The Memorial Stone to the Axford Dakota and Glider crash, hewn out of a large chunk of beautiful Purbeck Stone was re-sited earlier this morning (Saturday 9 March) on the (near) eightieth anniversary of the incident, moved from it’s location for the past couple of decades or so in the car park of Axford’s Red Lion pub to its new site adjacent to the road going through the village where it overlooks the area where the Dakota, towing a glider crashed into the River Kennet in March 1944.
Driven by Local historian Neil Stevens and builder Roddy Millar (both of whom were instrumental in creating the Cadley Memorial, sited beneath High Walls on Marlborough’s New Road), the stone is another reminder of the notable events that happened in Marlborough’s military history.
During WWII and in the years (decades?) that followed, Marlborough and the surrounding area was extremely active, militarily. The American influence was very great. on The Common was the American Field Hospital, replaced in the fifties by the Secondary Modern School that took over many of the hospital buildings before being moved to a new building and site in Chopping Knife Lane in the Sixties. A bit further away, in Wroughton was the US Army Hospital at Burdrop, and that was there and active until the very early sixties.
The Axford glider / Dakota crash happened because a pilot attempted to tow a glider into the air from where it had been forced to land in a ploughed field in Axford. On the attempt to take off and tow it out, with an unfortunate tail wind behind, the Dakota couldn’t attain the necessary height , hit power lines and then crashed into the Kennet where it broke up, but because it landed in a river it didn’t catch fire. Two airman died as a result of the crash.
To read the full account of what happened on that Saturday morning almost exactly eighty years ago, click here to read historian Neil Stevens’ account of the details of the incident.
Direct Aid to Ukraine – fundraising for 8th vehicle
