Bristol F.2B Fighter B8937 near Catterick aerodrome.
On 13th July 1918 this aeroplane climbed too steeply while taking off from Catterick aerodrome, the pilot then attempted to make a turn but the flying speed was not fast enough and it stalled. The pilot lost control and it dived into the ground, catching fire and killing the pilot. The aeroplane and pilot were with No.1 Torpedo Training Squadron, based at East Fortune. Why they were flying so far south is not known.
Pilot - 2Lt Evan Francis Kerruish RAF, aged 20. Buried Catterick Cemetery, Yorkshire (NN.5).
Evan Kerruish was born on 20th July 1897 and was the son of Rev. Thomas Looney and Maria G (nee Newhouse) Kerruish. He was born in Port Elgin, Ontario but the family later moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He was a student when he initially enlisted in the 153rd Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force on 23rd March 1916. He sailed from Canada on the SS Olympic on 28th April 1917 and arrived at Liverpool on 7th May 1917. He then transferred to and received a commission in the RNAS on 9th October 1917. He was transferred to the RAF when it formed on 1st April 1918 and was posted to East Fortune on 15th April 1918. His brother Thomas Maxwell Kerruish served in the Royal Flying Corps.
