I borrowed the original print from an 80-year old Norwich man named Fred Carr who was a friend of Fred O’Neill.
On 12th May 1944, Fred O’Neill, then a Captain, was test-flying B-24H 41-28671 J4-K and was at 600ft over Norwich when all four engines quit at the same time. He managed to get the plane into a gliding attitude and just managed to clear the rooftops of the Larkman Estate on the outer fringes of west Norwich.
Fred Carr’s house was the final hurdle before the open fields and the B-24 missed his chimney by mere inches before taking out his hedge and bellying into the ground beyond. Fred, at that time a 16-year old Air Training Corps Cadet, was first on the scene and was amazed to find that there were only two men aboard – the pilot and flight engineer.
It seems that before the test flight they had neglected to check on the amount of fuel in the tanks and had run out. Jim Isbell’s comments are unrecorded, but would I be interested to learn what transpired!
The people of the Larkman Estate gave a party for Fred O’Neill at the Oval Pub and in appreciation of his flying ability presented him with and inscribed clock. Fred Carr always remembered the event and many, many years later determined to track down Fred O’Neill to thank him again for missing his dad’s house. This he was eventually able to do and upon getting in touch was invited to Fred’s home in Philadelphia, which he complied with on his next visit to the U.S.A. The presentation clock was still ticking away on the mantelpiece. They remained good friends until O’Neill’s death in 1993.
