Hennerton Golf Club, Wargrave, Berkshire, England

Located at the Hennerton Golf Club in Wargrave, England, stands a memorial dedicated to the crew of Sunrise Serenader (B-17F 41-24575)⇗. 

The memorial was dedicated on November 13, 2014, on the 71st anniversary of the crash. There is also a small display that includes an account of the story, a piece of the aircraft, and a piece of survivor, Alan Purdy (Radio Operator)'s parachute. A video of the memorial service can be viewed on YouTube⇗, and a newspaper article detailing the crash can be found on the 384th Bomb Group Heritage Association research website here⇗. Also on the research website is a book written by T/Sgt. Harvey Wick's nephew, James Arthur Wick, A Tribute to Harvey Arthur Wick, and to his Sister's Love and Dedication, and the People of Wargrave Honoring Art Wick and the B-17 "Sunrise Serenader" Crew⇗.

On November 13, 1943, Sunrise Serenader crashed in Wargrave after flying into a severe thunder cloud while maneuvering during a recalled mission. The aircraft’s engine caught fire, causing it to break in half and explode mid-air before falling into the fields and River Thames below. 

Nine crew members tragically lost their lives in the accident, leaving T/Sgt Allen B. Purdy (radio operator) as the sole survivor. Initially suppressed by wartime censorship, the details of the crash were later uncovered through decades of research and emotional reunions with the victims' families and witnesses. Today, the event remains a significant piece of local history, serving as a lasting memorial to the airmen who perished that morning.

Sunrise Serenader crewmembers: 

• 2nd Lt. Ralph Jackson Connell Jr.⇗, Age: 23 (Pilot, KIA)

Hometown: Columbus, Georgia

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Boggs Cemetery, Blountstown, Florida

• 2nd Lt. Albert Hugh Doman⇗, Age: 21 (Co-Pilot, KIA)

Home state: Utah 

Missions flown: 12

Resting place: Evergreen Cemetery, Ontario, Oregon

• 2nd Lt. Lawrence Harold Angthius⇗, Age: 26 (Navigator, KIA on his birthday)

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Saint Peter's Cemetery, Normandy, Missouri

• 2nd Lt. Claude Isom Gober⇗, Age: 23 (Bombardier, KIA)

Hometown: Frederick, Oklahoma

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Texas

• T/Sgt. Alan Bradford Purdy⇗, Age: 19 (Radio Operator, Survivor/Wounded)

Hometown: Ossining, New York

Missions flown: 30

• T/Sgt. Harvey Arthur Wick⇗, Age: 22 (Engineer/Top Turret Gunner, KIA)

Hometown: Chicora, Pennsylvania

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England: Plot E, Row 3, Grave 11

• S/Sgt. Ellsworth Franklin Calder⇗, Age: 28 (Ball Turret Gunner, KIA)

Home state: Wisconsin 

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Busseyville Cemetery, Busseyville, Wisconsin

• S/Sgt. Kenneth Duane Barr⇗, Age: 20 (Tail Gunner, KIA)

Hometown: Black River Falls, Wisconsin

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England: Plot E, Row 6, Grave 11

• S/Sgt. Robert Clinton Bryant⇗, Age: 22 (Waist Gunner, KIA)

Hometown: Saint Paul, Minnesota

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Fort Snelling National Cemetery, South Minneapolis, Minnesota

• S/Sgt. William Homer McCulley Jr.⇗, Age: 20 (Waist Gunner, KIA)

Hometown: Blount County, Tennessee

Missions flown: 0

Resting place: Old Mount Tabor Cemetery, Maryville, Tennessee