Master W8479 was built to contract B.65589/40 by Phillips & Powis Ltd at South Marston and was delivered to the RAF on 8th June 1941 into the care of 10 MU at Hullavington. On
14th August 1941 it was taken on charge by 1 FTS based at Netheravon but by 17th December 1941 it had been in the care of Phillips & Powis Ltd at Woodley airfield. The reason for
it being back with the makers is not known. It was collected by 2nd Officer Gosiewski of the T.F.P.P. on 17th December 1941 to be flown from Woodley to Lossiemouth. The aircraft was
landed at Shawbury airfield possibly to re-fuel or possibly with the intention of resuming the flight north the following day. Because of poor weather after landing at Shawbury the
flight north did not begin until 19th December 1941, the plan was to fly via Kirkbride near Carlisle to re-fuel and then head towards Lossiemouth. A common ATA route used in ferrying
aircraft was to go up and down the Tebay gorge and I make the assumption that because of poor weather the pilot flew off this track and crashed into Arant Haw, north of Sedbergh.
The aircraft failed to arrive at Kirkbride and was reported as missing. As a result of the crash near Sedbergh Cat.Em damage was initially recorded but when the wreck was finally
located on Christmas Eve it was struck off charge. The paperwork was not completed until 1st January 1942 by Boulton & Paul Ltd. I do not know why Boulton and Paul are listed.
Pilot - 2nd Officer Antoni Henryk Gosiewski ATA, aged 40, of Poland. Buried Maidenhead Cemetery, Berkshire.
Little is known about the pilot other than he was born on 17th January 1900 in Poland and he had flown in Poland as early as 1927.
Arant Haw Fell is the largest hill in the centre of both photographs shown here, the top one is taken from the Kendal side and the bottom one is taken from a
higher summit in the Howgills.
I visited the site in September 2007 and in August 2014 and virtually nothing remains of the aircraft today, all that remains is a large bare patch containing
a few tiny aircraft fragments where the aircraft either caught fire after the crash or where the RAF set fire to the wreckage to dispose of it.
Tiny fragments are all that remain at the crash site.
