Oxford V3150 near Easthorpe Hall, nr Malton.
The crew of this yellow painted Oxford were undertaking a radio transmitter training exercise combined with
a map reading exercise on the
2nd of September 1941. Flying with two pilots (one flying it and the other as a passenger), the assumption is made that either
one was flying as an instructor of both shared
the exercise, by exchanging seats in mid-flight. Whilst in the Malton area the pilot lost control whilst flying in cloud and
began a spin downwards, he was able to regain control but the aircraft then spun the other way. Again the pilot pulled out of this
dive but due to the stresses put on the aircraft by pulling out of such dives, the ailerons and elevators broke away from the aircraft.
With the aircraft now fully out of control the pilot and his passenger had no chance, the aircraft hit the ground at 09.43hrs
near Easthorpe Hall, west of Malton with the two dead
airmen being found in or around the wreckage. A signals wing occupied the near by Hall at the time and they reported
seeing it spin in and it being not too far away from the Hall when it crashed.
54 OTU's ORB stated it crashed one mile north-east of
Castle Howard (which is in roughly the same area).
Oxford V3150 was built to contract B55346/39 by De Havilland at Hatfield, it was delivered to MU storage in July 1940 but
not issued to a unit until 54 OTU took the aircraft on charge on 22nd December 1940. It served with them until it's accident on 2nd September
1941.
Pilot (at the time of crash) - Sgt Arthur C Howard RAFVR (1380126), aged 20, of Penrhyn Bay, Caernarvonshire. Buried Manchester Southern Cemetery.
Pilot - Sgt Cyril A Edwards RAFVR (1286483), aged 21, of Woolside Park. Buried Islington Cemetery, London.
Sgt Howard is given on the crash card as being the pilot at the time of the crash, he trained at 7 EFTS, 15 SFTS,
he had a grand total of 102 hours flying time at his death, 93 of which were on the Oxford. He gained his Wings in July 1941,
less than two months prior to his death. Ironically the aircraft almost certainly crashed onto land owned by the Howard family
of Castle Howard.
Easthorpe Hall apparently had 100s of WAAF's stationed here during the War and the the Commander "Carpenter"
lived at "Mr Vasey's" house opposite the pub in Appleton le Street. The Hall was lastly a night club/casino
and was burnt to the ground in the 1970s. In later years a small housing development was built over the site.
The crash site itself is believed to be in a field half a mile away.
The Yorkshire Air Museum crash list has this Oxford incorrectly as crashing near Great Habton, afew miles
north of Easthorpe. Dispite trying to get the publisher of their list to correct his information no reply or response has been
received.