Belchalwell, Okeford Fitzpaine, Blandford, Dorset, UK - Home page

Belchalwell in war time

The Great War

In St Aldhelm Church is the Ibberton and Belchalwell Role of Honor for The Great War 1914 - 1919. There are 44 names on the roll.

Private George Batten 4th Wilts

Corp. Joseph Butler Army Vetenary Corps.

Private Jeremiah Cave Royal Engineers Injured and discharged

Private John Cave Motor Transport

Private James Chaffey Wilts

Private Ernest S Clarke Machine Gun Corps.

Private H.W. Clarke 3rd and 4th Dorset

Private Herbert C Courage Ox and Bucks Light Infantry

Private William Cross 5th Dorset Died in Alexandria September 22nd 1915

Private Bertrum G Drake Army Ordnance Corps

Sergeant Cyril Elsworth 3rd Dorset

Corp. Arthur Harding 3rd Dorset Killed in Action September 19th 1918

Corp. John Elsworth Dorset Yeomanry

Private John W G Foot 1st and 4th Dorset

Lance Corp. James Harding 3rd Dorset

Gunner Ernest House RGA

Private tithean Lawrence Army Service Corps

C George Lodder Dorset Yeomanry Prisoner of War

Lance Corp. William Lodder Dorset Yeomanry

Gunner Harry Malphus RGA Died of wounds November 9th 1917

Private John Mitchem Machine Gun Corps Died in France April 26th 1916

Private William Mitchem 5th Dorset Killed in action (Dardanelles) August 8th 1915

AB Bert Norris HMS Begonia Lost at sea

Private Percy Padfield 4th Dorset

Sergeant Aubrey L Plowman Australian Contingent Wounded and discharged

Lieut. Charles H Plowman 7th Wilts Killed in action April 24th 1917

Corp. Benjamin Rose HMS Good Hope Lost in action November 1914

Private Cyril Rose RFC

1st Class Stoker Frederick Rose HMS Garland

Gunner Ivor Rose RGA

AB Tom Rose HMS Good Hope Lost in action November 1914

1st Class Stoker Hugh Rose HMS Attentive 1915

Private John Ross 4th Dorset

Private Arthur Spencer 7th Dorset Died of wounds November 11th 1916

Trooper Walter Topp Dorset Yeomanry Killed in action near Jerusalem November 15th 1917

Lieut. Raymond J Trent 3rd Dorset

Trooper Maurice Trowbridge Dorset Yeomanry

AB Reuben J R Trowbridge A survivor of HMS Hague

Private Edward Vater 4th Dorset

Sergeant Walter Vater 2nd Wilts Wounded Ypres October 1914

SBS Arthur L Watson RD

Gunner Arthur George Waygood RGA Discharged (under age)

Private George Webber 4th Dorset

Also in the church is a memorial plaque to those from Belchalwell who fell in the Great War.

Corsair Plane Crash

During the second world war, a low flying fighter aircraft failed to negotiate the steep scarp of Bell Hill in poor weather, and crashed into the top of a gully on the hillside above Earls farm, Belchalwell Street. Some of the wreckage slid down the steep slope, with one of its engines apparently rolling all the way down the hillside, lodging itself in a hedge near the farm. Local people who were residents at the time recall a burnt scar and wreckage visible on the hillside for some years after.

The aircraft was a Corsair flying from Yeovilton, JS688, one of 420 built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation. The pilot, Sub Lieutenant Allan Roy Mullacrane, aged 21 from Stretford, flying with 759 Sqn, was killed in the crash.
(Thanks to Ian Hodgkiss for providing details of the aircraft and pilot)

After several outings, we finally located the crash site at the top of the escarpment with the aid of our metal detector. No surface evidence remains (the land has been extensively cleared in recent times to reclaim the downland pasture from the scrub), excepting a series of shallow hollows and banks, which would go unnoticed as part of the landscape but for the concentrations of aluminium fuselage fragments, machinery fragments and ordanance around and in them, lying just below the turf in the shallow downland soil. It appears the plane hit the escarpment at a shallow angle, and across the escarpment, 'bouncing' a few times before coming to rest in flames, leading us to believe it was climbing steeply and perhaps banking to avoid the hill. Another 100 foot higher and it would have made it to safety.

One find of particular interest was a spent 9mm pistol cartridge, evidenced by the mark of the firing pin (unlike the half inch plane rounds, which though extensively damaged still contained propellant). Obviously from a side arm, we wonder how it got to be there. It's hard to believe a small spent casing such as this came from inside the aircraft.

Plane parts and ammunition from a WW2 air crash, possibly a Corsair

Fuselage and machinery fragments from the aircraft, including half inch ammunition bottom right, bearing the marks 'WRA' and '43', with the 9 mm pistol cartridge far bottom right, bearing the marks 'DI(?)44'and '9MM'. The large curved bar, obviously from the aircraft from the context and identical paint surprisingly is solid lead - possibly a counterweight or balancing weight.

Other local Crashes

On the 16/17th February 1943 having taken off from Ridgewell at 18.59 for it's Target Lorient a Stirling I (Serial No. R9306) crashed on Bold Barrow Hill (we believe this to be Bulbarrow), west of Blandford Forum, Dorset at 23.05 when both it's starboard engines failed. Of the Canadian crew of seven, only three managed to bail out of the aircraft when the order was given, these were Sgt W A Hurn, Sgt E R Evans and Sgt J A Rodger. The other four, the pilot,Brydon, J S F/O RCAF+, W/O2 W K Rosenberry RCAF, F/O N J P Hartney RCAF and F/S W C Morton RCAF are buried in Blandford Cemetery.

A german aircraft is also thought to have crashed into the scarp further to the east near Rawlsbury Camp.

The Range

Deceptively labelled as ' Disused Rifle Range' on most maps, a small coombe, just to the east of Belchalwell parish, known as Hibbett Bottom was used during and between both world wars both for rifle shooting and artillery practice, with mortars and shells up to four and a half inch being fired into the hillside at the head of the coombe. Some sources claim it was only used by the home guard, others that it was in more general use. Along the base of the woodland, there was a rail track which was used to provide moving targets. Disappearing into the brambles are the remains of two carriages which presumably ran on the track. No rails remain, but the track bed is still remarkably clear of vegetation.

Range finds

Bullets, casings and mortar fragments
Tools and larger shrapnel

Above are some tools (left) and larger pieces of shrapnel (right)

Hibbet Bottom today is a far more peaceful place, secluded and particularly rich in wildlife, with no public access.
The wooded hillside to the left of the picture was the target area, with many different firing positions being found with the aid of our trusty metal detector in the bottom and on the lower sides of the coombe roughly in the center of the picture.
Hibbet Bottom today - a haven for wildlife

Hibbet Bottom today - a haven for wildlife

Source: Local knowledge, Nigel Lodder, Jack Yeatman and The Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Association