Master N7696 near Thurgoland.

On 17th April 1941 the pilot of this aircraft was undertaking a cross country training flight as part of a course at No.5 F.T.S. During the flight he became lost and the aircraft eventually ran out of fuel in the Penistone area and the engine stopped. At 14.00hrs the pilot force landed near Thurgoland but as the aircraft was obstructing a road the pilot received help from someone on the ground to signal to him when the aircraft was clear of the road while he was taxying. Due to a misunderstanding between the two, a wing tip of the Master struck a wall and was slightly damaged.

Pilot - LAC Basil Trevor Tatham RAFVR (1168654).

Basil Tatham was born in 1921 at Bardolfs, Knebworth and was the son of Captain T.E.Tatham. He appears to have served in 79 Squadron and 247 Squadron. For his service over France after D-Day he was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He served in the RAF Reserve until at least the mid-1950s as an officer and died in 2007 in Buckinghamshire.

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