During the afternoon of Monday, 15th August 1955 this Fighter Weapons School aircraft was flown by a student pilot and was in the company of one other Meteor with the pilots undertaking air firing exercises off the Yorkshire coast. While returning toward Leconfield airfield, flying at around 3,000 feet and flying roughly north to south in the area south of Bridlington another aircraft, Meteor WK982, of the same training unit flew from the seaward direction roughly due west. It was at the same height as the other two and its pilot was also flying an air firing exercise. A collision occurred just west of Barmston between one of the pair (WH395) and WK982. Both aircraft broke up just west of Barmston with various parts falling onto farmland, on which a cow was struck and killed. Wreckage also fell onto and blocked the main Hull to Bridlington road and a council road worker narrowly missed being hit by falling debris. A wing fell onto the road known locally as Barmston Corner with an engine also blocking the road nearby. The pilot of WK982 did not attempt to eject and was killed with his body being located in the cockpit section. Meteor WH395 also broke up though the speed and possibly because the pilot tried to pull up at the last moment it travelled slightly further south. The pilot also had chance to initiate ejection. The main part of this aircraft crashed behind some council houses at nearby Lissett but sadly the parachute did not have chance to fully open and the pilot of this aircraft was also killed, his body being found in a nearby ditch. It was felt that the pilot of WK982 was flying toward the sun at the time and did not see the pair of aircraft approach from the north. The closing speed was around 500 mph.
Historians Eric Barton and Albert Pritchard were part of a group that located both crash sites, with permission from the landowners, in December 2001. WH395 was built by Armstrong Whitworth and WK982 was built by Glosters. Parts were located that identified each site with the manufacturer.
(WH395) Pilot - F/Lt Roy Smith RAF (3031891), aged 30. Buried Leconfield Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Roy Smith's grave at Leconfield.