Whitley at Appleton le Street, Malton.
The Whitley was returning from a raid on Berlin on the 24th of September 1940, when it ran low on fuel and the
pilot made a forced landing near Appleton le Street at 04.00 hrs and all on board survived. The aircraft flew very
low over the village and just managed to pull up in order to avoid hitting the church. The pilot put it down in fields
behind the church, it skidded across these fields and through a hedge which damaged the front end somewhat although not
substantially. I am told that a retired Army Major or Captain; surname of Knobbs took the crew to his house in Amotherby where
he gave them breakfast
before the RAF authorities came and collected them. An RAF maintainance unit spend some time taking the aircraft to peices and
removing it by road who they lived in tents at the site. During the spell here and where often visited by local children.
The aircraft was built to contract 75147/38 by Armstrong Whitworth at Baginton and delivered directly to 77 Sqdn at Kinloss in April
1940. It moved with the unit to Driffield on 4th May 1940 then to Linton-on-Ouse on 28th August 1940. It sustained Cat R(b) damage in
the inicident detailed above at Appleton le Street. It was repaired in works and on completion it was issued to 10 OTU at Abingdon
in early 1941. It was written off at Abingdon on 1th October 1941 when it overshot a landing. The pilot on this occasion being P/O L Anderle.
Pilot - P/O Ackroyd-Stuart, ok.
Crew - Names unknown, ok.
The Whitley in a field above Appleton le Street. This photograph is now believed to be out of copyright but first appeared in Brian Rapiers "Warplanes Return".
P/O Ackroyd-Stuart. (YAM).
The raid itself consisted of 129 aircraft, they were to bomb between them, seven railyards, six electric power stations, three gas
works and two factories making aircraft parts. In a three hour period 112 aircraft dropped bombs from between 4,500 and 16,000 feet,
searchlights and ground mist made identifying the targets hard.
I also note the Ackroyd-Stuart Prize given by the Royal Aeronautical Society, which may or maynot be connected.
I have yet to locate and visit the site.
Following a Google search for the pilot of this aircraft, it transpires F/Lt A C L Ackroyd-Stuart was commanding 34 EFTS on 14th
August 1941, on this date the Duke of Kent inspected the Medicine Hat base in Canada. I take this to be the same airman.
My thanks to the now late Mr Ray Magson for recounting his memories of this crash landing and the events following it.