This 4 Squadron Lysander flew into reasonably high ground near East Barnby on 16th 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 to keep the ground in site. 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.
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. It then went through a series of moves as the squadron moved around France. A day after arrival in France they/it moved to Monchy-Lagache, on 16th May 1940 they/it again moved to Lille/Ronchin and on 21st May 1940 it moved 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. The squadron moved to Linton on Ouse on 8th June 1940 taking N1205 with them. It sustained Cat.W/FA damage following the accident on the North Yorkshire Moors as detailed here on 16th July 1940.
Pilot - F/O John Kershaw RAF (72503), aged 22, of Endon Hall, Macclesfield, Cheshire. Cremated Manchester.
Air Gunner - Sgt James Henry Fletcher RAFVR (935134), aged 20. Buried Moorgate Cemetery, Rotherham, Yorkshire.
James Fletcher was born on 20th May 1920 at Rotherham and was the son of James Henry and Lilian Ethel Rose Fletcher. He was baptised at Rotherham Minster on 6th June 1920. In the 1930 Register he was working as a weigh clerk at a steel works but was also a member of the RAFVR. James "Jack" Fletcher was buried in a family plot at Rotherham Cemetery and is in need of some care and attention.
This photograph shows someone called Jack Fletcher, an air gunner from the Rotherham area, who died prior to November 1940. It was found in a story submitted by a family friend to the Down Your Way magazine. I strongly believe that it is the same individual killed at Goldsborough but would like to confirm this.
John Kershaw was the son of Harold Slaney and Pleasance (nee Holt) Kershaw and was baptised at Prestwich Church on 7th December 1917. He was the middle brother of three. His father was a CBE holder and mother's father was Sir Edward Holt CBE. John Kershaw gained a B.A.degree at Oxford University before joining the RAF. The date of his commission is not yet known and he was promoted to F/O on 25th April 1940. Under the normal terms of the commissions around that date it was probably a year earlier to the rank of Acting P/O on probation with a grading of P/O on probation later that year. His twenty one year old brother P/O Anthony Kershaw RAF(Aux)(91191) was killed on 19th March 1941 while serving with No.1 Squadron and was also cremated at the same location. His brother Anthony had served with No.1 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and is recorded as having attended Broadstairs and Rugby Schools and Oxford University, it seems likely that John had also attended the same schools as his brother. Their uncle (father's brother) 2nd Lt Samuel Ryder Kershaw was killed on 11th May 1917 in France while serving with the Lancashire Fusuliers and uncle (mother's brother) Cpt Joseph Holt died at Gallipoli on 4th June 1915. The family was clearly a very military one and both John and Anthony Kershaw were undoubtably very clever young men. I credit Mike Berrell with the photograph of the memorial war in Manchester Southern Cemetery which names both brothers. Both brothers are also commemorated on a memorial within Manchester Tennis & Racquets Club.
Lysander N1205 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. I would welcome information to allow me to photograph the exact area of this accident.
