Lysander N1205 near Goldsborough, Whitby.

This Lysander flew into reasonably high ground near East Barnby, to the north of Whitby, on the 16th of July 1940 in bad visibility whilst on reconnaisance patrol along the East coast of Yorkshire. The crew were ordered to return to base if the weather turned bad or if the pilot had to fly below 1000ft. It was thought that the pilot was trying to make a landing in bad weather and had broke cloud thinking he was actually over the sea and not over land. The aircraft crashed at 650 feet above sea level, it was totally wrecked and both airmen on board were killed. There was no fire reported.

Pilot - F/O John Kershaw RAF (72503), aged 22, of Macclesfield, Cheshire. Cremated Manchester.

Air Gunner - Sgt James Henry "Jack" Fletcher RAFVR (935134), aged 20, of Rotherham, Yorkshire. Buried Moorgate Cemetery, Rotherham, Yorkshire.

Sgt Jack Fletcher's grave in Rotherham Cemetery, in need of some care and attention. He is buried a family plot.

John Kershaw was promoted to F/O on 25th April 1940 but the date of his commission prior to this is not yet known. He gained a B.A. at Oxford University before joining the RAF. His father Harold Stanley Kershaw was a CBE holder.

The aircraft is believed to have crashed in the area of these fields which I photographed in September 2003. Barnby Howe is in the background of the photograph, a radar base was sited near here in the War and the Cold-War period.

Lysander N1205 was built to contract 611814/37 by Westland Aircraft Co. Ltd. at Yeovil and was awaiting collection in July 1939. It was delivered to 4 Squadron based at Odiham later the same month and then moved out to France on 2nd October 1939 when the unit moved to Mons-en-Chaussee. A day later it moved again with the unit to Monchy-Lagache, on 16th May 1940 it again moved with the unit to Lille/Ronchin and on 21st May 1940 with the unit to Clairmarais. On 22nd May 1940 4 Squadron retreated to Detling and two days later it moved with them to Hawkinge before moving north to Ringway a day later before arriving at Linton on Ouse on 8th June 1940. It sustained Cat.W/FA damage following the accident on the North Yorkshire Moors as detailed above.