On 3rd July 1948 three aircraft took off from Woodvale at around 14.45hrs for a cross country training flight to Morpeth and prior to taking off the Met report was checked and the flight was given the go ahead. Thirty five minutes into the flight and while flying at 6000 feet this aircraft flew into cumulonimbrus clouds. The other two aircraft had by now already turned back, this aircraft suffered severe turbulence, the lost height to about 3000 feet. Whilst flying on instruments the pilot then lost control and probably aware he was over high ground he bailed out leaving the aircraft to crash at the head of Swaledale. The aircraft crashed at Coldbergh Edge at a steep angle and bury much of itself into the ground. The parachute ripped on the pilot's exit of the aircraft but he landed reasonably well and only sprained an ankle on landing on land above Kirkby Stephen. He began to follow a river down stream but was met by two farmers who had seen the crash and were making their way up towards the site and was later taken to hospital.
Pilot - F/O Peter Geldart RAF(AAF) (128070). Slightly injured.
Peter Geldart was born in Bombay, India on 2nd September 1917. He received a commission to the rank of P/O (emergency) in the RAFVR on 20th August 1942, he rose to F/O (war subs) on 20th February 1943 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 20th August 1944. He remained in the forces Post-War but later relinquished his commission in the RAFVR on 27th May 1947 and was appointed to a permanent commission in the Auxillary Air Force on the same date. He became an Air Traffic Control Officer on 22nd July 1949 and was also a member of the Territorial Army and was awared the Efficiency Medal while serving in the RAF in August 1951. He relinquished his commission in the RAF on 27th May 1961 for a career in civilian life. He died on 10th October 2004 at Clitheroe.
Yorkshire-based air historian Mr Graham Sharpe found the site in August 1976 by chance whilst looking for the remains of a Halifax which would actually be found to have crashed on Great Shunner Fell, although this was not known at the time. The photograph above shows a panel with the "NM814" stenciling clearly visible. The crash site was later dug in 1988 by the Whittingham family who recovered much of the remaining aircraft including the instrument panel, propeller and Griffon engine.
I visited the crash site in November 2007 with Ken Reast, Albert Pritchard and Eric Barton. The results of the dig some twenty years previous are still evident, the partly back filled hole is clearly visible.
Very little remains at the site but enough to identify the site as being that of a Spitfire. Two small pieces containing part numbers were located. Both are actually early model Spitfire part numbers but such pieces were used on later models, the number above begins "30008", which is a MkI part, a part found in the wing sections.