In the evening of 5th September 1942 the crew of this aircraft took off from Silloth airfield to carry out a night cross-country navigation exercise with No.1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit. The intended route was from Silloth, to South Rock, then Kish Light Vessel, Skerries and back to Silloth. The weather on this night was poor and low cloud was covering the high ground in the north-west of England. The last radio transmission was picked up from the aircraft at 00.30hrs. It was thought that having become lost and then overshot the low ground area surrounding their base on their return and with the bad weather almost certainly making contact with the ground impossible the aircraft flew toward the Pennines. It then crashed into Cross Fell killing all on board. Some five days went by until the site was located and the bodies of the five crew were recovered. No.83 MU would later clear the site in the main though fragments do still remain today to mark the site of this tragedy.
The incident is well documented in a number of books with probably the best account being in David Earls book "Hell on High Ground 2", a book I have plugged afew times on this website but well worth a read as it details both the air accidents and the human aspect to the incidents. This incident is not nor never was in Yorkshire so I need to delete the webpage.
Pilot - P/O Paul Arthur Bourke RAFVR (116160), aged 28. Buried Bournemouth East Cemetery, Hampshire.
Navigator - Sgt John Bumpstead RAFVR (1017138), aged 28. Buried Tinsley Park Cemetery, Sheffield, Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Ronald William Hewett RAFVR (1380777), aged 21. Buried Solihull, Warwickshire.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Leslie Thomas Griffin RAFVR (1380956), aged 31. Buried Wembley (Alperton) Burial Ground, London.
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner - Sgt Robert Band RAFVR (1376686), aged 29. Cremated Woking, Surrey.
Paul Bourke was born on 8th June 1914 at Worcester, Mass, USA. The date he received a commission in the RAF to the rank of P/O on probation is unknown. He had married while stationed at Silloth earlier in 1942.
Ronald Hewett was born on 12th June 1921 at Leytonstone, London and enlisted for RAF service on 15th October 1940. His mother was living at Solihull, Birmingham at the time of his death.
John Bumpstead was born on 18th March 1914 at Sheffield and enlisted for RAF service on 25th August 1940.
Robert Band was born on 3rd January 1913 at Auchterarder, Perthshire and enlisted for RAF service on 24th August 1940.
Leslie Griffin was born on 25th October 1910 at Barnet and enlisted for RAF service on 21st October 1940.
The view looking towards the Lake District from the crash site.
A view of the general area of the crash site taken from the flank of Little Dun Fell, a memorial cairn is visible towards the right of the photograph with much of the remaining wreckage to be found below it in the area of darker rock. I visited the site in April 2007.
Hudson N7325 was built by Lockheed in California, USA and was shipped to the UK, arriving in Summer 1939. After assembly it was placed in storage at 27 MU on 28th September 1939 and was then transferred to 24 MU on 26th July 1940. On 7th October 1940 it was taken on charge by No.1 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit. As a result of the crash on Cross Fell on 6th September 1942 Cat.E/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 1st October 1942.