nearWallFields function object fails

nearWallFiedls (version 1912) fails and particular geometry reporting error message:

--> FOAM FATAL ERROR:
object of type N4Foam14PatchFunction1INS_6VectorIdEEEE is unallocated

    From function T* Foam::autoPtr<T>::operator->() [with T = Foam::PatchFunction1<Foam::Vector<double> >]
    in file /scratch/pss/2010560/OpenFOAM/OpenFOAM.master.int32DP/src/OpenFOAM/lnInclude/autoPtrI.H at line 222.

FOAM aborting

#0  Foam::error::printStack(Foam::Ostream&) in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libOpenFOAM.so
#1  Foam::error::abort() in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libOpenFOAM.so
#2  Foam::uniformFixedValueFvPatchField<Foam::Vector<double> >::write(Foam::Ostream&) const in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libfiniteVolume.so
#3  Foam::GeometricField<Foam::Vector<double>, Foam::fvPatchField, Foam::volMesh>::Boundary::writeEntries(Foam::Ostream&) const in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/bin/simpleFoam
#4  Foam::Ostream& Foam::operator<< <Foam::Vector<double>, Foam::fvPatchField, Foam::volMesh>(Foam::Ostream&, Foam::GeometricField<Foam::Vector<double>, Foam::fvPatchField, Foam::volMesh> const&) in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/bin/simpleFoam
#5  Foam::GeometricField<Foam::Vector<double>, Foam::fvPatchField, Foam::volMesh>::writeData(Foam::Ostream&) const in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/bin/simpleFoam
#6  Foam::fileOperation::writeObject(Foam::regIOobject const&, Foam::IOstreamOption::streamFormat, Foam::IOstreamOption::versionNumber, Foam::IOstreamOption::compressionType, bool) const in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libOpenFOAM.so
#7  Foam::regIOobject::writeObject(Foam::IOstreamOption::streamFormat, Foam::IOstreamOption::versionNumber, Foam::IOstreamOption::compressionType, bool) const in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libOpenFOAM.so
#8  Foam::functionObjects::nearWallFields::write() in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libfieldFunctionObjects.so
#9  Foam::functionObjects::timeControl::write() in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libOpenFOAM.so
#10  Foam::functionObjectList::execute() in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/lib/libOpenFOAM.so
#11  ? in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/bin/simpleFoam
#12  __libc_start_main in /lib64/libc.so.6
#13  ? in /nisprod/openfoam/release/latest/OpenFOAM-v1912/platforms/linux64Gcc48DPInt32Opt/bin/simpleFoam

Apparently fails only with velocity (vector) and runs ok on e.g. pressure field. checkMesh does not report any unusual error on a mesh coming from SHM.