The winter of 1939-40 was a very severe one. On the night of Sunday, 11th February 1940, three Hudson's took off from Thornaby
for Ops to Heligoland, an area of sea off the German coastline. This was a cold night and snow was already covering the hills in the area.
The lead Hudson failed to gain enough height on take off, probably due to the effects of icing conditions on the aircraft's wings. It flew
very low over Great Ayton and crashed into the first peice of high ground it came to on the North Yorkshire Moors. Having flown into the
moor just below a stone wall it travelled up through the wall and then onto the hill top near to Captain Cooks Monument, above Great Ayton.
It was thought the pilot pulled the nose of the aircraft up just before impact which avoided a complete nose-on impact with the side of the hill.
The crash ripped the underside of the aircraft off and it ploughed it's way across the snow covered moor for a short before coming to rest
in a small wood on its side. One witness contacted in 2002 recalled one wing being broken off and the remaining wing being attached to
the main fuselage, this wing was left sticking up in the air. Of the four crew on board, sadly three were killed but the gunner
survived and was not seriously injured. After being knocked out for a while and despite both legs being injured he struggled down
the hillside to get help at a nearby farm close to Easby, taking a rest in old mine buildings on the way down. A pigeon called
"Polly" trained by a Mr Hartas of Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, though injured, survived the crash and returned home and later
received an award in recognition of pidgeon bravery!
The majority of the wreckage was left at the site for a time after the crash due to the heavy snow on the ground, a RAF guard was placed
on the aircraft during this time but this appears not to have stopped youngsters helping themselves to bits of the plane.
When the snow had melted some young boys from Great Ayton were exploring and they discovered a yellow painted bomb, they informed the RAF
guard at the site about this and it became apparent that the RAF had been looking for it as it was unaccounted for. It was however thought
to be a dummy or a dud by the boys (or now thought to be full of alluminium bits to be dropped on the sea).
Hudson N7294 was built to contract 791587/38 by Lockheed-Vega at Burbank, California and delivered by sea to the UK, arriving in
September 1939. After erection and acceptance at MU it was issued to 220 Squadron at Thornaby in September 1939
when the unit began to convert to Hudson MkI's from Anson MkI's. Cat.W/FA
damage was recorded following the above incident and it was written off.
Pilot - F/O Tom MacKinlay Parker RAF (39334), aged 21, of Bedford. Buried Thornaby on Tees Cemetery, Yorkshire (now Cleveland).
Pilot - Sgt Harold Francis Bleksley RAF (516366), aged 24, of Sea Mills. Buried Bristol (Canford) Cemetery, Gloucestershire.
Wireless Operator - Cpl Norman Richard Drury RAF (537272), aged 23, of North Walsham, Norfolk. Buried North Walsham Cemetery, Norfolk.
Air Gunner - LAC Atholl Barker RAF (524142), aged 26, of Bradford, Yorkshire. Injured.
F/O Parker and his headstone at Thornaby Cemetery. He was the brother of the late Sir Peter Parker who ran British Rail
from 1976 to 1983. Tom Parker joined the RAF in late 1936, by the middle of 1937 he was granted a
short service commission and joined 220 Squadron in September 1937. He was promoted to F/O in May 1940. Only five days after his death he was
Mentioned in Dispatches for the flying he had done with 220 Squadron and it is sad that he did not live to hear these plaudits.
Sgt Harold Bleksley in his RAF uniform. I would like to thank his nephew for contacting me prior to the memorial and Dr Pearce's book
being published, without this it is doubtful either me or Dr Pearce would have been so well briefed. Harold Bleksley joined the RAF as
far back as 1934 and initially trained as a wireless operator/navigator at the Electrical
and Wireless School at Cranwell but later trained as a pilot. He served for a time in Singapore in the late 1930's before a posting back to the and to 220 Squadron in October 1939.
I would like to thank Mr Richard Bleksley, nephew of Sgt Bleksley, for contacting me regarding his Uncle, as a result of this contact he was able to attend the memorial service.
Norman Drury joined the RAF in 1936 and also attended the wireless school at Cranwell. He became a regular wireless operator on 220 Squadron Ansons when the unit was based at Bircham Newton
in Norfolk. I thank his relations Mr and Mrs Willies of North Walsham, Norfolk, for contacting me in 2003 and for the information they were able to provide this account and Ian Pearce's research.
The Hudson struck the ground close to a stone wall near the wood, to the left of the monument on top of the hill.
The forest below the wall which had grown up in the years after the War was felled
in mid-2006. The gap in the trees on the moortop is still visible.
The aircraft struck the wall just behind the small tree (on the left photograph) and as a result the plane
skidded to a halt through and past the area of moor shown on the photo on the right.
John Skinn and myself located the crash site in May 2003, the area around Captain Cooks Monument is a tourist hot spot so we didn't really think we would find any wreckage what so ever.
This was not to be the case, we located a handful of small peices of alluminium and what had to be aircraft fragments.
I also located a watch at the site but it belonging to any of the crew was discounted due to it being very visible (I have since been told that it could well have been the aircrafts clock).
The extreme amount of litter on the moor was unbelievable relating to barbecue and beer-can waste. This made the search for aircraft parts slightly confusing.
We also established that the Hudson had struck a wall either on impact with the ground or slighty after. Dressed stones from the wall were found scattered across the crash site
and not anywhere else on the moor. We also located two craters where the aircrafts engines are said to have come to rest close by and a large crater made after the RAF blew up
the bomb load some days later.
On a windy 8th October 2003 a memorial plaque was dedicated near the site of the crash. It was officiated by Rev Paul Peverall of Christchurch, Great Ayton and Rev Wing Commander Nick Heron of
RAF Leeming. Around fifty people were in attendance included relatives of Sgt Bleksley and Corp Drury, veterans of 220 Squadron, locals who were children when the crash occured, other aviation
enthusiasts, local school children and me. TyneTees Television and local newspapers covered the event. Wreaths were laid next to the plaque after the service but a planned RAF flypast by a
Hawk however did not happen sadly because of poor weather. The Great Ayton Community Archaeology Project under the leadership in this case of Dr. Ian Pearce were responsible for the well planned event.
Ian Pearce has also written a very detailed book on the whole crash, mission and crew members, and copies can be bought from him direct (his details can be found by Googling his name).
My wife and I visited the site again in March 2005 and found more afew bits of the aircraft.
Atholl Barker's birth was registered in the June quarter of 1914 leaving me to suspect that he was born
around May of 1914. He recovered from his injuries and
later to returned to action with 220 Squadron. He was later commissioned (with the service number 50226) on 5th October 1942 to P/O on probation (emergency)
and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 5th April 1943. He was sadly killed serving as rear gunner along with the rest of his crew when their 7
Squadron Lancaster JB155 crashed in Germany on the 22nd November 1943.
