Mosquito near Castle Bolton.
On the 14th of February 1946 this Dutch pilot was tasked with a solo training flight in a Mosquito. Whilst flying
in bad weather over the Yorkshire Dales the pilot lost control. Air traffic control ordered the pilot to climb, he
failed to do this and the aircraft crashed into high ground
near Castle Bolton killing him instantly. The aircraft was destoyed.
Since creating this webpage I have been corresponding with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, they list
the pilot as being "missing" however I believed this to be an error on their part, he has a grave in London so
cannot be missing. The CWGC have now changed their entry for the pilot, or rather deleted him totally from their online database !
I hope that his name has been deleted from the Runnymede Memorial.
Pilot - Sgt Gebines La Hei RAFVR (Dutch Navy), aged 27, of Assen, The Netherlands. Buried Mill Hill (Paddington) Cemetery, London. He was born 31 Jan 1918 in Assen.
Gebines La Hei (Photo and other personal information I am greatful to Mr Laurens Van Veen, whos uncle was killed in the crash).
My wife and I visited the crash site in March 2005.
One of the aircraft's Merlin engines when the site was visited on 2nd Sept 1981 (photo Mr G Sharpe). I believe this engine is now with the DH museum in London.
Some of the aircraft wreckage at the mouth of a pothole near where it crashed (photo Mr G Sharpe).
