This page records an act of bravery by Monty Smith, Dianne's Dad, shortly after he had bought BBM 69.

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A REPORT OF A CRASH IN UPPER BODDINGTON
Another accident which involved civilians occured on the evening of 25 November 1944, at Upper Boddington. As Wellington LN242 of 12 OTU took off from Chipping Warden, the retaining studs on No. 5 cylinder of the port engine failed. At only 300 feet the pilot was unable to keep control of the aircraft, and it swung, lost height, struck a tree, and then crashed into the Manor House in Upper Boddington. The large house was occupied by two families, the owners Mr. and Mrs. Brooks and their daughter. and the family of an RAF ground crewman at Chipping Warden. Mrs. Tester and her two children. The Wellington hit the section of the house occupied by the Tester family. and exploded. One of the engines crashed through the floor. into the cellar. taking the occupants of the room with it. The Brooks family had just returned to their home and Miss Hilary Brooks related her horrifying experience to a Banbury Guardian reporter: I with father and mother. had just taken our coats off and were halfway up the stairs when the top of the house in a minute was ablaze. and when we turned and looked down flames were there as well. the whole place was filled with cascades of flaming petrol. We rushed down the stairs and father got to the outside door which was a mass of flames. He got the door open and when we saw that the lawn orchard and field was one sheet of blazing petrol we considered where to put down our feet. The whole house which had been sprayed with petrol was an inferno. The other wing where Mrs. Tester and her children were was one mass of flames and the cellar flap had been blown in and from below in the cellar the flames rose up like from a huge furnace. The heat was terrific.

An RAF man living in the village entered the blazing house to search the bedrooms. to no avail. In addition to the three members of the Tester family all seven on board the Wellington were killed.

Dianne's Dad, Monty was the RAF man living in the village. He was on his way to hospital in BBM 69 to see Phylis, his wife who had recently had a baby boy, Peter.

The manor House before the crash The Manor House after the crash. The Manor House as it is today with BBM69 and Bill Dixon's RB9361.

The following report is from the Bury Free Press dated February 2nd 1945

The courage of Sergt. Jack Montague Smith. R.A.F., only son of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Smith, The White Horse, Badwell Ash, has been noted recently in a Midlands newspaper. A bomber came to grief in the grounds of a fine old a twenty-roomed l6th century manor house, four stories high. Cascades of blazing petrol soon caused the house and surroundings to be an inferno, the heat being terrific. At the risk of his own life, Sgt. Smith rushed into a blazing Wing and penetrated into the bedrooms in a vain effort to save a mother and her two children (3 and 2 years) who occupied that part of the house. As he jumped to avoid the flames, Sgt. Smith alighted on the branch of a tree which broke, causing him to fall to the ground, though unhurt. He also had to be restrained from trying to rescue a pet dog from the blazing kitchen. "His courage was marvellous," said an onlooker. The bereaved husband belonged to Sgt. Smith's ground staff.

The following report is from the Banbury Gardian, dated Thursday November the 30th 1944

Disastrous Fire at Boddington

Manor Farm, Boddinton the residence of Mr and Mrs S Brooks and their daughter hilary is, or rather was, a fine old 16th century manor house of twenty rooms and four stories high. Mr Brooks and his family occupied one wing of the house and in the other wing were a Mrs Tester whose husband is serving in the RAF on the ground staff and their two children, carol aged three and a half and Michael aged two years.

Mrs Tester was a singer and a gold medalist who has delighted everyone in the district with her wonderfull voice, always being ready to place her accomplishments at the disposal of any good cause.
On Saturday night there came into this peaceful countryside community a death and distruction which has never been experienced in this district for many years.

For a vivid description of Saturday nights holocaust we are indebted to Miss Hilary Brooks, who was interviewed by a Banbury Gardian representative at the residence of Mr and Mrs Braggins in Banbury, where she has found kindly hospitality. Miss Brooks, a pupil of Banbury County School, who we are glad to say is none the worse for her terrible experience, gave our representative the full story.

It was just before nine o'clock that a bomber which had been circling round seemed to catch fire in the air, and apparently bumped into the ground and crashed through the wall which surrounded the manor house and into the wing where Mrs Tester and her two children were, where it exploded.

I, with father and mother had just taken our coats off, and were halfway up the stairs,Miss Brooks continued, when the top of the house, in a minute, was ablaze, and when we turned and looked down, flames were there as well, the whole place wwas filled with cascades of flaming petrol. We rushed down the stairs and father got the outside door which was a mass of flames. He got the door open and when we saw that the lawn, orchard and field was one sheet of blazing petrol we wondered ahere to put our feet. The whole house which had been sprayed with petrol was an inferno.The other wing where Mrs Tester was with her two children was a mass of flames and the cellar flap had been blown in and from below in the cellar the flames rose up like from a huge furnace. The heat was terrific.

