The following are the known crashes:
Fighter bi-plane on 13th March 1918 on Loud Bank, Annfield Plain
Fairey Battle bomber on 3rd August 1940 at Causey
Hurricane on 27th October 1940 near Edmondsley
Wellington bomber on 14th December 1940 at West Edmondsley near Craghead
Hurricane near Consett on 30th August 1941 near Consett
Hurricane on 11th November 1941 near Waskerley
Fighter bi-plane on 13th March 1918 on Loud Bank, Annfield Plain
Fairey Battle bomber on 3rd August 1940 at Causey
Hurricane on 27th October 1940 near Edmondsley
Wellington bomber on 14th December 1940 at West Edmondsley near Craghead
Hurricane near Consett on 30th August 1941 near Consett
Hurricane on 11th November 1941 near Waskerley
2 Hurricanes in a collision on 12th April 1942; one crashed at Oxhill, the other at South Moor
Gloster Meteor on 25th September 1951 at South Moor golf course
Another known crash was a Spitfire on or near South Moor golf course on an unknown date.
Rumoured crashes were a Free French Lancaster or Wellington in the Leadgate area and a story has recently emerged about a German aircraft shot down somwhere near Harperley Hall; an untrackable rumour says that parts of this aircraft were found on Peters Bank within the last few years.
My father was in AFS during WW2 and attended a crash site near the Hat & Feather public house
ReplyDelete(between leadgate & Medomsley Edge).There is a gap in the trees on the skyline where i understand the aircraft crashed through. The crew to my knowledge were all killed.Have tried to find out more without success. I did hear the crew were free french - possibly Lancaster or halifax- would like to hear more.
There were three Free French aircraft lost within a short distance of the spot you have mentioned. I am still researching them all. I think the one you mean is the Wellington Bomber which crashed at Bunker Hill (the other two were fighters. The crew were not all killed and the full story will appear as soon as I have all the information.
DeleteBriefly, overnight on Thursday, 25th/Friday, 26th May 1944 Wellington bomber Mk X Serial MF553 Squadron Code JM-F, with a crew from the Free French Air Force, left RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Scotland for a night time cross-country exercise, during which developed severe icing at 15000ft. They descended to 7000ft but conditions were no better. However the pilot attempted a landing at what he thought was an airfield. In fact he came down at Bunker Hill about 1 mile east of Consett. Four of the crew were killed in the crash and/or the fire that followed, and the other three were injured, but not seriously.
The usual crew for a Wellington was six, so I am trying to find out why there were seven on this plane. More to come.