Corton Denham
- Ronnie's Boots
- Jan 7
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 14
Edit** I did a bit of digging about Sgt J Casey and found this in the Bomber Command archives. Not sure if he is related but, he's remembered here. Putting the link here: Casey, John · IBCC Digital Archive https://share.google/MwYO8nn1b3kW8KVZu
Closer to home this weekend — and somehow it felt like slipping into a secret pocket of Somerset I’d driven past a hundred times without ever truly seeing. I parked up in Corton Denham and took the figure-of-eight route along Corton Ridgeway and down toward Sandford Orcas. Muddy? Absolutely. Gorgeous? Completely. It’s only fifteen minutes from my front door, and yet it felt like stepping into another world entirely.
The light was perfect — that soft November gold that makes every hedge glow — and then came the surreal moment: the cows. A whole silent committee of them, lined along the ridgeway like they were expecting me. They watched every step I took in absolute silence. My heart was racing. I even filmed it because… well, if a herd ever decides today’s the day, there wasn’t a defib for miles.
And then, Sandford Orcas. I wandered into the churchyard — you know I can’t resist — and found a war grave for F/Sgt B.J. Pitman. The date stopped me in my tracks: he died on 23rd November… the very day I found him. It’s the second time that’s happened recently. Another on the 8th November. Strange, quiet coincidences that give you pause.
I looked into his story when I got home, and found the details of Lancaster ED656, lost on 23.11.43. Seven men killed, two injured — including a Sgt J. Casey. And now I’m wondering… could he be one of ours? If anyone knows anything about him, I’d love to hear. Little threads of history waiting for someone to notice them on a soft autumn afternoon.
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