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Bawdeswell village in Norfolk, England, UK.

Bawdeswell village church was the only one to be destroyed in Norfolk, UK during the Second World War.  In 1944 a Mosquito returning from a mission over Germany was on its way back to Bexwell aerodrome at Downham Market when it iced-up. It crashed into the church and the crew PO James McLean and Sgt Melvin Tansley were killed.

A plaque commemorating the pilot and navigator, made from parts of the aircrafts engines hangs on the south wall of the new church with the inscription in memory of P/O James Mclean and Sgt Melvin Tansley R.A.F. who were killed when their Mosquito Aircraft destroyed Bawdeswell Church. A large chest with a curved top stands at the back of the church and was made by George Lloyd Lewis from timber salvaged from the previous building, it is oak and bound with iron like a medieval chest. Mr Lewis died in 1952 before the building was started, but he donated this chest to the new church.

A detailed guide to the villages of Bawdeswell and Foxley plus other local villages can be found on the following link: www.thereevestale.co.uk

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