Avro 504 E3535 at Ampleforth College.

Details of this incident and the one on the following day, both occuring in the grounds of Ampleforth College / Abbey require further research as not all the accounts of the incidents tally with each other.

With this incident being not properly recorded anyway in the modern era it would be best to start with the known facts and attempt to fit the aircraft to fit with the known incident at Ampleforth. The aircraft pictured above shows Avro 504 E3535, it was delivered to the RAF in October 1918 and served with the North East Area Flying Instructors School (FIS) at Redcar. On 15th January 1919 North West Area FIS moved into Redcar and the aircraft there operated with both units. On 23rd May 1919 North West Area FIS absorbed North East Area FIS but on 12th June 1919 the unit disbanded. The photograph must therefore have been taken between October 1918 and June 1919 and this fits with the known accident at Ampleforth in that period. The photograph shown above came from a website on the history of Ampleforth.

The incident is documented locally but no-one has identified the first aircraft before. The local accounts are all similar, they state that on Armistice Day 1918 two ex-Ampleforth College Boys, who had become members of the RFC and by now were serving in the newly formed RAF, returned to Ampleforth by air to give the school notice that the Armistice had come. Both were former Ampleforth pupils. One of the brothers had contacted the school to say that his commanding officer had allowed them to fly an aircraft with his brother to the school and land. The aircraft landed on the school's cricket field with no problems occuring. One of the Monks at the school was later to be given a ride in the aircraft but on take off a problem occured and the aircraft crashed at the east side of the cricket field. Repairs were being carried out to a narrow gauge railway at the time and an iron rail has been left by the side of the field, the aircraft's undercarriage caught the rail causing the crash but neither on board were injured.

Whilst at a friends house in Ampleforth I came across some details of this incident documented in a 1993 Ampleforth Parish Magazine quoting the Armistice Day date. Another local publication quotes the date to be 7th April 1919. I would welcome further information on either of this damaged aircraft but the Armistice Day reference and story seems more widely quoted rather than the April 1919 incident however both dates still fit between the October 1918 and June 1919 window.

The following day another two Avro 504's landed on the field to fly out the two other airmen but one of these aircraft, C5818, also crashed and is detailed on its own webpage.

Pilot - Basil Collison RFC/RAF.

Passenger - (Possibly) Father John.