Aircraft at Normanby, Kirkbymoorside. (Unknown type)

On 2nd March 1918 an aircraft made a crash landing in a field to the south of Normanby and in the field to the rear of Bridge House Farm. The following is an account of the crash given by a witness Mr Robert Foxton, who was nine years old at the time and living nearby, he recalled the following: "The plane circled the village and started a descent into the field at Bridge Farm (towards the Church & Sun Inn) however, its tail clipped an oak tree and it tipped and crashed in to the field. The plane had just run out of fuel. The plane had the propellers behind the wings and the gun turret in front just like a metal cattle trough. The gunner was thrown out and suffered a broken leg." The aircraft is believed by him to have been a "pusher" type aircraft - with the engine behind the cockpit. Robert’s father, a Sergeant A.T. Foxton in the Volunteer Force and most local senior member took charge for two days until officials arrived to take the wreck away. The pilot was an Australian (and was uninjured) and both the pilot & gunner stayed at the Foxton's house at Rose Cottage until collected by the Ministry. The Bridge Farm belonged to the Wood family at the time.

Pilot - Name unknown. Uninjured.

Gunner - Name unknown. Suffered a broken leg.

An aerial photograph of Normanby, looking north, taken in 1978 with the rough crash location marked.

Part of the propeller was taken to the farm following the crash, it still remains in the village to this day (2007) in the possession of Miss Margaret Wood.

Other people living in Normanby but not living there at the time of the incident claim the aircraft to have been a Sopwith type, however from the description above it would seem unlikely.

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My thanks to Bernie (bernie.rainham@btinternet.com) formerly of Normanby, now of Kent for all of the information and the photographs on this page. Robert Foxton is also still alive (in 2007), aged 96 and living in Hereford. He was Normanby's village tailor, local school taxi driver and poultry dealer, he lived at Rose Cottage in the village.