Dry Gulcher 

Dry Gulcher Memorial Day – 28th May 2008

(Update Sept 2022 – Families & friends returned to the UK and Shalford Village Hall to show film ‘Dry Gulcher’)

(Update Oct 2024 – See Link from Commemorative Air Force USA provide by Bill Foot who visited UK in 2024)

On 4th August 1944 a Flying Fortress called ‘Dry Gulcher’ and her crew came down on fields behind Shalford Church having shortly taken off fully laden.

All the crew except for SSGT Harold Norris who was the tail gunner made a successful parachute landing, the plane exploded with the blast damage damaging Shalford Hall.

The aircraft was based at Ridgewell aerodrome from the 532nd Bomb Squadron part of the 381st Bomb Group

Part of the 381st Bomber Group

May 28th 2008 saw family and friends of the flyers involved paying a visit to Shalford as guest of Shalford Local History Association to lay a memorial within our village. The group although staying at Cambridge visited St Andrews Church approx. 11.30 to have the memorial dedicated and a luncheon in The George Inn, followed by premier of a short film known as ‘Dry Gulcher’ at the Village Hall.

The hall was packed with local Shalford residents to view the large pictorial display and to see the premier of ‘Dry Gulcher’ together with memorabilia provided by Ridgewell wartime museum. Exhibits have since been used on a number of occasions by the history association

Listen to Robin Hayden interviewing his sister Audrey, who was postwoman for Shalford on the day of this incident:- ‘War Time Reminiscence‘

Read more about war time events from John Harvey, who remembered the day war was declared

Memorial stone laid in entrance of St Andrew’s Church 2008

Commemorative Air Force USA Link: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=1897&MemID=2486

A free-standing rectangular stone with a curved top, inscribed in English in gold lettering with a depicture of a B-17 airplane on the top and USAAF insignia on the bottom. This memorial commemorates the loss of an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress over the Essex village of Shalford on 4 August 1944 during the Second World War. On 4th August 1944, a Flying Fortress called ‘Dry Gulcher’ and her crew came down on fields behind Shalford Church having shortly taken off fully laden. All the crew except for SSGT Harold Norris who was the tail gunner made a successful parachute landing, the plane exploded with blast damage damaging Shalford Hall.  The aircraft was based at Ridgewell aerodrome from the 532nd Bomb Squadron part of the 381st Bomb Group. The memorial was erected by his nephew with the help of the Shalford Parish Council and Shalford Local History Society.