Mosquito near Toisland Farm, Leavening.

On the 10th of January 1945 the crew of this aircraft were undertaking a low level cross-country navigation flight. Whilst flying in a snowstorm the aircraft struck a tree on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds near Wharram Percy Farm, Wharram Percy at 10.45hrs, and the resulting crash killed the two crew. Technically this crash did not occur in the exact "Ryedale" area, but its too close to be left out, being on the edge of the Wolds escarpment.

Pilot - F/Lt Laurence G Sullivan DFM RAAF A409250, aged 32, of Macarthur, Victoria, Australia. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (Sec H, Row E, Grave 3).

Nav - F/Lt Dudley Edgar Ball DFC RAAF 420849, aged 24, of Lidcombe, New South Wales, Australia. Buried Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery, Yorkshire (Sec H, Row E, Grave 4)

Laurence Sullivan enlisted in Hamilton, Victoria on the 20th July 1941. At the time of his death he had a total of 799 hours flying time, only ten of these were on the Mosquito. He had gained his DFM some time previous to his death, then a P/O whilst serving with 150 Sqdn, gazetted on 30th November 1943. It was awarded for carrying out a large number of attacks in the Tunisia, Sicily and Italy regions. It was not awarded until after his death, when on 30th November 1945 his father John Sullivan collected it from Government House, Melbourne.

Dudley Ball's DFC was gazetted on 18th August 1944, he was serving with 625 Sqdn at the time. Other websites record him as serving with "2 Gunnery Research RAF" at his death.