On the 18th of July 1941 this pilot was undertaking a training exercise when the aircraft flew into the (now wooded) hillside on
Bransdale Moor at around 04.30hrs. He was undertaking searchlight exercise flying solo in cloudy conditions at the time. The
reasons for the crash occuring were blamed on a member of ground staff back at Church Fenton who had vectored the pilot
(and another one which would crash soon
after only miles away)
over high ground instead of an area where the exercise should have been carried out. The pilot somehow survived the crash.
Interestingly the 54 OTU ORB states "18.07.41. P/O Woodhead killed in Blenheim L1449, The aircraft was built to contract 527114/37 by the Bristol Aeroplane Co. Ltd. at Filton and delivered to the RAF in January 1939.
After acceptance it was issued to 23 Sqdn at Wittering in February 1939. It was later transferred to 60 OTU at Leconfield on 28th
April 1941 and finally to 54 OTU at Church Fenton on 4th June 1941. It was destroyed in the above incident, sustaining Cat E2/FA
damage on 18th July 1941.
Pilot - P/O E J Woodhead RAF - survived.
The waterfall as it was when i first visited in May 2002. The aircraft is believed to have crashed on what was moorland to the top of
the waterfall which has since been forested.
Both the aircraft's engines were still at the site in the 1970s. Both are believed to have been recovered since these photographs were
taken. There is a suggestion that an ATC group using a helicopter got one out, the where abouts of the other is not known. (Photographs
by the late Mr Norman Helm, via Mrs C Helm).
Three photographs from the collection of Mr Graham Sharpe taken when he visited
the site in 1972. The top left photo shows wreckage at the foot of the waterfall, top
right shows peices down stream, the bottom photo shows the scattering of wreckage once visable at the top of the waterfall before tree were planted.
My thanks to Mr Sharpe for these photographs.
Me with some wreckage found on my first trip to the crash site in May 2002.
Some of the wreckage found in tree roots in 2002.
Following the severe flooding that occured during the summer of 2005 John Skinn and I revisited this site in September 2005. The
torrential rain that occured during the space of afew hours in June 2005 caused massive floods to areas to the south west of
the North Yorkshire Moors. This crash site being one that was effected by the river levels, we wanted to see what damage had
been done to previously located wreckage. The area below the waterfall has suffered badly from the flood, the waters had
removed everything from the river bank and carved out a fresh river channel. All wreckage that did exist at the very foot of the
waterfall has now gone. There was a cylinder from one of the engines at the site in 2004, this is now gone as had the tyre
which also remained - the latter I was to find in October 2006 washed about a mile down stream ! The cylinder is probably
now covered by a big landslip down stream.