Hawker Demon near Flaxton.

On the 4th of February 1939 the pilot of this Demon aircraft was on a cross country training exercise, flying from Oxford to Catterick. Whilst over the Yorkshire area mist came in and the pilot force landed the aircraft near Flaxton, but on trying to land in a field the tail of the plane clipped a tree and the aircraft pancaked into the ground (This information is given on the Form AM1180). The pilot survived. The aircraft was recovered and the airframe was then used for ground instruction.

Oddly the Yorkshire Air Museum's database quote a completely different and (probably) incorrect set of events; the aircraft was operating with the Army over Strensall Common when the engine failed, the pilot attempted a force landed at nearby Flaxton but hit the tree whilst doing this landing.

The aircraft was built to contract 389428/35 by Boulton & Paul Ltd at Wolverhampton and delivered directly to 607 Sqdn at Usworth on 18th January 1937. On 28th March 1937 it sustained Cat R/FA damage when it overshot a landing at Usworth and collided with a fence but it was believed repaired on site. It transferred to 41 Sqdn at Catterick on 12th December 1938 and suffered it's Cat.W/FA accident on 4th February 1939 near Flaxton. The aircraft was dismantled on site and it's remains were considered suitable for instructional use and it was allotted the M serial 1379M and was delivered to Locking on 31st March 1939. No further record exists.

Pilot - P/O Douglas R Gamblen RAF (39657), injured but survived. He had a total of 266 hours flying time when this crash occured but only 5 of these were on the Demon. He gained his Wings in September 1937 at White Waltham.

Douglas Gamblen was educated at the Portsmouth Grammar School from 1925-1930 and he joined the RAF in March 1937 and trained at 10 FTS Tern Hill from 9 May 1937. He was posted to 41 Squadron as an Acting Plt. Off. in November 1937, and then to Manston for a Parachute Packing Course in February 1938. He was confirmed in the rank Plt. Off. in March 1938, then joined the SHQ staff in Catterick on 10 June 1938. He was made a P/O on 8th October 1939. He was posted to 41 Squadron again in early 1940 and was posted missing flying Spitfire N3038 following a combat with Ju87s and Bf109s over Dover at 07.45hrs on 29 July 1940. His body was never found and he is commemerated on the Runnymede Memorial.