Hurricane V7534 near Rundale Tarn, north of Appleby in Westmorland.

On 18th July 1941 the pilot of this aircraft was undertaking an aerobatics training flight with No.59 Operational Training Unit, in the area of his airfield at Crosby on Eden. The visbility over the airfield was good at the time but the aircraft drifted off from this area and into an area of poor visbility. The pilot became lost and eventually the aircraft flew into high ground near Rundale Tarn, to the north of Appleby in Westmorland. The pilot was sadly killed in the accident.

This incident did not occur in Yorkshire but I include it as it is within the area I originally set when I begun researching high ground flying accidents back in 2000.

Pilot - P/O John Kenneth Roberts RCAF (J/5140), aged 19. Buried Fairfield Churchyard, Buxton, Derbyshire.


John Roberts was born on 29th December 1921 in Buxton, Derbyshire to John and Annie Ellen (nee Witherbotham) Roberts. His family moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada when he was eight months old but later moved back to Buxton. His mother and he later returned to Winnipeg where he worked various jobs as a young man. His father and mother may have seperated as he stated on his enlistment papers he did not know his father's address at that time. He enlisted for RCAF service on 13th September 1940 at Winnipeg and after training he was awarded his wings on 18th April 1941. He then received a commission on 5th May 1941.

Back to Yorkshire Dales table.