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Sycamore Close, BRISTOL, BS15 3TL

Another of the notices that seem to abound in the Hencliff Wood area.

Another small example of local quarrying of days gone by, now returning to a more green appearance.

Some quarrying is a common feature of this stretch of the River Avon.

This simple cross is a poignant reminder of one of the losses incurred during WWII. Deep in the heart of Hencliff Wood, this is the site where an airman lost his life after bailing out of his aircraft. Wellington Mk X, LN 293, was part of 12 Operational Training Unit, RCAF, based at Chipping Warden near Banbury. It was involved in a deception sortie over Normandy as a distraction for the main bomber raid elsewhere on the night of 25/6 August, 1944. On board were pilot W.O. J.R. Harvey RNZAF, Navigator Sgt. D.M. Paterson RCAF, Wireless Operator Sgt. W.E. Hankin RAFVR, Air Gunners Sgts. A. Blewett RAFVR and D.D. Evans RAFVR. The bomb aimer was a 28-year-old Canadian, Sgt. Frank Samuel Martin (1398507), and it is this site that commemorates him. Taking off at 20:10, the aircraft was returning from Normandy. It is believed they lost their way and were off the expected course, possibly using the River Avon for reference. At some point they ran into trouble. Reports are not clear - some mention being caught in searchlights and blinding the pilot or receiving 'friendly' fire, despite dropping two yellow flares recognisable to home forces. The end result was that the aircraft went into an uncontrollable dive. Harvey ordered the crew to bail out and Martin did so, along with Hankin. Both seem to have had their parachutes fouled, probably by wrapping around the tail, and they fell to their deaths. The tumbling aircraft came down near Uplands, close to Keynsham and a few miles further along, at 01:46. All the remaining crew perished. Local information recounts that Martin's body, without parachute, was found by a nine-year-old boy, and it was he who ensured the spot was not left to neglect. Many years later it was given a small cross and plaque. Pilot Harvey is buried in Carlisle (Dalston Road) cemetery; Paterson in Kingston-upon-Thames cemetery, and Martin was interred in Denham, Buckinghamshire. The main crash site was excavated in the 1980s.

The flood plains near the River Avon have been formally planted with some tall citizens, some of which now lie flat. Several appear to have suffered a fate and been left to Nature's whim.

A half-built or half-demolished little block, with little of any indication as to what it was.

There are a number of paths through the woods, a few of which are actually permissive paths.

This pipeline runs through much of the local woodland and in parallel with the River Avon. Judging by the foul fumes rising from it, the pipe is a sewer.

This old ruined stone building stands on a narrow field beside the River Avon in a wooded gorge near Hanham.

A large but roofless and doorless stone building looks like it was part of the more recent past when quarrying was the prime employer in the area.