On 9 November 2023, we remembered the 70th anniversary of an RAF Meteor plane crash that went down in the Planny. Two pilots - Sqn Ldr Richard Anthony Fox Linton and Flt Lt Raymond Geoffrey Mead - lost their lives in 1953.
We paid tribute to them with a small service at the location of the crash, which was attended by the son of one of the pilots, Dr Geoff Mead. We first met Geoff in the spring of 2018. He rang the school and explained that he was just four years old when his father died. He wanted to find out more and asked if any of our alumni could help. We put out a note to Hillians who were on the Hill in 1953 and many wrote back, sharing their memories of the event. A few months later, a Geoff attended Chill on the Hill and met a few Hillian who helped him to find the exact location of the crash.
After that visit, the School placed a large Cotswold stone into place with a commemorative plaque so that there is a place to reflect and visit.
Tony 'Jock' Norton (Bradford House 1951-54) shared; "I remember well the Meteor crash. The flight path was across my line of sight and the picture is still vivid in my mind. I will always be convinced that the pilot deliberately, by going into a steeper dive when just above treetop level, crashed into the trees, rather than hit the Top School building."