Bristol Beaufighter Mk.VIF
Beaufighter 307 Squadron Exeter

In memory of …

At 10.56pm on 12° April 1942 Beer Coastguards saw an aircraft crash into the sea one mile south of Beer Head. The aircraft was a Bristol Beaufighter from 307 Squadron, based at what was then RAF Exeter, operating in the nightfighter role, patrolling Lyme Bay to intercept German bombers which passed through this area en route to targets such as Bristol, Cardiff and Liverpool.

307 Squadron was a Polish unit, and many of its aircrew had fought against the German invasion of their own country in 1939, before serving alongside the French air force (Armee de lAir) during the invasion of France in 1940, and then moving to this country to fly with the RAF when France surrendered.

In response to the crash Les Miller and his father Er put to sea in the Beer fishing boat "Traveller' to look for survivors, but found only small pieces of wreckage.

Both members of the crew were killed in the crash. The body of the observer, Flying Officer Mieczyslaw Swierz, was recovered from the sea by an RAF rescue launch from the Air Sea Rescue Marine Craft Unit (ASRMCU) at Lyme Regis. He is buried in the Higher Cemetery, Exeter. The body of the pilot, Squadron Leader Roman Smok, was never found.

On 12° April 2022 the Royal British Legion Beer Branch and the 307 Squadron Project organised events to mark the 80th anniversary of the crash, including the unveiling of a memorial and the laying of wreaths over the crash site from the Beer fishing boat 'Sambe', skippered by Kim Aplin, grandson of Les Miller, and great grandson of Em.

A memorial stands overlooking beer beach as a tribute to Roman Smok and Mieczystaw Swierz, two men from another country who died while defending our own.