Aircraft accidents in Yorkshire.

Oxford near Easthorpe Hall, nr Malton.

The yellow painted Oxford was undertaking a Radio Transmitter training exercise combined with a map reading exercise on the 2nd of September 1941. Flying with two pilots (one flying it and the other as a passenger), the assumption is made that either one was flying as an instructor of both shared the exercise, by exchanging seats in mid-flight. Whilst in the Malton area the pilot lost control whilst flying in cloud and began a spin downwards, he was able to regain control but the aircraft then spun the other way. Again the pilot pulled out of this dive but due to the stresses put on the aircraft by pulling out of such dives, the ailerons and elevators broke away from the aircraft. With the aircraft now fully out of control the pilot and his passenger had no chance, the aircraft hit the ground at 09.43hrs near Easthorpe Hall, west of Malton with the two dead airmen being found in or around the wreckage. A signals wing occupied the near by Hall at the time and they reported seeing it spin in and it being not too far away from the Hall when it crashed. 54 OTU's ORB stated it crashed one mile north-east of Castle Howard (which is in roughly the same area).

The aircraft was built to contract B55346/39 by De Havilland at Hatfield, it was delivered to MU storage in July 1940 but not issued to a unit until 54 OTU to the aircraft on charge on 22nd December 1940. It served with them until it's accident on 2nd September 1941.

Pilot (at the time of crash) - Sgt Arthur C Howard RAFVR, aged 20, of Penrhyn Bay, Caernarvonshire. Buried Manchester Southern Cemetery.

Pilot - Sgt Cyril A Edwards RAFVR, aged 21, of Woolside Park. Buried Islington Cemetery, London.

Sgt Howard is given on the crash card as being the pilot at the time of the crash, he trained at 7 EFTS, 15 SFTS, he had a grand total of 102 hours flying time at his death, 93 of which were on the Oxford. He gained his Wings in July 1941, less than two months prior to his death.

I have yet to locate and visit the site.

The Yorkshire Air Museum lists an Oxford (this one) as crashing near Great Habton, afew miles north of Easthorpe. I can only assume that a grid ref conversion error took place in their research. I had four different ORB sources which quote Easthorpe Hall as the crash location.

I have begun to research the history of Eastthorpe Hall during the War. It apparently also 100s of WAAF's stationed, and the the Commander "Carpenter" lived at Mr Vasey's house opposite the Pub in Appleton le Street. The Hall was lastly a night club and was burnt to the ground in the 1970s. In later years a housing development was built over the site.