Oxford T1064 near Towton.
On 30th July 1941 the pilot of this 54 Operational Training Unit aircraft was undertaking a local night flying training flight and had taken off from Church Fenton.
The usual routine was that such exercises should be carried within a few miles of the airfield. The controllers at Church Fenton had not
been informed that there were enemy aircraft in the area and had allowed the training flight to be carried out and the pilot was flying
at 3,000 feet in the area of the airfield with his navigation lights on because there was presumed to be no threat from enemy aircraft.
The Blenheim was then attacked and shot down at 00.55hrs by Feldwebel Arnold of 1/NJG2 or Lt Lothar Bisang of 1/NJG2 in a Junkers Ju88.
The Oxford crashed near Saxton Grange, between Saxton and Towton to the south of Tadcaster. The pilot of the Oxford was killed in the
incident and was buried at the local cemetery to Church Fenton at Kirkby Wharfe. The crash investigation blamed the lack of communication
between controllers at radio detection bases for not informing Church Fenton of the possibility of there being the enemy intruders over
the North of England on this night.
Pilot - Sgt Cedric Cyril Woodward RAFVR (1057420), aged 21, of Widnes, Lancashire (now Cheshire). Buried Kirkby Wharfe Cemetery, Yorkshire.
The pilot's gravestone in Kirkby Wharfe Cemetery.
Aviation historians Eric Barton, Albert Pritchard and Ken Reast were given permission by the landowner to search for this crash site in August 2005 who pretty much pinpointed the exact place for them close to a small wooded area, some small fragments of the aircraft were found through field walking. The photograph shown below includes a part number with the "10.." prefix common to the AS.10 Oxford aircraft parts. The site fell within an area earmarked for the new HS2 railway line and looks set to be destroyed if the project ever happens.
The photograph shown below depicts one of the Oxford rudder pedals found by Eric Barton at the crash site in 2005 and retained by him.
Oxford T1064 was built to contract B.19646/39 by Airspeed Ltd. at Portsmouth and was awaiting collection in December 1940. After a lengthy period of MU
storage it was taken on charge by 60 O.T.U. at Leconfield on 7th May 1941. On 16th June 1941 60 OTU moved to East Fortune but it seems unlikely that T1064
went with them as it was taken on charge by 54 O.T.U. at Church Fenton on 12th July 1941. As a result of the damage sustained on 30th July 1941 Cat.E2/FB(Burnt)
damage was recorded and the aircraft was written off.
