Hurricane PZ826 near Rillington.
On 6th November 1944 this aircraft was being flown on a ferry flight by an ATA pilot of No.5 (Trainee) Ferry Pool when the aircraft flew into poor weather and cloud, pressing on into the cloud the pilot eventually turned the aircraft east towards a brighter area of the sky but could not then find a safe way out of the valley had found himself flying in. He force landed wheels-up in a field at 12.30hrs near Rillington. The valley mentioned was probably the Vale of Pickering rather than one of the small dales that extend down from the northern side of the Yorkshire Wolds but as I have no information to state exactly where the landing was made this is speculation.
Pilot - T/O James Jamieson Davie ATA.
James Davie served in the ATA from 28th August 1943 to 30th September 1945.
Hurricane PZ826 was built to contract 62305/39/Vc by The Hawker Aircraft Company Ltd. at Langley and was awaiting collection on or around 10th July 1944. It was then flown to an MU store but the unit is not specified in the published Air Britain records. It was later taken on charge on an unknown date No.5 (Training) Ferry Pool and was technically based at Thame, Oxfordshire. The damage sustained at Rillington is also not stated in the aircraft's published history but it was probably assessed on site and the probable assessment was Cat.B/FA meaning a recovery for a repair in a works factory. The aircraft next appears on charge with 11 PAFU at Calveley in 1945 but on 1st June 1945 11 PAFU disbanded and the aircraft was placed in MU store only to be struck off charge on 18th June 1945.