This Blenheim had set out from Catterick on the 20th of March 1940 for a night patrol off Whitby, whilst on this operation it may well have been attacked by an enemy aircraft, although this was never proven. The Blenheim was returning to Catterick when, at 02.25hrs, it crashed into "Cockayne Ridge" near Bransdale whilst flying in low cloud. The pilot broke cloud to either check that he was flying in correct direction for base or to locate his position possibly after being lost in the cloud. It was thought that he assumed he was over low ground when he was actually flying over hills rising to 1400 feet. Both airmen were killed instantly in the resulting crash and aircraft caught fire and burnt out. A search for the overdue aircraft was put into operation with the wreck being found in the late afternoon of the 21st of March completely written off. The inquest into the airmen's deaths was held on the 23rd of March 1940.
The aircraft was built to contract 527114/36 by The Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd. at Filton. It was delivered to the RAF in February 1939 and issued on an unspecified date to 82 Sqdn at Cranfield. 82 Sqdn ceased operating Blenhiem I's on 25th August 1939 when the unit moved to Watton and the aircraft was transferred to 57 Sqdn at Upper Heyford. On 24th September 1939 57 Sqdn moved to France and the aircraft went to an MU before being issued to 219 Sqdn on 4th October 1939 when the unit reformed at Catterick, the purpose being to operate Blenheim's as fighters to protect shipping. Whilst stating the obvious, it suffered Cat W/FA in the crash detailed above.
Pilot - Sgt Horace (Duke) Philips RAF, aged 27, of Barry, Wales, buried Catterick Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Air Gunner / W Op - AC1 Frank Prosser RAF, aged 21, of Pontnewynydd, Wales, buried Garndiffaith (St John's) Burial Ground, Monmouthshire.
Horace Phillips had joined the RAF as an Aircraft Apprentice at Halton
in the late 1920's (the photograph on the left shows him as a 16 year old in 1928), he later saw service in the Middle East and India (the photograph in the centre shows him in India in 1928),
became a pilot in the
late 1930's, gaining his Wings in October 1939, 5 months prior to this fatal crash. He had been married for only six months
when he was killed. At the time of his death he had recorded a total of 69 hours on the Blenheim, with a further
190 hours on other aircraft types, 119 hours of these were in the last six months of his life. (The photograph on the right shows his headstone at Catterick Cemetery). (I express my thanks Sgt Phillips widow and her neice for allowing these photographs to be shown on this website and for the help they have given me regarding "Duke's" life).
AC1 Frank Prosser (Photo via Mr Ken Clark).
AC1 Prosser's grave in St John's Graveyard, Garndiffaith, Wales (Photo Mr Ken Clark). Frank Prosser lived and grew up in
Talywain, Wales and prior to joining the RAF
attended Pentwyn Council School, Abersychan and Twmpath School, Pontypool. After school he worked for a time for a grocer
in Snatchwood before moving to work in Coventry. He joined the RAF in 1938 and was promoted soon after. Frank Prosser
came from a family of military tradition, his father had served in the Boar War and his elder brother, Henry Prosser, had
served in the Army for many years prior to the Second World War, having been recalled when war broke out. At AC1
Prosser's funeral service, Rev Brychan Lewis, pastor of Noddfa Baptist Church officiated, assisted by a Mr Clarence Martin.
His coffin was draped in the Union Jack and the Last Post was sounded by Mr Cecil Roden of Pontnewynydd British Legion.
Sadly for the Prosser family, Frank's elder brother Henry was killed in action in the Middle East later in the War, another
brother died aged three in 1919 and is buried in the same grave.
General overview of where the aircraft is thought to have crashed.
Small peices of a Blenheim, thought to be this one, L1117.
The is a suggestion that this aircraft crash site is infact where one would crash in 1941, and L1117 actually crashed near the Waterfall where the latter one
is often refered to as crashinng.
A number of contempary sources wrongly quote a grid ref for this site to be infact where a Lancaster would crash some
two years later. In May 2002 I searched for what I thought was this Blenheim and found one small peice. I visited
the area many times since then and have only found a handful of tiny peices of an aircraft. Following contact with other
aviation researchers, it now appears that what I had originally thought to be the remains of the Blenheim were infact the
remains of the Lancaster. The Blenheim is said to have crashed into fields along side Badger Gill, Bransdale (shown in the
photograph below), with small peices
to be located in the stone wall to the left of the picture. I have searched this area myself and to date have not found
any peices however. The crash site is said to be where the reeds are to the centre of the photograph.
Since creating this website I have been fortunate to have been contacted by Mrs S Knock, the neice of Sgt Phillips, I wish to thank
her for the information she has been able to give me. I understand Sgt Phillips widow is living and I hope that this webpage in
someway keeps his memory alive. She never remarried.
I also wish to thank Mr Ken Clark for following up an email to him, for photographing AC1 Prosser's gravestone and for
searching for his obituary for me. It is planned to try and write an article in a local history magazine about how he lost his life.