Vickers Wellington of 304 sqn. Morton Manor, Brading, Isle of Wight

It crashed in 1942 but it was

"John's Wonderful Wimpy"

Click for larger picture

At last. I've managed to squeeze in another painting. This time its "NZ-L for Lucy" the Vickers Wellington flown by
John Trzebski of 304 "Slaski" a Polish bomber squadron. John, who I am proud to have known for many years, now owns Morton Manor at Brading on the Isle of Wight which is open to the public throughout the season. It is well worth a visit, as the pictures on the accompanying page show (see link at bottom of this page).

Whilst returning from a raid on Bremen in 1942, John's Wellington NZ-L was hit by flak which resulted in the loss of power from the starboard engine. He managed to coax the aircraft back to England on the remaining engine and at around 2 am made radio contact with an emergency landing field at Langham in Norfolk. The night was totally black with low dirty cloud obscuring the ground, so a guiding flare path was requested. This was promised but as an air-raid warning was in progress, the lights failed to appear. John desperately circled the area, losing height. His brain was mesmerised by the swirling mists through which he flew. He was peering intently ahead, when he suddenly saw the rooftops and chimneys of a small village. John hauled on the controls in an attempt to clear the dwellings but there was insufficient power to climb. The aircraft mushed on and, with its nose up, pancaked into woodland at Stiffkey. The area consisted of many mature oaks and other equally stout trees. L for Lucy smashed a path through the vegetation but luckily, the fuselage veered between the more mature trees.
The aircraft was completely wrecked but the crew all survived.

"The best aircraft ever built" is John's firm belief.

Below: A picture of P/O John (Januzs) Trzebski, the crashed Wellington and John with crew members.

The crew of L for Lucy were:-

Fl/Sgt. Konrad Paszkiewicz,
Fl/Lt. Jozef Ostrowski,
F/Of. Siuda,
Fl/Sgt Kazimierz Szewczyle,
P/O Janusz Trzebski,
Fl/Sgt. Gembicki

For information about John's great peacetime achievement, hit this link:

Morton Manor, Isle of Wight

 

It is with great regret that I report that John Trzebski passed away
on Thursday 2nd January 2003. He is to be laid to rest next to his wife Jane
in the garden of Morton Manor which he loved so much.

R.I.P.