On the east side of the junction.

A rectangular metal plaque inset in the center of a low curved stone wall. The plaque contains an English inscription in incised lettering with 3 image depictions of the 44^th Bomb Group insignia, a B-24 airplane, and the 8^th Air Force insignia. The plaque honors and lists the names of the B-24 plane, named ‘Bat Outa Hell,’ which crash-landed at New House Farm on January 3, 1943. The memorial was erected on June 6, 1994.

On January 3, 1943, a flight of thirteen Consolidated Liberators from the 67th Bomber Squadron, 44th Bomber Group, Heavy, 8th USAAF were dispatched from Shipdham, Norfolk to join another flight of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers, in a daylight raid on the Nazi U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire. Eight of the Liberators reached the target before heading home, following the B-17’s. During the return flight, the B-17’s mistakenly headed for the Pembrokeshire coast. Unfortunately, each of the Liberators was running low on fuel, and the aircraft began looking for somewhere to land.

With the port fuel tanks empty, and both port engines stalled, Liberator 41-23806 attempted a forced landing near Dreenhill, just west of Haverfordwest, but a third engine failed, and the stricken aircraft crashed about 200 yards north of New House Farm. One of the crewmen was killed instantly, while the others, all injured, were taken to the War Memorial Hospital at Haverfordwest. Two of these men were returned to hospitals in the USA where they died within days.

The crew of Liberator 41-23806 were:

Pilot, 1st Lieutenant Roy B. Erwin (Died 5 January in Louisiana)

Co-Pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Clark Everett Swanson (Killed)

Navigator, 2nd Lieutenant Thomas Deavonport (Died 8 January in Texas)

Bombardier, 2nd Lieutenant John Gavin

Engineer, Staff Sergeant Hylan Simmons

Radioman, Staff Sergeant Thomas Laskowski

A Radio, Staff Sergeant George Kelsey

Gunner, Sergeant Lanville McCarty

Gunner, Sergeant Robert Reasoner

Gunner, Sergeant Delbert Perry

Source of information: www.warmemorialsonline.org.uk, ww1.wales

Source of photos: aviation-safety.net

IN HONOR OF

THE CREW OF BAT OUTA HELL,

B-24-D LIBERATOR OF THE

67^TH BOMBER SQUADRON

44 BOMB GROUP,

8^TH ARMY AIR FORCE.

CREW

PILOT 1LT ROY ERWIN  CO-PILOT 2LT CLARK SWANSON  NAVIGATOR 2LT THOMAS DEAVENPORT  BOMBARDIER 2LT JOHN GAVIN

ENGINEER S/SGT HYLAN SIMMONS   RADIOMAN S/SGT THOMAS LASKOWSKI  A RADIO S/SGT GEORGE KELSEY

GUNNER SGT LANVILLE McCARTY   GUNNER SGT ROBERT REASONER  GUNNER SGT DELBERT PERRY

ON 3 JANUARY 1943 THE BAT UTA HELL CRASHED, RETURNING FROM A DAYLIGHT RAID

ON THE U-BOAT PENS AT ST. NAZAIRE, FRANCE.

THE PLANE CAME TO REST 200M TO THE RIGHT, AT THE GATE.

ERECTED ON 6 JUNE 1994 BY THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE US NAVAL FACILITY

BRAWDY AND RAF BRAWDY AS A TOKEN OF THEIR APPRECIATION OF THE

PEOPLE OF PEMBROKESHIRE AND THE CARE EXTENDED TO THESE MEN,

AND ALL ALLIED SERVICE PERSONNEL