Soon there were many helpers at hand but there was not much hope of rescuing anything from the house. Onr thing stands out in the mind of Miss Brooks, the bravery of Sergeant Montague Smith, R.A.F., who lives in the village. He rushed into the blazing wing and penetrated into the bedrooms in search of Mrs Tester and her children, but could not find them. It is considered probable that an engine crashed through into the cellar and carried them with it.

"His courage was marvellous," continued Miss Brooks, "and when our dog was seen in our blasing kitchen, he was restrained from risking his his life to get the dog out. But the dog got out somehow, for he was found and brought back to me at 4 o'clock on Monday afternoon by the same Sergt. Smith. The dog is apparently all right except for his throat which seeems to have been affected by the fumes. Everybody has been very kind and helped us for we were left with only the clothes we had on."

Mr Brooks was severely burnt on the arm and is receiving hospital treatment.

Mr Tester was on night duty at the time of the catastrophy and the news of the death of his wife and two children was kept from him until later when the Rector took to him the news of the tragedy which had come into his life and we understand he was taken to the Rectory.

Mr Brooks and family were also taken in at the Rectory by the Rector, the Rev. W.T. Gibbins, for two nights and Mr. and Mrs. Brooks are now with Mrs. Cottrell at Boddington.

The roof of the church was holed by a flying piece of the bomber and some of the windows are shattered.

The crew of the bomber all lost their lives.

Both the Brackley and Banbury N.F.S. were in attendance with equipement.

A tragic story of the millioneth chance. A machine, fashioned by man for the destruction of the war potentials of its countries enemies turns in the first few miles of its outward journey, and with miles of open space at hand carries on wings of destiny death and destruction straight to those whose life and liberty was the object of its mission.

CORONER'S INQUIRY

Yesterday (Wednesday)

Mr. W.E. Whitton, of Towcester, Coroner for South Northants, held an inquest in the village inn yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon. The ruins of the Manor House round the corner was a scene of desolation and what remained of the aeroplane had been moved with other rubble and debris to the grass near by.

The Coroner sat without a jury. There were present Mr. Tester, the bereaved husband and father, Supt.Barker, P.C. Panther, of the Constabulary, Mr. S.H. Brooks, owner of the Manor Farm, Miss Ivy Linette Sturt, a witness, who saw the beginnings of the tragedy, Mr. John F. Croscombe, Divisional A.R.P. Officer, and Dr. Gordon Grant Lindsey, medical officer in connection with the R.A.F.

The Coroner said it was difficult to get evidence of identification of the three victims because the body of the mother, Mrs. Evelyn Margaret Tester had not been rcovered, but it was known that she was in the Manor House on Saturday night with her two children. The accident to the plane had nothing to do with him as Coroner, He was only concerned with the cause of death of Mrs. Tester and her two children.

Evidence of the Bereaved Husband and Father

L.A.C. Charles William B. Tester said he was living with his wife and two children in Mr. Brooks' house. He last saw his wife and children at 4 p.m. on Saturday when he left to go on duty. They lived on the south side of the house. He was not present when the bodies were recovered. He identified the pieces of metal produced as part of his wife's bangle.

Mr.Brooks' Story

Mr. S. Brooks, of the Manor House Farm, Upper Boddington, said that on Saturday night he was at home with his wife and daughter. Mrs. Tester and her children lived in the house. When the house was struck he got his wife and daughter out safely. The plane crashed into the room where Mrs. Tester was. He did not see anything of the Testers then. He had seen them an hour before. They slept in one room. The whole house was set on fire and was soon gutted. The plane went right down into the cellar and it was a scene of a burning furnace.

Miss Iris Linette Sturt said that on Saturday night she was standing near the Manor House and heard a plane comming. It appeared to be losing its height and there was a crash. The engines were running all right apparently. The plane was not on fire in the air. She next saw the Manor House in flames.

The Search for the Bodies

P.C. Panther, of Culworth, said at 9.10 p.m. he received information of a plane crash at Upper Boddington, and he found the Manor House in flames. The plane had crashed into the house, into the part of it where the Tester family were living. After searching for three days they had not been able to find the body of Mrs. Tester. Debris had fallen into the cellar. A great deal of debris was moved and they then found the body of Carol Tester and then that of Micheal Tester. They had been looking for Mrs. Tester since and 15 tons of rubble had been removed. They had worked under difficulties. They came across bones of a skull and a few things including the remains of Mrs. Tester's bangle.

Dr. Gordon Grant Lindsay, Medical Officer, R.A.F. said he examined the remains produced. The bones of a human skull of an adult person and the bodies of the children - that of a female and a male, were both found together. The hair of the girl was dark brown and that of the boy of a lighter colour. The cause of death would be multiple injuries and burns.

The father said his daughter's hair was very fair, but it might have turned by the heat and smoke.

The Coroner - it is clear there was nobody else in that part of the house. I find a verdict that death in all three cases was due to multiple injuries and burns. I deeply sympathise with Mr. Tester in the sad loss of his wife and children and also with Mr. Brooks on the destruction of his house.

Mr. Tester, Mr. Brooks and Miss Sturt did not wish to take any expenses as witnesses.

The Coroner gave certificates for the burial of the remains.