Wisconsin. His great-grandfather emigrated from Kilco, County Cork, Ireland in the late 1840s or early 1850s. The Town of Lebanon was settled by Irish emigrants. Mark graduated from Manawa High School and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh State Teachers College in June 1941. He was an aviation cadet while attending college. Mark was employed by Kimberly Clark Corporation at the time of his enlistment in the army air corps in July 1942. In December 1943 he graduated from advanced twin engines school near Valdosta, Georgia as a second lieutenant and sent overseas in April 1944.

To say I was amazed to receive the message from Andy, almost 76 years after Mark’s death, is an understatement. An email to my dad’s sister Margie, aged 88, provided more information about Mark. She wrote back, “Yes I do have a clipping about his death but can’t put my hands on it right now.  But I will locate it and send it to you.  I remember so well the day that the family was notified.  Mother and Kit (Mark’s Mother) were playing cards when the priest from Manawa delivered the “news” and Mother came home and was so upset.  Mark’s body was later sent home and he is buried in [Town of] Lebanon. I think I also have his picture.”

I let Andy know that my aunt may have a picture of Mark. Andy surprised me again when he wrote that he had quite a bit of information about the crash and he would message it to me. Some of that information follows as well as a picture of Mark in his uniform

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“A practice mission involving the 14th, 2nd, 20th, and 95th Combat Wings was scheduled for this day (July 5, 1944) according to the 2nd Air Division teletype, “New crews and element leaders needing formation practice will be used. Emphasis will be placed on formation flying and timing. A Group commander or air executive will monitor each formation.” The “target” was the center of the airfield at Suttonbridge; “bombing” was to be done visually by squadrons at 14,500 feet and an “actual run will be simulated including open bomb doors.” The 392nd provided 36 planes for this practice mission–9 planes from each squadron. During this practice mission, two 392nd planes collided, resulting in five deaths from 1/Lt Reese’s crew and six deaths from 2/Lt Fidel’s crew. The circumstances leading to the collision are unknown.” (ii)

Andy’s mother was 11 years old at the time of the crash. She was with a group of women picking strawberries in a field near the crash site. The women marveled at the planes flying overhead, shining in the sun, when they heard a loud crash and saw the planes go down. Andy’s dad was 21 at the time. He was in a field hoeing weeds when he heard the crash. He and two other farmers were the first on the crash scene. The fire from the plane was so hot they could not get near the planes. Bullets from the planes’ artillery were going off in all directions from the heat. Andy’s dad and the other men remained on the scene until the bodies were removed by USAAF fire/medics. The night of the crash local people were allowed into the field and were permitted to take any useful items they found home with them. Andy’s granddad was given a piece from a parachute and took it home to his wife. She made a dress from it, which his mother wore as a young girl. Locals from the area combed the field several more times for debris that could harm their horses’ legs.

The field where the planes crashed was planted with barley. Andy’s granddad received 30 UK pounds from the war department as payment for damage to his crop. Like 1944, today the field is planted with barley.

The field has changed over the years and has had many owners. Andy visited the field last week and took some photos. The photo at the top of this post is how the field looks today.

Andy’s grandmother, who is 90 years old, still lives in the village of Foxley and is its oldest inhabitant.

Two of the deceased were buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial in England. The others were returned to their home states where they are buried.