The aircraft crashed on moorland on the horizon shown in this photograph.
There are conflicting reports, mainly from contempary sources, as to where the aircraft came down. In 2007 John Skinn and myself located
two small peices of
aluminium which after some research and inspection contained a series of stamped lettering. Such lettering is common on aircraft parts and often
proves the site to be the type of aircraft being searched for. Each different type of aircraft had a different prefix to the teh series of numbers.
There are only two crash sites in this part of the Moors that these peices could come from, the larger of the parts was not from a Spitfire
(such an aircraft
crashed in this area in late 1942). This larger part is identical to parts found at two Wellington crash sites on Great Whernside and from
the area of the main fuselage in the bomb-bay. Whilst not conclusive the aircraft crashed here it does suggest that it was dragged off the Moor and onto the dis-used
railway track bed to be carted away.
The peice found at Thorgill.
The same part on Wellington DV718 which crashed on the back of Great Whernside. Part of the bomb carriers can be seen in this photograph.
