Gipsy Moth G-AACO near East Heslerton.

This aircraft was one of two Gipsy Moth aircraft owned by the Scarborough Aero Club and who based their aircraft at their aerodrome near East Heslerton, both aircraft were flown by their club members. During the evening of Sunday, 24th June 1934 Gipsy Moth G-AACO was being flown around the area of the club site near East Heslerton by a young pilot when it dived into a field from around 800 feet. Upon crashing the wreckage caught fire and although it was witnessed by a number of people driving along the A64 road none could attempt to rescue the pilot because of the intense fire that resulted. In all probablity he was killed instantly in the crash. No accident report has yet been found to add much detail into the incident. I have located a number of local newspaper reports which detail the accident and later the inquest into the pilot's death. In these reports the pilot was described as being an expert in aerobatics, but because of his young age he was not permitted to undertake cross country solo flights so had to stay in the area of the aerodrome. I guess that he was practicing aerobatics just before the crash. During the inquest his father stated that he suffered from nosebleeds and it was considered a possiblity that he had suffered one in the air, blood was found to have risen into his goggles effecting his visibility and he may have lost control while trying to clear his vision. He did not recover control before it crashed. The pilot was cremated in Hull and a few days later his ashes later scattered from an aeroplane over the Heslerton airfield at which he learnt to fly. He is probably the youngest pilot ever to have died in a flying accident in the UK.

Pilot - Mr Gerald Henry Lawson Royle, aged 16, of 32 Crown Lane Gardens, Streatham Common, North London, SW16. Ashes scattered over the East Heslerton aerodrome.

Gerald Royle had began flying at the age of thirteen and he was described by instructors to have been an exceptional pilot who had learnt quicker than other students. He made his first solo flight around the time of his fourteenth birthday but his instructor stated that he could have made it earlier had it not being for his age; fourteen was the minimum age at the time. Despite his young age he had also flown an auto-gyro (probably a Cierva C.19 at Hanworth) and was also believed to have been the youngest pilot on record at the time. Because of his age he was unable to take his "A" Class certificate until he was seventeen years old, this prevented him from leaving the area of the aerodrome when flying solo. The Scarborough club permitted him to fly their aircraft in the area of the aerodrome and he had been on a flying holiday at the site when the accident occurred. He was cremated in Hull in the days after the accident and a member of the Scarborough Aero Club was asked by his family to scatter his ashes over the East Heslerton aerodrome site. In the weeks after his death the Air Ministry changed the regulations which blocked children from flying solo; from then on pilots had to be a minimum of seventeen years old to solo.

Gerald Royle's father was George Royle, he had been the lessee of the well known Floral Hall, above the North Bay, in Scarborough since 1910 setting up a well known "Fol-de-Rols" theatre / pantomime show. He had also been one of the passengers in an aircraft Bentfield Hucks flew from the beach in 1912. He went to South Africa during the Second World War with ENSA but had moved to New Zealand in 1948 where his other son lived. George Royle died in New Zealand in December 1957 and his wife died there just five days later.

Gipsy Moth G-AACO was built by The De Havilland Aircraft Co Ltd at Stag Lane and first registered to John W.P. Chalmers at Stag Lane on 2nd November 1928. It was given the name "Cygnet" which it is believed to have carried all it's life. The Certificate of Airworthiness was issued 20th November 1928 and it was purchased by Walter F. Rickard at Woodley on 30th October 1930 but it is believed to have been operated by his co-owned business, Rollason Aviation Co., at Croydon. The Certificate of Airworthiness lapsed on 29th November 1930. It was reported registered to Surrey Flying Services Ltd at Croydon in October 1931 but it was more likely still owned by Rollason Aviation Co. The Certificate of Airwortiness was renewed on 22nd December 1931 and it was operated by South Downs Aero Club at Ford unril March 1933. This was a subsidiary company of Rollason Aviation Co. It was later purchased by Scarborough Aero Club Company Ltd and registered to them on 25th November 1933, it was based at the East Heslerton site. It sustained Cat.W/FA(Burnt) in the fatal crash on 24th June 1934 and its registration was then cancelled in December 1934. The photograph shown above was found on the internet and shows the East Heslerton aerodrome with four aircraft on the grass. I have heavily Photoshopped it to try to bring out the lettering on the aircraft wings, the aircraft far-left appears to show G-AACO and if correct shows the aircraft involved in the accident detailed here.

Mr and Mrs George Royle opened a navigation room at the Reading Aero Club on 17th February 1935 in memory of their late son where he had also flown. In addition to this a large collection resulted in the same club being able to buy a memorial aeroplane of Gerald Royle which was handed to the club in June 1935. Messrs Phillips and Powis helped with the purchase of a Miles M.2 Hawk by reducing the price to allow the club to have it a reduced rate. Hawk G-ADGR (the "GR" being Gerald Royle's initials) was completed on 8th April 1935 and first registered to C.A. Nepean Bishop, the secretary of Reading Aero Club on 29th May 1939. Bishop knew Royle and it is believed he was the instigator of the 'memorial' aircraft, having written to the Royle family to express his condolences. The aircraft was later sold to The Insurance Flying Club and finally passed onto Juilian Rowntree. It crashed on 18th July 1937 on landing at Evere Airport, Brussels, when on a return flight from a holiday trip to Frankfurt, injuring Julian Rowntree and killing his wife, Beatrice. The registration was cancelled as destroyed. (This history is supplied by Barry Stuart, Peter Hillman and Malcolm Filmore, to whom I thank.)

An inquest was held in Scarborough on 16th July 1934 by the East Riding Coroner, Mr T.Holtby. I have tried to locate the inquest papers which in theory would be kept at the East Riding Archives in Beverley, however all pre-1954 East Riding inquests were destroyed some years ago so this vital piece of information has been destroyed.

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