De Havilland Gypsy Moth G-EBYV at Medomsley

This aeroplane was built in 1928 as a de Havilland DH60G Moth seaplane with a Cirrus II engine.  It was registered as G-EBYV in the name of Major A A Nathan of the de Havilland Company on 23rd June 1928 and later sold on to Kenneth E Parker and Ian Robertson Parker who were sugar merchants from Liverpool but the aircraft was based at Gosport in Hampshire.

There is a report that it was originally based at RAF Mountbatten, the former Cattewater seaplane station at Plymouth, Devon and was frequently used by T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) during his time in the Air Force.  This information has been confirmed by Major A A Nathan's grandson who has kindly offered me a photograph of T. E. Lawrence beside the aeroplane.  Unfortunately I cannot send him my email address because incoming emails are (no reply) anonymous and I do not have his email.  Should he read this, my email address is nevillebougourd@gmail.com

On 2nd June 1931 it was sold to Iona National Airways whom, I believe, were Ireland's first commercial airline, and was re-registered in Ireland as EI-AAG.  Prior to this sale, it had been converted to a land plane. Whilst in Ireland it was re-engined with a Gypsy engine from another damaged aircraft and was thus converted to a Gypsy Moth.

It was sold to Newcastle upon Tyne Light Aeroplane Club at Cramlington aerodrome and reverted to its original registration of G-EBYV on 16th September 1932.

During its operational life it was twice entered in the King's Cup - a prestigious round Britain air race.  The first occasion was on 28th July 1928 when the race statistics were 38 entrants of which 36 started and 23 finished; one plane crashed, killing the pilot.  On this occasion the plane was flown by a professional pilot, Wing Commander Sydney William Smith.

The Race started from Hendon aerodrome in London and flew a circuitous route around Britain, reaching as far north as Renfrew in Scotland and returning to Brooklands aerodrome in Surrey.  On this occasion Wing Commander Smith was forced to retire at Nottingham after a collision on the ground with an Avro Avian III, G-EBZD, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Boyes.

On 5th July 1930, it was listed as a competitor again, with Ian Robertson Parker, a sugar merchant and later, RAF Officer, from Liverpool as the pilot.  The official entry shows it as a de Havilland Moth with a Cirrus II engine.  The race started from London Hanworth aerodrome, flying a circuitous course as far north as Cramlington aerodrome and returning by an equally convoluted route around the western side of the country.

Of the 101 entrants, only 88 actually started and 61 finished; the race was won by Miss Winifred Brown in an Avro Avian III at an average speed of 102.75mph.  Ian Robertson Parker was not placed but did finish the course.

On 30th June 1936, piloted by Samuel Smith, one of the sons of the founder of the Ringtons Tea company, the aircraft came to an ignominious end and ended up upside down in the yard at Glebe Farm, Medomsley near Consett.  The pilot, Samuel Smith was thrown out and hit Mrs Armstrong, the farmer's wife.  They were unhurt but both ended up in the slurry pit or the duck pond - sources differ.  Some say that the wing tip clipped Mrs Armstrong, knocking her into the slurry pit and that the pilot fell out of the inverted plane and just landed in it.

Wreck of G-EBYV  -   inset Samuel Smith, pilot 

Photo courtesy of Newcastle City Libraries

On 6th March 1937 Samuel Smith was involved in another crash in which his aircraft , de Havilland Tiger Moth G-AELA, "The Ringtonian" was written off in a crash near Newcastle Airport.  The photograph below was kindly supplied by the Smith family and copyright is theirs.

A few months later, in May 1938, Samuel Smith and two of his friends were killed when the aeroplane he was flying crashed and caught fire at Brundholme Ghyll between Skiddaw and Latrigg in the Lake District in appalling weather conditions.  The aircraft was a Percival P10 Vega Gull, registration G-AFGU.  The accident was seen and heard 2 miles away in Keswick.  Unfortunately no photograph of this plane is available.

The crash reports indicate that he made a violent turn to avoid a mountain and the rudder failed, losing some mechanical parts.  The accident was reported in the national press:

HURRICANE Mk 1 - L1963

On Sunday 27^th October 1940, at 10.25 am a Hurricane Mk 1, L1963, from 43 Squadron did a vertical dive into the ground at Congburn Dene near Edmondsley, County Durham.  The pilot was Sergeant Leonard Vivian Toogood RAFVR, Service No 758096; he was just 20 years old.  There is a suspicion that he was doing aerobatics but there is no firm evidence to back it up.

 

The Squadron was based at RAF Usworth – the present site of the Nissan car factory and the North East Aircraft Museum.  They had recently arrived at Usworth, having taken part in the Battle of Britain and were only temporarily posted there whilst they awaited a posting to the Far East.

Sgt Toogood’s body was taken to Portsmouth and buried in Kingston Cemetery in that city.

Several reports incorrectly name the crash site as Cragburn Dene.

HURRICANE MK 1 IN CONSETT - Z7062

On 30th August 1941, a Mk 1 Hurricane, Z7062 from 232 Squadron flew out of RAF Ouston on an army co-operation flight to test the defences of Consett.  After several passes and mock attacks, the aircraft came in at very low level in a dummy attack on a machine gun position in Parliament Street and its starboard wing struck the sandbags protecting a gun emplacement and decapitated one of the soldiers of the defence force.  The aircraft then crashed into a wooden garage at the end of Parliament Street and caught fire, killing the pilot.

