Hurricane P3048 near East Heslerton.
On 14th June 1941 this aircraft was being flown to Usworth to begin the service with 55 OTU. On flying north the weather conditions became bad and
with a lack of radio commication the pilot became lost. With fuel running low he force landed the aircraft on the former Scarborough Aero Club
aerodrome at East Heslerton. However, as was the case with a number of these former civilian air strips across the country, many were blocked with
old cars to prevent an enemy invasion or landing there. The site at East Heslerton was no different to this, the aircraft landed there but sustained
some damage with the under-carriage retracted. The pilot escaped injury. What is not known is why he selected this field to land on, given all surrounding
fields were probably free of old cars. 55 OTU appear to have acquired at least two aircraft on this date with V7024 crashing in the Pennines on the same
date, they appear to have been using their trainee pilots to fly their aircraft into their care.
Pilot - Sgt Francis Henry Baron RAFVR (1167725), of Battersea, London. Uninjured.
Francis Baron later completed his training and was posted to 250 Squadron in North Africa. He was killed flying Kittyhawk FR244 on 2nd January
1943 when his aircraft was attacked and shot down by a Bf109 from JG77 while escorting Hurricanes of 40 SAAF Squadron. He was twenty two years old
and is buried in Tripoli War Cemetery, Libya.
Hurricane P3048 was built to contract 962371/38/C23a by the Gloster Aircraft Company Ltd, at Brockworth, Gloucestershire and was delivered
into RAF MU storage in February 1940 and then issued to 308 Squadron at Baginton when the unit equipped in October 1940. It was then transferred
to 79 Squadron at Pembrey on an unknown date but it cannot have been there long as it was transferred to 55 OTU on 14th June 1941 and crashed on
the delivery flight in the incident recorded above. It suffered Cat.R/FA damage in the incident at East Heslerton and was taken away by road and
repaired in works. Upon completion of the repair it went into MU storage and later passed to The Admiralty at St.Merryn on 14th September 1942.
It returned to Hawker for modifications on 24th October 1942 and was then issued to 759 Squadron at Yeovilton on 24th November 1942. It suffered
Cat.Y damage on 8th September 1943 when it made a heavy landing at Stretton which resulted in the undercarriage collapsing. The pilot in this
case, Lt.D.H.Grime was uninjured. It was again repaired in works and on completion was sent to RN MU store. It was later issued to 769
Squadron at Easthaven in April 1944 and nothing further is recorded after June 1944.