In the morning of the 5th of November 1945 the crew of this Lancaster were tasked with a cross country training flight, the details of are vague. After take-off the flight took them south from Leeming, Yorkshire. On their return north and they were met with poor weather to the south-west of the county. The training flight was all but completed and in all probability they would only have been in England for afew more weeks before returning home to Canada. The conditions around the Ilkley area in the mid-morning of this day was described as poor, with mist and low cloud where covering the high ground of Yorkshire. The aircraft flew on into the low cloud and they soon became lost, having tried to radio for assistance no reply came and the navigator stuggling to work out their position whilst flying in the cloud, the only way to try and find out their position was to descend and hope they could get a visual fix on the ground. Unknown to them high ground lay in front of them and the aircraft descended below the level of what was the highest hill in its path. The aircraft struck the southern side of Beamsley Beacon some fifty feet from the summit at 11.56hrs and disintergrated on impact and caught fire. Four of the eight crew being killed in the impact. Of the four survivors one was less seriously injured than the rest, he was the one to go for help. He eventually found his way down to Black Hill Farm and after a short time was taken to Ilkley Hospital. The aircraft was heard to fly overhead by people on the ground and following the impact being heard; whilst the airman was on his way down, locals were already on their way up to try and find the crashed aircraft. This was eventually made and the other three survivors were taken down to waiting ambulances and then on to High Royds Hospital in Menston where it is believed they all made recoveries and returned home. Of the four fatalities, two were found outside the remains of the aircraft, it is though that they were pulled out of the burning aircraft by the survivor before he went for help.

Killed were:

Pilot - F/O Walter F Conley, aged 25, of Winnipeg. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (Sec G, Row K, Grave 3).

AG - Cpl William J Ellis RCAF, aged 30, of Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (Sec G, Row K, Grave 5).

Air Bomber - F/O Wallace E Lang RCAF, aged 22, of Sarnis, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (Sec G, Row K, Grave 2).

F Eng - F/Sgt Arnold E Stinson RCAF, aged ? Of Harriston, Ontario, Canada. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (Sec G, Row K, Grave 4).

The survivors were:

AG - Sgt Joseph P Balenger RCAF - who went for help. Probably the tail gunner(?).

Nav - F/O Alan Coleman RCAF, of Magrath, Alta, Canada. Seriously injured.

W Op /AG - F/Sgt Francis J Moran RCAF, St Catherines, Ontario, Canada. Seriously injured

AG - LAC Reg E Henderson RCAF, of Drum Head, Nova Scotia, Canada. Very seriously injured.

The headstones of the four killed in this incident.

My wife and I visited the crash site in March 2007. Much of what is to be found at the crash site today is believed to have been buried by the clear-up party following the crash. The site has been searched for over the decades and until only recently the only wreckage known to be located on the surface could be carried in one hand. In recent months or years however one large pit has been uncovered at the crash site and the contents of which, having been picked over by their uncoverer, have been left for the elements. Having been buried for sixty years much of the alluminium remains have sadly oxidised to much to make indentification of peices hard. However some of the harder metal parts have survived in reasonable condition when found in my visit in March 2007, many of the items were from the front end of the aircraft and there were a number of items from the flight engineers panel, along side the remains of a Dalton computer and harness buckles, and a monkey wrench (one presumes left by the clear-up team). One question I left the site unanswered was, if this one pit was dug over and these very interesting items left behind then what was dug up and taken from the site, as is often the case with such unoffical and now illegal "digs"? There could well be more wreckage in the area of the crash site which has yet to be found and uncovered.

Two instruments found at the crash site.

An engine start switch cover and two buckles.