Unidentified aeroplane at Barnsley.
During the evening of Thursday, 16th May 1918 this unidentified 76 Squadron aeroplane was being test flown when it developed engine trouble in the Barnsley area. At around 18.10hrs the pilot made a sucessful forced landing in a field on the eastern side of Barnsley, just off Dodworth Road in an area known locally as "Bull Fields". Word got around and by 18.30hrs a large number of children and adults gathered around it. Special police constables attended to keep the crowd away from the aeroplane and twenty minutes after landing the engine was restarted. The pilot taxied to the end of a field with it lined up to take off down a field and the police cleared the crowd at the opposite end of the field prior to the aeroplane beginning the take off run. At the bottom end of the field was a five to six feet high hedge with wire and railway sleepers in it, probably what had been an old fence prior to the hedge consuming it, and at the far side of the hedge was a footpath. As the aeroplane picked up speed children crept along the path to look through the bottom of the hedge. Owing to the size of the field and a tail wind, the pilot was forced to pick up speed on the ground prior to him pulling the aeroplane into the air up but because he had to leave it late in taking off the undercarriage struck the hedge. One of the wheels struck one of the old railway sleepers in the hedge, the sleeper broke and it was flung into the air by the attached wire. Unfortunately the children who had crept along the path were close to the sleeper and one boy was struck on his head which fractured his skull, he was killed practically instantanously. Another child was found unconscious with the sleeper resting on his head though was revived. Other children were either knocked down or had fallen down to avoid the aeroplane and were slightly injured. Having clipped the hedge, the aeroplane climbed away but had a damaged undercarriage. Newspaper reports state that it landed at an aerodrome but where is unclear. The pilot later stated that he was unaware that the aeroplane had struck anyone.
Civilian - Master Fred Darby, aged 8, of 31 Rockstreet, Barnsley. Burial location unknown.
Pilot - 2Lt Frederick John Whitelaw RAF. Uninjured.
Mechanic - AM1 Henry Briggs Walker RAF. Uninjured.
Other civilians - Names unknown. Injured.
Frederick Whitelaw was born on 14th June 1886 at Meaford, Ontario, Canada. He appears to have married prior to enlisting into the Canadian Army on 10th November 1914. He later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps which then became the Royal Air Force in April 1918. The influenza pandemic that affected England found another casualty. He later served with 148 Squadron and by February 1919 he was suffering with both influenza and pneumonia. He died in hospital in Hastings on 28th February 1919 and is buried at Hastings Cemetery, Sussex.
Fred Darby was the son of John Charles Darby, 31 Rock St, Barnsley and attended Kier Street School, Barnsley.
