Hurricane L2070 near Swinefleet, Goole.
On 11th January 1942 at least two No.56 Operational Training Unit aircraft were flown on a formation flying exercise. No.56 O.T.U. was based at Sutton Bridge, in South Lincolnshire. The flight appears to have taken the pilots some distance north and the formation flew into poor weather. The formation leader (in L2070) should have turned the flight around but he failed to do this and they ended up lost in what must have been a large area of poor weather and visibility. Their radio communications equipment did not function correctly and eventually the fuel levels began to run low. At around 12.10hrs both Hurricane L2070 and Hurricane W9240 made forced belly landings near Park Farm, near Whitgift, not far from Swinefleet. L2070 appears to have made a belly landing and received associated damage because of this. W9240 struck a wing on the ground and tipped on to it's nose though both were deemed repairable.
L2070 Pilot - Sgt Eric Norman McCuaig RAFVR (1365253).
Eric McCuaig was killed on 19th August 1942 when 64 Squadron Spitfire BR604 failed to return from Dieppe. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Hurricane L2070 was built to contract 527112/36 by The Hawker Aircraft Co. Ltd. at the Kingston and/or Brooklands factories. It was awaiting collection in August 1939 and was issued to 11 Group Pool at St.Athan. On 9th March 1940 this unit was re-designated No.6 Operational Training Unit and moved to Sutton Bridge, on 1st November 1940 the unit re-designated as No.56 O.T.U. and still remained at Sutton Bridge. On 11th January 1942 it sustained Cat.B/FA damage in the incident near Swinefleet. The aircraft next appears as allocated to 135 Squadron but this was not taken up as the unit operated Hurricane Mk.II's and were based in the Far East. It next appears on the books of No.56 O.T.U. once again and in late 1942 it transferred to 116 Squadron Anti Aircraft Calibration Flight at Heston where it remained until being transferred to No.55 O.T.U. at Annan in early 1943. On 11th March 1943 it crashed near Annan, Cat.E2/FA damage was the assessment and it was struck off charge.