Tragically, 232 Squadron were just filling time as they waited to transfer out to the Far East.  The pilot was 23 year old Pilot Officer John Heron Wire RAFVR, Service No 66493.  He was buried in St Mary's churchyard at Stamfordham, Northumberland close to RAF Ouston.

This seems to be the crash in which another story claims that it was a Polish pilot and the soldiers wanted to shoot him to put him out of his misery because they could not get him out of the burning aircraft, but their superior officer would not allow it.

AIR CRASH NEAR BERRY EDGE

Can anyone help with a source of Polish casualties in British squadrons. I have recently heard 2 versions of a story about a Spitfire or Hurricane which crashed in Consett,County Durham. The only reason it would be there would be to defend the very large steelworks from German bombers.

I can get no date but the crash site given is in the town centre close to the steelworks. Up to now I can't confirm the crash but one of the stories says that the pilot was "a young Polish boy" and the party of soldiers who attended the scene wanted to shoot him to put him out of his misery because they could not get him out of the burning wreck, but their officer wouldn't allow it and he
died in agony.

There were a lot of RAF Stations within a few minutes flying time of the town and I know there were Poles at Tranwell and Morpeth. I am still trying to prove that the crash occurred but I would appreciate any ideas.

ROYAL AIRCRAFT FACTORY FE2b - A5740

Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b fighter similar to that of Sergeant Joyce  

Photo Wikipedia

No 36 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed in 1916 at Cramlington in Northumberland.  It was a home defence squadron, created to protect the east coast of England, from Newcastle upon Tyne to Whitby in North Yorkshire, from the Zeppelin menace.  There were detachments at Ashington, Hylton and Seaton Carew.

Sergeant Arthur John Joyce, service number 9932, was a member of A Flight at Hylton Aerodrome (later to become RAF Usworth).  He was from Clapham Common in London.  On the night of 13^th March 1918, he took off on a routine patrol in his Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b fighter  registration A5740.  He got into difficulties for unknown reasons and was seen to circle the area around Pontop Pike three times before attempting to land.

He landed in a field at the side of Loud Bank, Annfield Plain, County Durham.  It was a rough landing and the aircraft turned, over burst into flames and exploded.  Sergeant Joyce was killed.  He was buried at Earlsfield Cemetery, Wandsworth, London, near his home.  Looking at the ground in daylight, you can see that it is fairly rough, steeply sloped and not the best landing site.  This might not have been so obvious to Sergeant Joyce even though it was a clear night and his home base, some 20 miles away was shrouded in mist. 

He is commemorated on a roadside memorial near the spot where he died; a stone column with a memorial plaque surrounded by a rail paid for by public subscription including a moving poem written by local man, Albert Laws, which was printed and sold in aid of the fund .  In 1959 it was restored by the local Royal Air Force Association; the rail was replaced by a low stone wall and the memorial was re-dedicated to all airmen killed in action including Sergeant Joyce’s son, Sgt Dennis Arthur Joyce, who died in the Second World War.  He went missing on a mission over Germany on the night of 13th September 1940 - a sad case of history repeating itself.  His name was added to the base of the memorial. 

THE LOUD BANK MEMORIAL TO SGT ARTHUR JOYCE

Sergeant Joyce was buried at Earlsfield Cemetery, Wandsworth, near his home in Clapham Common, London.

 The gravestone of Sgt Arthur Joyce in Wandsworth Cemetery, London

I have recently come across a publication by Fred Wade - a 1986 reprint of the 1966 original - "The Story of Annfield Plain and District."  The following additional details are extracted from that document, with my thanks to Fred's daughters for having the foresight to republish the manuscript.

The monument originally had 3 ft high iron palisade railings but these were removed for the war effort during the scrap metal drive in World War II  It was made and erected by Messrs Lee and Dunn at a cost of £50; this was raised by public subscription as described above but a large amount of it was from school childrens' pennies.  The fund was organised by Mr W. J. Mackay, then Headmaster of Greencroft Council School (which was adjacent to the crash site), Mr Albert Laws and Mr Vincent Shanley. According to This is Money website, that would be £2,729 in February 2012.

The monument was officially unveiled on 14th May 1919 by Mr Mackay's wife and the Chairman of Annfield Plain Urban District Council, Mr Sam George presided over a Memorial Service which was caonducted by the Reverend Fisher Ferguson, Vicar of Collierley, and the children of Collierley School sang appropriate hymns under the direction of Assistant Master, Mr George Gain.

Mrs Joyce could not attend the ceremony but visited the monument two weeks later and stayed for a few days with the family of Mr Albert Laws in Annfield Plain with her two sons.

Mr E.N. Carr, a resident of Loud Terrace, was standing only about 15 yards from the scene of the crash.  He ran to the scene and tried to rescue the pilot but the wreck burst into flames within seconds and he was forced back by the flames and exploding ammunition, followed by an explosion of the petrol tank.

The inquest was held in Annfield Plain Co-operative Hall by Coroner Graham, and Mr Carr was the principal witness; Fred Wade notes that he logged the proceedings using a quill pen!  At the end of the meeting he gave each witness a new half crown (12.5 pence) coin - which was quite a substantial sum at the time.

After the 1959 renovation, the monument was re-dedicated and unveiled by Air Vice Marshal Sir Geoffrey Bromet, KBE, CB, DSO on 12th July 1959.

CORRECTION

The "actual" Spitfire crash on South Moor Golf Course has proved to be the Hawker Hurricane L1963 which crashed near Edmondsley on 27th October 1940.  It was obliquely referred to in an eye witness statement to the Polish Wellington R1268 which crashed nearby in December 1940.

INITIAL RESEARCH SUBJECTS

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

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.