On 29th April 1963 the crew of this No.3 Flying Training School aircraft took off from Leeming at 08.32hrs to undertake training flight. On board was an instructor and a pupil. Twenty minutes into the flight the instructor put the aircraft into a spin to starboard and was to demonstrate how to regain control. After two and half turns the instructor attempted to pull out of the spin but nothing happened, he then made repeated attempts to regain control without result before ordering his pupil to eject at 6,500ft. The instructor stayed with the aircraft for a short time to see if the lack of canopy would make a difference in regaining control, this was not the case so he ejected at 5,500ft. The instructor subsequently sustained back injuries on landing. The aircraft crashed south-west of Pateley Bridge at 08.51hrs on Pockstones Moor. Both airmen were picked up by local farmers and taken to the pub in Greenhow village to await collection by RAF helicopter.
Pilot (Instructor) - F/Lt Ian MacDonald-Chalmers RAF (4032622). Slightly injured.
Pilot (Pupil) - P/O Michael Rene Gordon Waterson RAF (4231558). Uninjured.
Ian Chalmers dedicated much of his working life to Air Force service. He was first appointed to a Commission in the RAF as Acting P/O on 2nd July 1952 (with his period of service to count from 27th February 1952) and he was probably Cranwell-trained. He was confirmed in the rank of P/O on 1st April 1953 and rose to F/O on 27th May 1954 and to F/Lt on 27th November 1957. He then retired on 30th June 1979 on his own request but was then appointed to a Commission in the RAFVR Training Branch on 26th June 1980, to the rank of F/O. This was short-lived as he relinquished this Commission on re-instatement to a F/Lt Commission in the RAF on 25th March 1981 and graded as Specialist Aircrew.
Michael Waterson was probably born in the Edmonton area of Middlesex in 1940. He received a commission to the rank of Acting P/O on 26th October 1962, this rank was made permanant exactly a year later. He rose to F/O, again, exactly a year later in 1964 and to F/Lt on 26th April 1968. He retired from the RAF on 19th November 1978.
I attempted to locate the crash site area in March 2009 however nothing remains at the site today having been shown the area by a local farmer. A press report on the incident makes mention to there being numerous live and un-exploded heavy artillery rounds on Pockstones Moor, there are still a number still remaining in the ground in the area today and it is not really a 100% safe area to conduct any proper search in. In the years since the War there have been a number of incidents of these shells exploding when tampered with, although the area has been "cleared" a number of times the shells keep pushing themselves out of the peat from time to time. The most serious incident was on 3rd October 1957 when a shoot, led by Col. Sheppshanks of Arthington, Leeds, was taking place on the moor. Four local men serving as grouse beaters were killed and five others injured when a shell exploded.
This was one of a number of shells I spotted and this made me somewhat wary of continuing the search for sign of the Jet Provost! I bid a retreat.
