On the night of 2nd / 3rd September 1942 the crew of this Mo/11 Operational Training Unit aircraft were tasked with flying a night cross country training flight along with other aircraft from the same training unit. Although 11 O.T.U. was based at Bassingbourn they also used the nearby Steeple Morden airfield and this aircraft used that airfield to begin the flight on this night. The route for the training exercise sent them north to use a turning point of Catterick before heading south to Cambridge and then to return to base. As they flew north bad weather was effecting flying over Yorkshire on this night but they managed to fly within ten minutes of Catterick on track but then appear to have drifted west of the route. The crew undoubtably were having trouble with visibility in the thunder, lightning, heavy rain and low cloud so drifted too far west of their intended route. The aircraft struck high ground on Gouthwaite Moor, to the north west of Pateley Bridge at around 00.30hrs at a relatively flat angle at 135 mph and while all of the crew were injured, they all survived. Around the same time as this accident Wellington DV718 of the same training unit crashed a few miles away to this one. The rear gunner of Z8808, Sgt Reader, managed to walk to Blayshaw Farm, Lofthouse to raise seek help which in itself is a remarkable feat knowing the distance involved; in the early 1950s he returned to the area and met various people who assisted him and his crew.
Wellington Z8808 was built to contract B.71441/40 by Vickers Armstrong's Ltd. at Hawarden, Chester and was awaiting collection in July 1941. It was received by 8 M.U. on 20th July 1941 and was taken on charge by 11 O.T.U. at Bassingbourn on 30th July 1941. It sustained Minor Cat.Ac/FA damage in a flying accident on 30th June 1942 which required a repair on site. It was returned to 11 O.T.U. on 11th July 1942. As a result of this accident on Gouthwaite Moor on 3rd September 1942 the damage was initially assessed as being provisionally Cat.B repairable. Arguably because of the remote location to actually recover it from the aircraft then received another assessment on 14th September 1942 that saw it re-assessed with Re-Cat.E2/FA damage and it written off. It was struck off charge on 14th September 1942. It appears to have been largely chopped up on site and left.
Pilot (instructor) - F/Lt Phillip Ronald Coney RNZAF (NZ.391825).
Pilot (pupil) - Sgt John Wilding RNZAF (NZ.413921).
Observer - Sgt Matthew Burton Grainger RNZAF (NZ.413706).
Bomb Aimer - Sgt John Henry Farringdon Kemp RAFVR (1483704). Broken legs.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - F/Sgt Joseph Ernest Burrell RAF (642645). Broken back and leg.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt George William Wilford RAFVR (1378636).
Rear Gunner - Sgt William George Reader RAFVR (1272595).
Phillip Coney was born on 21st May 1917 at Whangarei, New Zealand and was the son of Aubrey Ives and Rosa Mary (nee Waite) Coney. Prior to this incident in 1942 he had flown with 75 Squadron so must have been a flying instructor with 11 OTU in September 1942. He survived the War and died in New Zealand on 23rd July 1993. His son Jeremy played cricket to a very high standard becoming Captain of the New Zealand national side.
John Wilding survived the war and died in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand on 26th May 2010. He was eighty nine years old.
John Kemp was born in Sheffield on 2nd November 1921 and was the son of Arthur and Hannah (nee Williman) Kemp. After this accident in 1942 he was initially treated at Harrogate Hospital but was eventually sent to East Grindstead Hospital in May 1943 and received treatment there, being one of the famous Guinea Pig patients. He died in March 2000 at Scarborough.
Matthew Grainger was born on 24th June 1911. He died on 16th June 2012, aged 101.
Joseph Ernest Burrell was born on 4th January 1919 in Leeds and was the son of William Henry and Emma (nee Galloway) Burrell. He broke his back and leg as a result of the crash on Gouthwaite Moor, both of which were pinned and he was able serve in the RAF Air Traffic Control branch rising to the rank of S/Ldr before retiring in 1969. He died on 27th March 1987 at York, at the age of 68. I thank his daughter for contacting me in March 2022.
I would also like to thank Mr P. Reader for contacting me regarding his father's involvement in this accident.
My wife and I visited the site in August 2005 before I had a digital camera and when hair was brown.