During the afternoon of Monday, 15th August 1955 this Fighter Weapons School aircraft was flown by a pilot on an air firing exercise off the Yorkshire coast. During the flight it crossed the coast near Barmston at around 3,000 feet and flew roughly west. At the same time two other aircraft from the same training unit were flying north to south in the area south of Bridlington. They were at the same height and had also being flown on air firing exercises. 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 but the pilot 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.
(WK982) Pilot - F/O Graham John Brand RAF (584309), aged 24. Buried Leconfield Churchyard, Yorkshire.
Graham Brand's grave at Leconfield. He was the son of Mrs and Mrs Charles G Brand, of Dundee. He was educated at Morgan Academy, Dundee and joined the RAF at sixteen years old. He trained at Halton and later was awarded a commission after training at Cranwell in 1953 before being posted to Malaya with 33 Squadron. He later served with 45 Squadron and was due to return to them in Malaya as a flying instructor following completion of the Pilot Attack Instructors' Course at Leconfield. He had just become engaged to be married to Miss Jennifer Bellamy, of Bognor Regis just prior to his death.