Whitley K9039 on Burnside Fell, near Slaidburn.
This 51 Squadron aircraft set out from Dishforth at 19.00hrs on 30th April 1940 for an operational flight to Norway, to attack the airfield at Fornebu. On their return to Yorkshire
the weather became poor and they became lost. Having made a number of requests for help they were passed various directions and distances to fly to bring them to various airfields but all failed. The last instruction was to direct to Sealand airfield, near Chester. The aircraft eventually crashed into high ground in the Slaidburn area on the western edge of the Yorkshire part of the Pennines having ran out of fuel in the early hours of the 1st May 1940. Sgt Coveney died at the crash site. After being taken to a hospital in Morecambe P/O Gilmer died of his injuries the following day. In his "Hell on High Ground" book David Earl gives a well researched account of this incident and I do not wish to simply copy his research. An AIR81 file has since been released by the National Archives that gives a good account of the radio messages passed between ground stations and the aircraft.
Whitley K9039 was built to contract 522438/36 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was delivered to 6 M.U. (Aircraft Storage Unit) at Brize Norton on 3rd July 1939 and then
issued to 51 Squadron at Linton on Ouse on 18th November 1939. It moved with this unit to Dishforth on 9th December 1939. Cat.W/FB was recorded following the accident at the western edge of Yorkshire on 1st May 1940 and it was struck off charge on 6th May 1940.
Second Pilot - P/O John Martin Gilmer RAF (41690), aged 23, of Tokoroa, Auckland, New Zealand. Buried Dishforth Cemetery, Yorkshire.
Observer - Sgt Walter Richard Coveney RAF (580764), aged 19, of Blackheath, London. Buried Greenwich Cemetery, London.
Pilot - P/O Edward Cotton RAF (43417). Leg and facial injuries.
Wireless Operator - AC1 Peter Duncan Salmon RAF (551589). Minor injuries.
Air Gunner - AC1 Hugh Maylin RAF (626629). Minor injuries.
P/O Gilmer (photo via Jim Rutland) and his gravestone at Dishforth Cemetery.
Sadly only weeks after this accident Peter Salmon was killed on 17th August 1940 when Whitley P4986 crashed in Germany with the loss of five crew. He is buried in Hanover War Cemetery.
AC1 Maylin spent three weeks in Hospital and later rejoined 51 Squadron after period of leave. He flew his next operational flight on 30th June 1940. In an article found on the internet some years ago his son reported that his father had already survived a crash while training in Wales. On 4th September 1940 he was flying in Whitley P4973 when it was ditched off the Dutch coast. Sadly one of the crew was killed but Sgt Maylin and the other three crew were picked up by a German seaplane and became PoW's. In all he flew seventeen operations flights. He died in 1971.
Edward Cotton received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation on 1st April 1940 and was promoted to F/O (war subs) on 1st April 1941 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 1st April 1942. He recovered from his injuries sustained in the Forest of Bowland accident and was later posted to 502 Squadron. He was Mentioned in Despatches on 11th June 1942 and as F/Lt was awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 7th July 1942, for service with 502 Squadron. No citation for his DFC has been located. He was promoted to S/Ldr (war subs) on 1st February 1944. Post-War he extended his service in the RAF and transferred to the Secretarial Branch on 1st January 1947. He was later appointed to a permanent commission in April 1948 and was later promoted to W/Co on 1st July 1952. He retired from the RAF on 17th October 1964 after a fine period of service to his country.