During the afternoon of Sunday, 14th May 1950 the Commanding Officer of 92 Squadron was undertaking a flight toward his home airfield at Linton on Ouse from Biggin Hill where he had been undertaking his duty for the weekend. The aircraft's compass failed on the flight north and unsure of his position the pilot contacted Church Fenton by radio to ask for assistance but this airfield had no working direction finding equipment on station. At 15.45hrs he sent a message stating that he was low on fuel. Soon after he contacted Waddington on a distress frequency and was given directions for there but he then informed them that he believed he was over The Pennines and that he was climbing to enable him to bale out. He then appears to have jumped from the aircraft but his parachute opened prematurely which then caught on the high tail of the Meteor. A short time later the aircraft was seen to dive out of cloud with the parachute caught on the tail. It crashed into a field between Waleswood Colliery and Todwick killing the pilot.
Pilot - S/Ldr Raymond Hiley Harries DSO & Bar, DFC & 2 Bars RAF (87447), aged 34. Buried Newton on Ouse Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Raymond Harries' life is well documented elsewhere and I do not intend on simply copying other research. He was awarded the DFC for service with 131 Squadron, Gazetted on 11th September 1942. He was awarded the first Bar to the DFC for service with 91 Squadron, Gazetted on 25th May 1943. He was awarded the second Bar to the DFC for service with 91 Squadron, Gazetted on 7th September 1943. He was awarded the DSO, Gazetted on 9th November 1943, the Belgian Croix de Guerre with Palme, Gazetted on 15th June 1945 and the Bar to the DSO, Gazetted on 24th July 1945.