Hurricane Z7053 near Eppleby, between Darlington and Barnard Castle.
On 31st July 1941 the pilot of this 232 Squadron aircraft was due to fly it from Hawarden to Ouston but took off without obtaining a weather report. When he later flew into bad weather he became lost in poor visibility. The aircraft later ran out of fuel so the pilot baled out, the aircraft crashed a mile north of Eppleby very close to the Yorkshire / Durham border.
Pilot - P/O Phillip Francis Grant Harbottle RAAF (408012), of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Phillip Harbottle was born in May 1916 and had worked as a radio announcer before enlisting into the RAAF in May 1940. He trained with 56 OTU begining
on 6th January 1941 before posting to 232 Squadron on 18th February 1941 (at Elgin), 232 Squadron moved to Montrose on 29th April 1941 and he moved with
them. On 9th June 1941 he was posted for a brief spell with a Naval unit before re-posting to 232 Squadron (now at Ouston) on 22nd July 1941 until 28th
September 1941. Soon after this incident near Darlington he left the country and, via Canada, arrived in Australia for a posting to 75 Squadron in June
1942. F/O Harbottle died on 12th July 1942 when Kittyhawk A29-13 crashed near Marburg, Australia and is buried in Ipswich General Cemetery, Queensland,
Australia. He was twenty six years old.
Hurricane Z7053 was built to contract SB.6648 by the Canadian Car & Foundry Co. Ltd. at Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was shipped to the UK. It was accepted on 18th March 1941 for erection and testing by 13 MU at Henlow Camp and once servicable it went to 10 MU on 11th April 1941 who were at Hullavington. On 3rd May 1941 it was flown to Abbotsinch for use by their Station Flight. It was transferred to 232 Squadron on 21st July 1941 at Ouston. As a result damage sustained at Eppleby on 31st July 1941 Cat.E2/FA damage was the damage assessment and it was struck off charge.