File:Czech War Graves, Salisbury, UK.jpg

English: Four CWGC headstones for Czechoslovak airmen. They mark the graves of five airmen of 311 Squadron formed in 1940 of Czechoslovak airmen who had arrived in England from France.

On the night of 1st/2nd July 1941 they took off from RAF East Wretham in Norfolk and headed to Brest with other aircraft from RAF Honington to bomb the German cruiser Prinz Eugen. By 04.35 all planes had returned except one, the Wellington R1516 KX-U. As it approached the English coast it failed to be recognised as an allied plane because its ‘friend or foe’ detector system had malfunctioned and when contact was unable to be established it was assumed to be an enemy aircraft. Radio contact with the plane had been lost much earlier and it remains speculation whether the system had an internal fault or was damaged by German flak. The loss of the system also affected their navigation sytems and they re-entered English airspace at an unexpected point and at a much higher level than expected. A night-fighter aircraft, a Bristol Beaufighter T4638, of 604 Squadron was dispatched from RAF Middle Wallop and attacked the bomber over Shaftesbury, Dorset and caused it to crash at 01.46 at Lower Park Farm near Mere, Wiltshire some 4 miles away with the loss of the whole crew of 6. A later enquiry found that the pilot of the Beaufighter should have been able to recognise the Wellington in spite of its identification (resin) lights being extinguished as it was a clear and windless night.

To the memory of Pilot Sgt. Oldřich Helma, 2nd Pilot Sgt Antonín Plocek, Navigator Pilot Officer Richard Hapala, Wireless Operator Sgt. Adolf Dolejš and Air-Gunner Sgt. Jaroslav Lančík. The remains of the sixth crew member, rear gunner Sgt. Jaroslav Petrucha were cremated in Southampton and given to his father who was living in England as a political refugee. (Information from Aeroplane Magazine, Issue No. 572. Dec. 2020. pages 46–48.)