The winter of 1939-40 was a severe one. On the night of Sunday, 11th February 1940, three Hudson's belonging to 220 Squadron took off from Thornaby to undertake an operational flight to Heligoland area, an area of sea off the German coastline. This was a cold night and snow was already covering the hills in the area south and east of Middlesbrough. The lead Hudson failed to gain enough height on take off, probably due to the effects of icing conditions on the aircraft's wings and it flew very low over Great Ayton. It then crashed into the first piece 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 Cook's Monument. 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 Dicken Medal. Dr Ian Pearce documented this incident in a book published in 2003.
The majority of the wreckage was left at the site for a time after the crash due to the heavy snow on the ground and an RAF guard was placed on the aircraft during this time but this does not appear 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 was delivered by sea to the UK. It appears to have arrived in August 1939. After erection and acceptance it was taken on charge by 220 Squadron at Thornaby, probably 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 struck off charge on 15th February 1940.
Pilot - F/O Tom MacKinlay Parker RAF (39334), aged 21. Buried Thornaby on Tees Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Pilot - Sgt Harold Francis Bleksley RAF (516366), aged 24. Buried Bristol (Canford) Cemetery, Gloucestershire.
Wireless Operator - Cpl Norman Richard Drury RAF (537272), aged 23. Buried North Walsham Cemetery, Norfolk.
Air Gunner - LAC Atholl Barker RAF (524142), aged 26. Injured.
Tom Parker was born on 27th August 1918 at Newcastle on Tyne and was the son of Tom and Dorothy S (nee MacKinlay) Parker. His brother was 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 he 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. Mother was living in Bedford in 1940.
Harold Bleksley was born on 18th April 1915 at Cardiff and was the son of Arthur Lawrence and Christine Annie (nee Nash) Bleksley. The family later moved to Bristol. 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 re-trained as a pilot. He served for a time in Singapore in the late 1930's before a posting back to the UK and to 220 Squadron in October 1939. I 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, as a result of this contact he was able to attend the memorial dedication service.
Norman Drury was born on 30th June 1916 and was the son of Ernest Richard and Edith Ellen (nee Ellis) Drury, of North Walsham, Norfolk. Norman 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 to Ian Pearce's research.
Atholl Barker was born on 23rd April 1914 and was the son of Lionel and Jane Ann (nee Holmes) Barker, of Bradford, Yorkshire. He recovered from his injuries sustained in the accident to Hudson N7294 at Great Ayton and later to returned to service with 220 Squadron. He later received a commission (with the service number 50226) on 5th October 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) and rose to F/O on probation (war subs) on 5th April 1943. He switched from Coastal Command to Bomber Command and was sadly killed serving as rear gunner along with the rest of his then crew when their 7 Squadron Lancaster JB155 crashed in Germany on 22nd November 1943. He is buried in Hanover War Cemetery.
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 Cpl Drury, veterans of 220 Squadron, locals who were children when the crash occurred, other aviation enthusiasts and local school children. 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).
Hudson N7294 flew into the hill top in the centre of these photographs. The Hudson struck the ground to the left of the monument on top of the hill. The gap in the trees on the moortop is still visible from some distance. The woodland below the wall which had grown up in the years after the War was felled in mid-2006.
The aircraft initially struck the ground on the downward side of the slope to the left of the wall running between the foreground and the tree in the photograph above. I returned to the area in December 2014 to re-photograph the site on a sunny day.
The aircraft then continued up on to the moortop, broke up and came to rest somewhere in amongst these trees. When I located the crash site in May 2003 there were a number of small fragments in this area just after the moorland had been totally burnt clear.
In 2005 when the heather was short in this area I found a number of small fragments of the aircraft in the gap between and in front the trees in the centre of the photograph which confirmed that the aircraft had indeed passed through them.
Small fragments of the aircraft still remained at the site in December 2014.
When I visited the site in March 2005 I found a few fragments of the aircraft as seen in this poor photograph.
This fenced off area is now a very deep boggy hole and was created when the aircraft's bomb load was blown up here after the crash.