A PLAQUE is to be erected to commemorate four people who died in a wartime air crash in Oxford.

But the help of Memory Lane readers is needed to make sure the name of one of the victims is spelt correctly.

The Whitley 5 aircraft crashed in Linton Road, North Oxford, on May 4, 1941, killing the three crew members and a resident.

We know the resident’s first name was Frances, but her surname has been spelt two ways – Hitchcock and Hitchcox. We need to know which is correct so that the right name appears on the plaque.

The plaque is due to be unveiled at Wolfson College, near the site of the crash, on the 73rd anniversary on May 4 next year.

The plane, based at Abingdon, crashed into 31 Linton Road, the home of Mrs C M Mullahy, while on an “unauthorised low flight over a populated area”. The likely cause was engine failure.

The Oxford Mail reported at the time: “Just before it reached the ground, the plane was seen to be in difficulties by people in many parts of the neighbourhood. The sound of the crash was heard all over North Oxford.”

Three Memory Lane readers have memories of the crash.

Dennis Fogden, of Eynsham, recalled how his brother Peter and a friend were riding towards North Oxford on a motorcycle when they heard the aircraft engine spluttering.

They arrived in Linton Road to find a scene of devastation. “Another 15 minutes and Peter would have been there,” he said.

Derrick Holt, of Fortnam Close, Headington, was walking with a friend, Gordon Carter, beside the River Cherwell when they saw the aircraft circling.

He recalls: “As it flew towards us from the direction of New Marston, the engines gave off four puffs of smoke before it dived directly at us.

“Fortunately, it started to flatten out and flew overhead before hitting the far bank of the Cherwell, sliding up Linton Road and exploding in a ball of black smoke, followed by the crackle of exploding ammunition.”

T A Smith, of Norwich, also remembers the crash clearly. He was playing with a friend near where he lived on the Great Headley estate, when the plane flew overhead. He recalls: “It was quite high at the time and seemed OK, then suddenly it just went into a nosedive and straight down over North Oxford. We knew then that it could not possibly pull out of the dive, and later we visited the area but of course the police would not let anyone near the wreckage.

“On another occasion I remembered a Harvard Training plane flying too low and crashed,” continues Mr Smith, “it hit the bank of the River Cherwell and slithered across a field to the other side before coming to rest. At the time a school teacher I knew was on a camping punt, the plane hit a pole on the boat snapping it off and apparently hit this lady on the head, luckily she was not too badly hurt, and I believe the pilot was OK too.”

The three airmen to be commemorated on the plaque are Pilot Officers C N Small and A M Halley and Sergeant J S Mocham.

Can anyone confirm the spelling of the fourth victim’s name – Mrs Hitchcock or Hitchcox? Write and let me know.