On the night of the 18th of July 1941 the Blenheim was on searchlight homing exercise and was unwittingly vectored
over the Cleveland Hills. The aircraft circled for a while searching for the beams before striking high ground south of
Basin Howe at 04.35 hrs. The pilot was sadly killed.
This aircraft crashed only five minutes after the Blenheim struck the waterfall further up the valley. Both were on the
same exercise. The wreckage from this aircraft was later taken off the moor by the Sun Inn.
54 OTU's ORB states "18.07.41. P/O/ McMurtie killed in Blenheim L8729. Crashed close to Blenheim L1449."
The aircraft was built to contract 551920/37 by Rootes Securities Ltd at Speke and delivered to the RAF in August 1939. After
acceptance it was issued to 64 Sqdn at Church Fenton. It was transferred to 291 Sqdn at Catterick in April 1940 where it suffered
a Cat R/FA landing acccident on 22nd May 1940, it was sufficiently damaged to be out of service for 5 months and after repair
issued to 600 Sqdn at Catterick in October 1940. It was finally transferred to 54 OTU at Church Fenton in February 1941. The aircraft suffered
Cat E2/FA damage in the above incident on 18th July 1941.
Pilot - P/O Alexander D McMurtrie RNZAF, aged 21, of Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. Buried Kirkby Wharfe Cemetery, North Yorkshire.
P/O McMurtrie gravestone at Kirby Wharfe. He had a total 174 hours flying, 97 of which were solo.
I visited the area of this crash many times before I actually located it. In August 2003 John Skinn and myself found the site.
Not much remains today although a number of .303 rounds lay in the remains, these have dates on them from between 1936 and 1940, all appeared to be hollow tipped. Alot of glass
is at the site. A fire must have destroyed the aircraft after the crash, the small scar on the moor has alot of melted alloy in it.
A small memorial constructed at the site in 2004.
Some of the smaller items found at the site.
My thanks go to Mr William Ainsley of the Sun Inn for some of the information on this page and for giving me precise directions to locate the site. Thanks also to my father
for lining up a meeting with him.
The public information held at the Yorkshire Air Museum list the pilot as Sgt Cyril J Neighbour RNZAF. Another source states
that his aircraft, Blenheim K7090, crashed 1.5 miles north of Church Fenton airfield and not on the Moors. Where as other sources
state that the pilot was P/O McMurtrie. I am inclined to believe that I have put the correct man to the correct aircraft and crash site.
McMurtrie's death was registered in Ryedale, Neighbour's being registered in Tadcaster proves my claim.
The 1180's also agree with my research.