On 31st March 1941 two Hurricanes were being flown from Northolt airfield up to Crosby on Eden airfield near Carlisle, the 601 Squadron pilots were flying these older aircraft there in order to exchange them for two newer Hurricanes and return to Northolt with these new aircraft. 601 Squadron pilots were converting to the newer Hurricane MkII at the time. As they neared Carlisle both aircraft flew across the Lake District and into a snowstorm which severely reduced visibility. Both aircraft crashed into the high ground which saw them both being killed. One crashed into Scar Crags near Causey Pike, to the west of Keswick and exploded. The other crashed near Glenridding killing P/O Thomas Smith RAF (detailed on it's own webpage). The pilot of the Causey Pike aircraft was:
Pilot - F/O John Wilfred "Jack" Seddon RAFVR (74711), aged 23, of Kingston on Thames, Surrey. Buried Painswick Cemetery, Glocestershire.
Jack Seddon was educated at Jesus College, Cambridge and was a member of the Cambridge University Air Squadron before the outbreak of war. When war was declared he was called up and received his commission to the rank of P/O on 3rd October 1939 following training at Cranwell. He trained at 6 OTU at Sutton Bridge and was posted to 601 Squadron on 28th September 1940. He served with 601 Squadron during the latter stages of the Battle of Britain. He was promoted to F/O on 3rd October 1940. I would like to thank his family for contacting me and supplying the photograph of his gravestone.
Scar Crags is the area of rocky ground in the centre of the photograph above as seen from the other side of the Newlands valley. My wife and I initially located the crash site in March 2005 after climbing up from the valley floor and small remains were to be found on the very steep fellside below where the aircraft impacted high on rocks and close to the summit ridge. This is of the few less well-known or visited crash sites in the Lake District probably because of its location. I re-visited the site in August 2010 with a digital camera having descended from the summit ridge path visible on the photograph.
A view looking down the fellside in 2005.
A view looking across the fellside where parts of the aircraft were found in 2005 and a displeased wife!
The area of the crash high up in rocks.
Fragments of the aircraft's Rolls-Royce Merlin engine.
