Hurricane AG264 on Brim Fell, Coniston Fells.
On Good Friday, 23rd April 1943 at least two Hurricanes pilots were undertaking formation flying practice over the northwest coast of England having set out from Usworth airfield near Sunderland earlier in the day, there was probably an instructor flying in a third aircraft as well as these two trainee pilots. After an hours practice formation flying the trainees were ordered to break away and undertake low flying and direction finding homing exercises individually but were warned to watch the weather conditions and stay local to the Maryport area over which they were flying. A short time later whilst flying in cloud at 12.00hrs both aircraft crashed into high ground in the Coniston Fells towards the south west side of the Lake District. Both pilots were killed instantly when the aircraft crashed in the Brim Fell area. Prior to taking off both pilots were overheard discussing flying to Blackpool in the course of this training flight and it seemed probable that having completed part of the exercise had taken it upon themselves to flying to Blackpool. Having then flown into low cloud it is possible that they did not see the mountains in their path and flew into high ground.
Pilot - Sgt Henry Marinus Atherton RAAF (414123), aged 21, of Cairns, Queensland, Australia. Buried Haverigg Churchyard, Cumbria.
Henry Atherton and his grave at Haverigg Cemetery. Henry Atherton was born on 31st July 1921, he was one of four children. Prior to enlisting into the RAAF on 16th August 1941 in Brisbane he was working as a bank clerk for the Commonwealth Bank.
Just add further confusion, in 2002 I found other fragmented "Hurricane" parts some distance from both known "impact" points and Michael Hurst's book on Lakeland air accidents shows a photograph of a Hurricane wing and engine on a flatter and and much wetter area than both the impact sites which is believed to have been in the same general area of my fragmented parts in Gill Cove. If the wing and engine remains were in situ from the crash, which one muct assume given their size, then how has it got to where it is?
As yet I have not visited Mr Harris' site in the Consiton Fells to include my own photographs of the general area and small finds.
I believe that I located the crash site of the other aircraft, Hurricane AG275, in April 2008. That aircraft is detailed on it's own webpage though working out which aircraft is which on the ground today is near impossible and as a result if I have got the crash locations the wrong way round I stand to be corrected. I had then spent further trips to the general area looking for the other Hurricane without any success. The power of the internet led me to meeting experienced mountaineer Mr Adrian Harris who lives local to the Lake District. He has discovered a witness who claims to have heard two single engined Merlin powered aircraft fly over Coniston around this date and then hear two muffled thumps as both aircraft struck the high ground in the Coniston Fells. The only two aircraft this witness could have heard were these two Hurricanes and I therefore suggests that both aircraft had perhaps flown part of the leg to Blackpool and had then been flying North again when the accidents occured. Mr Harris spent many days in the Brim Fell area in Summer 2011 and we believe that he has located the crash site of Hurricane AG264. The general belief was that both aircraft were flying as a pair at the time they crashed, however, through Mr Harris' finds it would seem likely that one aircraft crash site is on a north-facing slope and the other is on a south-facing slope so there is now confusion as to exactly what had happened.
Both Hurricanes, AG264 and AG275, were built by the Canadian Car and Foundary Corporation (CCF) and bought through the British Purchasing Commission and both were in the last but one batch delivered by sea to the UK in March 1941. After assembly and testing both were allocated to 32 Squadron at Pembrey in May 1941 who later moved to Angle with the unit on 1st June 1941. 32 Squadron ceased operating Mk.I Hurriances in July 1941 and coverted to Mk.IIB's. After a period in MU store both aircraft were allocated to 55 OTU at Usworth. Both aircraft moved with this unit to Annan on 28th April 1942. Both aircraft sustained Cat.E2/FA damage in the accidents in the Lake District on 25th April 1943.