Personnel Index - Detail
Image taken before the war when in NCO's School
F/Sgt Wejman's name is recorded on the walls of the National Arboretum
On the night of 22nd January 1952, Avro Lincoln SX923 of 49 Sqn was diverted to Marham from its home airfield at Upwood. While circling to land, the aircraft crashed near the Downham Market road at Black Drove, Fincham (see the image below). The wreckage was spread over a wide area. Rescuers managed to drag the only survivor, Sgt J F Groom clear who was seriously injured.
F/O Chatterjee (one of those killed) was attached to the squadron for two weeks training from No.81 Reserve Centre.
It is believed that the crash was caused when the starboard inner engine failed when the aircraft had full flaps applied for the final stages of the approach to Runway 06.
During the war, Sgt Wejman was a Polish Spitfire pilot with 317 Squadron RAF.
On the 14th February 1944, due to an engine failure (Spitfire IX MH870), he crash landed in France and was made a PoW. Following his release it would seem that he remained with the RAF and was transferred to 49Sqn.
The location of the crashsite was kindly provided by Sir Jeremy Bagge of the Stradsett Estate. His remembers his late father talking about the accident. The Lincoln bomber took out the tops of several of their trees before crashing in a field belonging to the local "knacker's man".
The crash site is at the end of 'Black Drove'
SX923 came down in the field behind the car
The field was very 'boggy' and the rescue vehicles had difficulty in reaching the crash site in this field
More details of the crash location with the red circle being the location of the previous photograph.
Avro Lincoln SX923
F/Sgt B Wejman (killed)
F/Sgt RE Griffith (killed)
Sgt W Pickering (killed)
Sgt FR Edwards (killed)
F/O ML Chatterjee (killed)
Sgt JF Groom (injured)
A biography of Boleslaw Wejman kindly sent in by Peter Sikora:
Born 1st July 1921 in Zagrody, Garbów parish, Lublin province. He completed his elementary education in 1935. In 1938 he entered the "SPLdM" in Swiccie. Owing to the outbreak of war in September 1935, all training ceased in the School and he, together with the entire Pilot's Training Unit, was evacuated from Moderówka to Romania.
He reached France and applied for transfer to Great Britain. He began his pilot's training on 24th September 1941, completing the course on 16th September 1942. To gain flying experience he moved on 24th September to the No:8 Anti Aircraft Central Unit. He began his operational training on 6th April 1943 in the No:58 Operational Training Unit, he moved to No:61 OTU in October of that year and on the 22nd October he reported to 317 Fighter Squadron. Whilst flying on an operational mission on the 14th February over France, he was shot down and taken Prisoner of War. Twice he escaped from camps although following his first escape he was caught by the Gestapo.
He was decorated with the Krzyz Walecznych, the Medal Lotniczy and British commemorative decorations. He returned from Germany on the 10th May 1945 to the Blackpool base. After his discharge from the Polish Air Force he joined the Royal Air Force.
Whilst serving with 49Sqn, stationed at Marham, he was killed in an aircrash on 22nd January 1952. He was landing his Lincoln aircraft (SX923) when one of the engines failed. He is buried in the village of Ramsey, Hunts.
He was a married man with one small son.