Tiger Moth T.2 R4856 at Moorends.

On Friday, 20th April 1951 the pilot of this No.9 Reserve Flying School aircraft was undertaking a flight in the general area of Doncaster where it was based when the aircraft stalled during a low level turn. The pilot may have been trying to land the aircraft at the time but it stalled and a wing struck the ground which caused it to crash in a field near Thorne Colliery, Moorends. The aircraft was badly damaged. The first at the crash site was a twenty one year old who local man Jack Artley who, assisted by two mine workers pulled the unconscious pilot from the cockpit and carried him to the colliery medical room where he was given initial first aid, before transfer to Doncaster Infirmary.

Pilot - Sgt Robert Alexander Morton RAF (754882).

Robert Morton gave various interviews around his early life, one of which is on the IWM website. During the early part of the war he had served with 74 Squadron and then 616 Squadron. On 9th July 1941 he was flying 616 Squadron Spitfire P8386 that crashed in France, he was made a PoW. In 1951 he was 36 years old and living at Salmon Grove, Hull.

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