Whitley Z6864 near Markington, Ripon.
On the 6th of September 1941 the crew of this Whitley took off from Middlton St George at 20.25hrs to bomb Huls, they eventually
located the target and bombed from 12,000ft. On their return they were attacked by an enemy intruder aircraft over Yorkshire
and the aircraft then crash-landed at 03.15hrs to the north of
Markington near Ripon. The crew are believed to have escaped serious injury but three did sustain injuries. The aircraft caught fire
and later burnt out.
The location of the crash site is often refered to as being to the south of "Markington" church in offical
records, however the correct location is actually north of the village but the church reference almost
certainly refers to the church tower inside Fountains Park and not the village church.
The pilot had been involved in another crash two months previously when he force-landed another Whitley near Kepwick,
this incident being detailed on my North Yorkshire Moors section to this website
found here .
Pilot - Sgt Bernard T McC Jones RAAF (400090),
Nav?/2nd Pilot? - Sgt Jones
Obs - Sgt Miller
WOp/AG - Sgt Vere
AG - Sgt Rouse.
In June 2007 Ken Reast showed me where aircraft crashed having located the site some years previously, He had found
fragments of the aircraft in the field shown above.
Bernard Jones RAAF was born 29th September 1918 at St Kilda, Victoria, he enlisted in Melbourne 27th May 1940. He survived
the War and was discharged as a F/Lt on 28th September 1945.
Sgt Vere was back flying soon after, on 10/11th October 1941 he was in Whitley Z9127 which crashed while taking off from
Middleton St.George. Again he escaped injury.
