Whitley at Cherry Hill, Brandsby.

The Whitley was returning from ops to Oslo on the 3rd May 1940. The crew became lost whilst flying in cloud and the aircraft ran low on fuel so the pilot ordered the crew bale out, this was done so over Easingwold (although one source quotes a more probably accurate Thormanby as the location). All five airmen abandoned the aircraft however the air gunners chute either opened in the aircraft or he released it too soon after leaving the aircraft, and it fouled the aircraft. He was dragged down with the aircraft and died of his injuries later in hospital with his parents at his bedside. Of the others who got clear of the Whitley, one, LAC Fisher, "landed at a road junction, from which he saw a small church on a village green, with fields round it." The village turned out to be Kirby Hill, near Easingwold. He then walked to a nearby farm and explained the situation, where upon the owners promptly closed the window they were speaking through and nothing more was heard. He then walked to the Church and lay down on the grass, after a short time he was joined by the aircrafts navigator and eventually the rest of the crew, they were later taken back to Dishforth airfield. The aircraft reportedly came down at Cherry Hill near Brandsby at 05.00 hrs, of just after. The pilot was taken to York Military hospital with leg and back injuries. He was reported to have been partly to blame for the accident happening. He was ordered to land at Sealand but failed to do so, he also failed to alter their course after a baring was received. He ordered the abandonment of the aircraft too soon, dawn was said to be iminment and there was still enough fuel in the aircraft to stay in the air until dawn. The crash report also makes mention that the major factor in the crash was that the wireless had failed to some degree. The pilot was probably taken off commanding aircraft following this incident, he was a very experienced pilot, with over 1700 hours flying time at the time of the crash.

The aircraft was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth at Bagington. It was delivered to 51 Squadron at Dishforth on the 1st of May 1940. This was a brand new aircraft which explains why the Squadron Leader was flying it on what must have been it's first operational flight. It was written off as a result of the crash, Cat W damage being recorded, it was struck off charge.

Pilot - Sqdn Ldr G P Marvin RAF - injured, broken leg and back injuries.

2nd Pilot - P/O Albert J Oettle RAF - ok.

? - Sgt J Brisbane RAF - ok.

? - LAC Ernest Fisher RAF, of Canada - ok.

Air Gunner - AC1 Angus Hepburn RAF, aged 20, of ? Died the next day from his injuries. Buried Seafield Cemetery, Edinburgh.

In July 2003 I visited the area where I take to be the crash site after converting the Cassini grid ref to a OS ref. It was harvest time in the field but no crater seemed present. Does anyone know the exact crash location?

The info given in Chorley's losses book states that the aircraft came down near Easingwold on the A19, midway between York and Sowerby. This is slightly misleading. I assume that the "on the A19" refers to the location of Easingwold rather than the actual crash location.
F/O Albert J Oettle DFC RAF was killed 30/10/1941 whilst serving with 138 Sqdn, Bill Chorley lists the aircraft being on "Special Duties" when it crashed. He was injured in a crash on 11 April 1941 and returned to flying duties less than two days before his death. Due to the secretive nature of 138 Sqdn, researching his career is proving tricky. He was promoted to a F/O on 12 May 1940, exactly a year later he was made a F/Lt on 12 May 1941. His DFC appeared in the London Gazette dated 22 Oct 1940, gained when he was a F/O.

A Norman J Brisbane RAF went missing 7/7/1940, at the time this airman was serving with 65 Sqdn, could this be the same man?

Sqdn Leader Marvin took over the command of 51 Sqdn in June 1937 as a F/Lt. He retired from the RAF as a Group Captain and was at one point living in York.

Ernest Fisher returned home to Canada after the War, years later he wrote a letter to The Dalesman magazine asking for information about this incident. Much of the above information above comes from that letter.