Hector K9723 near Reighton Gap.
On 10th February 1938 the pilot of this 26 Squadron aircraft was flying a training exercise when he became lost at night and in bad weather whilst flying over the East Coast, flying in a gale and also with a heavy fall of hail and sleet present he force-landed the aircraft in a ploughed field around a hundred yards from the cliff top at Reighton Gap, between Filey and Flamborough Head. The newspaper reports I have located stated that the landing was successful suggesting no damage resulted though I have a note made some years ago that it may have overturned. The pilot was uninjured and was taken to the Dotterel Inn where he stayed overnight. I also have note that must have been taken from the AM Form 1180 from the resulting investigation that reported: "The pilot...found difficulty in stowing the Very pistol and as a result lost direction".
Pilot - P/O Gerald Wilfred Pearson Derbyshire RAF.
A Hector being used as a tug aircraft at the the Glider Training Squadron.
Gerald Derbyshire was almost certainly born in the Croyden area of Surrey in 1913. He was granted a commission in the RAF Reserve (RAFO) as P/O on probation in Class A.A. on 12th March 1934 but reliquished this commission on 16th April 1935 on appointment to the RAF. He received a short service commission in the RAF on 16th April 1935 to the rank of Acting P/O on probation, he was graded as P/O on probation on 14th October 1935 and was posted to 26 Squadron on the same date. He was later confirmed in the rank of P/O on 16th April 1936. His RAF career after this incident near Filey was short-lived, he resigned his short service commission on 10th July 1938. Gerald Derbyshire died in Devon in 1970.
Hector K9723 was built to contract 521856/36 by Westland Aircraft Ltd at Yeovil and was delivered directly to 26 Squadron at Catterick on 23rd August 1937. It suffered minor damage on 10th February 1938 at Reighton and was repaired. It was later transferred to 19 MU at St. Athan for storage on 21st April 1939. It was moved to Rollasons Aircraft and Engines Ltd at Croydon on 20th September 1939 and then on to 27 MU at Shawbury on 4th March 1940. It's useful life started again when it was issued to the Station Flight at Elmdon on 15th October 1940. It moved to the Central Landing Establishment at Ringway on 3rd June 1941 (this was the school for airborne forces, gliders and paratroops). It was transferred very quickly to The Glider Training Squadron (G.T.S.) at Thame on 11th June 1941 and was used for towing Hotspur gliders. On 6th July 1941 it suffered a more serious Cat.W/FA when it
damaged it's tender undercarriage on take off from Thame - a common problem with the type. Although the aircraft got airborne a landing was deemed out of the question so it was abandoned near Sydenham, Oxfordshire and crashed. It had a total of 240 hours flying time at the time of it's loss.
