On 11th July 1937 the engine of this 608 Squadron aircraft cut during take-off at Thornaby aerodrome, the pilot force-landed in a field nearby damaging the aircraft.
Audax K3768 was built to contract 246267/33 by Hawker at Kingston and was allocated to Fighting Area for 41 Squadron on the 23rd June 1934. It was later transferred for use in the Middle East on 10th October 1935 but returned to the UK to No.1 A.S.U. on 11 November 1936. It was issued to 608 Squadron on 15th January 1937. After the crash on 11th July 1937 Cat.W/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge on 4th September 1937.
Pilot - S/Ldr Geoffrey Hill Ambler RAF (90296), of Bradford, Yorkshire. Uninjured.
Observer? - AC Norman Cameron RAF(Aux) (755392), of Aycliffe. Slightly injured.
Geoffrey Ambler's life is well documented on the internet. At the time of the incident above he was in command of 608 Squadron, a position he left on 30th October 1938 and the unit he had served with since being commissioned. He would later rise to Air Vice Marshal Ambler CB, CBE, AFC. He was born in 1904 and educated at Cambridge but returned home to work for his families Fred Ambler Limited in Bradford. In 1931 he joined the RAF and joined 608 Squadron where he rose through the ranks. In 1938 he left 608 Squadron and became 609 Squadron's commanding officer. He later took up a commanding role at Wick before being placed in charge of the ROC in June 1942. After the War he retired from the RAF and returned to the family business. He was later appointed as an Honourary Air Commodore to 609 Squadron. He died on 26th August 1978.
Norman Cameron was born on 4th July 1917. He was involved in a crash on 2nd August 1936 when the aircraft crashed into a freshly cut cornfield near Muggleswick, near Consett, Durham, this appears to have been on 2nd August 1936 though the date of 1st March 1936 is quoted elsewhere. The aircraft overturned and he sustained a head injury. Following the incident at Thornaby on 11th July 1937 he recovered and later served as a wireless operator / air gunner with the RAFVR. On 9th January 1941 he was flying in 103 Squadron Wellington R3215 which crashed in Wales. On 10th February 1941 the same crew were in Wellington T2610 which was hit by flak and ditched in the North Sea after an engine cut out. He sustained injuries in this incident and only returned to operational flying in April 1943 when he was posted to 276 squadron. After the war he remained in the RAF and on 5th November 1949 he baled out of Wellington NA827 over Yapham, Yorkshire after the crew became lost on a training flight and ran out of fuel. He again was injured. He later assisted in the book "Black Swan, a history of 103 Squadron" by Sid Finn. He died in July 1981.