Countryfile aired an emotional episode on Sunday evening (October 11) as the presenters joined the search for missing human remains following an aircraft crash in 1944. On an autumn day, 82 years ago, a crew of American airmen set off in their B24H bomber for what was supposed to be a routine test flight; however, they crashed into Twizle Head Moss near Holmfirth in West Yorkshire.
Search for missing airman
The bodies of eight crew members of the United States Air Force (USAF) personnel were recovered from the remote crash site at the time, but the remains of Cpl Clarence Watson, 22, were never found. Funded by the US government, a group of archaeologists has been on the Moors searching for Clarence's remains, and Countryfile joined the investigation.
UK-based forensic archaeologists at Geoscope have been conducting surveys to better understand the tragedy, including Tim Fletcher, who told Countryfile host Sean Fletcher that he believed the crash occurred due to low cloud, as those conditions are common in that area.
Evidence at the crash site
Tim and Sean visited the area where the plane is thought to have first impacted, leaving a mark on the grass. "That's literally an imprint of the tale of the plane, it's preserved," Sean commented as Tim replied, "I've never seen this on any other crash sites we have worked on."
The two men also visited the memorial stone of all the servicemen who died in the crash, as Sean confirmed he felt "moved" after reading out the crew members' names. Later in the episode, the forensic archaeologists found a piece of the aircraft's seat but hadn't yet found any human remains belonging to Cpl Clarence Watson.
Family message
Countryfile's Anita Rani shared a message from Clarence's niece, Vicky, who appeared via video link to thank the project team for their efforts to find her uncle. Standing by Clarence's memorial in America, she said: "As you know, for 8 years this has been an empty grave, but because of everything that you're doing, there's a chance that someday we will bury something of Uncle Clarence here.
"But I also wanted to let you know that if that doesn't happen, as a family we are ok. We're just so thankful for everything that you are doing." She added, "Thank you, thank you so much, and good luck for the rest of the excavation."
"That was very touching," Tim said as other members of the team looked on, teary-eyed. "I spent a lot of time with Vicky when she was here, and it was very moving. I remember reassuring and saying, 'You have got the right people on this,'" he added. At the time of filming, the team hadn't yet found Clarence's remains. Countryfile airs Sundays on BBC One and iPlayer.
