Hampden just off Scarborough Pier.

On the 26th of August 1940 this Hampden was returning from Ops to Berlin when it was ditched, out of fuel, at 07.50 hrs just off Scarborough Pier in the North Bay. The crew were picked up by a trawler which then tried to drag the aircraft to the shore. The aircraft sunk 200 yards from the beach but was later brought to the surface and taken to the west pier. The crew were ok and were:

Pilot - P/O G A C Potts - ok.

P/O R S Hook - ok.

Sgt Wood - ok.

Sgt Ashmore - ok.

Following a raid on London the previous night, this raid was the first sanctioned on Berlin, thick cloud over the target prevented accurate bombing and a strong headwind on the retuirn flight meant many Hampdens were at their limit of their fuel capacity. In addition to this ditching, two further aircraft were forced to ditch for the same reasons. The raid was not a success.

I have yet to locate and visit the site!! A sizeable chunk of the main fuselage was recovered soon after the crash.

P/O Hook was also involved in another incident on 3/10/1940 when the Hampden he was in made a landing on a dummy airfield near Dunbar, Scotland. CWGC has an R S Hook being killed on 19 March 1945, is this the same man?