On 20th January 1943 the crew in this Beaufighter were undertaking a navigation training exercise when the aircraft flew into high ground near Waites House, Westerdale at 12.30hrs in poor visibility. The flight had lasted just over two and a half hours with some of the exercise carried out over the sea. It was thought that the radio had stopped working and that their position had been incorrectly plotted on crossing the coastline, the aircraft descended through cloud to try and regain position with the pilot probably thinking he was over lower ground near East Yorkshire. The aircraft struck the high ground and caught fire killing both airmen. The aircraft was said to be descending at the time of the crash and probably crashed onto a downwards-facing slope.

Beaufighter T5299 was built to contract B41906/39 by Fairey at Heaton Chapel, Stockport and delivered to the RAF in May 1942. It was issued to 2 (C)OTU on an as yet unspecified date in 1942. It was written off in the incident detailed above with Cat.E2/FA(Burnt) damage being recorded.

Pilot - Sgt Kenneth Plumtree RAFVR (1148810), aged 22, of Retford, Nottinghamshire. Buried Ordsall Churchyard, Nottinghamshire.

Navigator / Radar Operator - Sgt Vivian Robin Day RAFVR (1318791), aged 21, of Alderton, Glocestershire. Buried Alderton Churchyard, Glocestershire.

Sgt Plumtree's grave in Nottinghamshire (photo kindly supplied by Mr Tony Glover) and Sgt Day's grave at Alderton, Gloucestershire.

The Beaufighter is said to have struck the hillside somewhere behind Waites Farm in the upper part of Westerdale.

I have searched for this crash site a number of times and as yet have found no trace of it. One peice of an aircraft was found by a correspondant some years ago but this peice has since gone and it remains my only known find in the area. If this site now resembles other crash sites where a fire occured then there should still be a burnt area somewhere if it was on moorland. Having covered a massive area looking for the site at map references held at the Yorkshire Air Museum and in police reports I conclude that either the map references sources are incorrect or the aircraft crashed very close to the Waites Farm and is on grass farmland. The farm suffered in the foot and mouth outbreak of the mid-1990s and its older occupants moving out soon after, I understand that the new owners have no knowledge of the Beaufighter accident.

If there is anyone who is able tell me where this aircraft came down I would very be interested in hearing from you please, it remains one of only afew I have yet to locate in the area and would like to record the site.