Defiant N3328 near Barnoldswick.

On 24th October 1942 this aircraft was being ferried from Manby airfield to Walney Island airfield where it was to be transferred to the care of 10 Air Gunnery School. This incident is covered in superb detail in Nick Wotherspoon's book "North-West Aircraft Wrecks" and I do not plan to simply copy his research. The Defiant left Manby at 09.30hrs and the weather was good though poor weather was forecast for later in the day. When the aircraft was over the Barnoldswick area it entered the poor weather, at 11.50hrs it crashed near Lower Clough Farm while flying through a hailstorm. The pilot was sadly killed in the crash. The crash site was in Yorkshire at the time but is now in Lancashire.

At least three "digs" have taken place at the crash site in recent memory, it was dug between the late 1970's and 1982 and then latterly by Nick Wotherspoon and other L.A.I.T. members on 25th May 2002, some film of Nick's dig is available on You Tube. L.A.I.T. recovered some interesting items including the propeller and the control column and also personal effects of the pilot which were later returned to his family in Australia. How it should be done in my opinion.

Pilot - F/Sgt John Leslie Goulter RAAF (404905), aged 22, of Glen Niven, Queensland, Australia. Buried Barrow in Furness Cemetery, Lancashire.

John Goulter was born on 11th May 1920 in Stanthorpe, Queensland and enlisted in Brisbane. His brother Howard Goulter was serving in the RAAF in England at the time of this accident, he was a pilot with 12 Squadron.
Defiant N3328 was built to contract 751867/38 by Boulton & Paul Ltd. at Wolverhampton and was awaiting collection in November 1940. It was taken on charge soon after by 151 Squadron at Bramcote who then moved to Wittering on 22nd October 1940. In April 1942 151 Squadron ceased operating Defiants. The aircraft next appears on charge with 1 A.A.S. at Manby. From there it was transferred to 10 A.G.S. on 24th October 1942 but crashed on the ferry flight to Walney Island. As a result of this crash Cat.E2/FA damage was the assessment and it was written off.

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