Whitley Z6879 on Scrafton Moor, Middleham.

During the night of 15th / 16th January 1942 the crew of this 51 Squadron Whitley were returning from an operational flight to bomb the docks and shipping at Emden having left base at 18.09hrs. On their return to Yorkshire this crew became lost because of bad weather and they over-flew the Vale of York and into the Yorkshire Dales. The aircraft's homing wireless set had also failed but the crew were able to pick up a radio signal which would give them a signal to follow to direct them over the airfield, however this signal was not intended for their aircraft and upon breaking cloud they were unable to clear the high ground they were flying towards. The pilot force landed on this stretch high ground on Scrafton Moor, south of Middleham. The aircraft was not seriously damaged and was later recovered and repaired. The crew were uninjured. The squadron records state the time of the crash as being at 23.20hrs.

Pilot - Sgt Alfred George Hughes RAFVR (1257325).

? - Sgt Reed. (Possibly Sgt Joseph Forster Reed RAF).

Observer - Sgt Douglas James Thornton RAFVR (911983).

? - Sgt Howie.

Air Gunner - Sgt Hugh Russell Strain RAF (521347).

Alfred Hughes was posted from 51 Squadron to 24 OTU on 25th April 1942 and received a commission on 1st May 1942 to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) (131640). He was promoted to F/O on probation (war subs) on 1st November 1942 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 1st May 1944. He was later awarded the DFC, Gazetted on 21st September 1945.
Hugh Strain was born at Elstree, Hertfordshire in 1914 and was the son of Hugh and Mary (nee Russell) Strain. Both his parents were born in Lanarkshire. In the 1921 census the family were living in Uxbridge. He was later was posted to 158 Squadron on 23rd April 1942. On 8th May 1942 he was flying Ops to Warnemunde in Wellington W5387 but failed to return, he was twenty eight years old and is buried in Berlin War Cemetery.
Sgt Thornton was posted to 296 Squadron on 4th May 1942 having received a commission to the rank of P/O on probation (emergency) on 1st May 1942 (126032). He was promoted to F/O on 1st November 1942 and to F/Lt (war subs) on 1st May 1944. Postwar he remained in the RAF until resigning his commission of F/Lt on 29th November 1947.
I searched an area believed to have been the location of this incident in July 2006 but found nothing but given the aircraft was taken away and repaired this was perhaps to have been expected. Air historian Ken Reast informs me that his research locally found that a Whitley force-landed in a field nearer to Scrafton and was later refuelled and flown out from the field but the location given in a police report puts Z6879 as being on moorland if this is correct then it surely cannot related to Z6879.

Whitley Z6879 was built to contract 106962/40 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd. at Baginton and was received by 20 MU on 13th July 1941. It was taken on charge by 51 Squadron at Dishforth on 20th July 1941 and possibly as a replacement for Whitley Z6741 that had been lost on 5th July 1941. As a result of the forced landing on Scrafton Moor on 15th January 1942 repairable Cat.B/FB damage was the assessment, and it was dismantled and transported for a repair in works. Airworks at Gatwick received the aircraft on 3rd February 1942 and it took some months to make it fully servicable again. On 24th July 1942 it was flown to 23 MU and was then taken on charge by 10 O.T.U. at Abingdon on 11th September 1942. On 31st October 1942 it was lost when on detachment at St.Eval when it was ditched in the Atlantic Ocean after an engine failure whilst on patrol. The crew of five were rescued. The aircraft was struck off charge on 1st November 1942.

Back to 1942 monthly table.

Back to Yorkshire Dales table.