Gipsy Moth G-ACBX near Clifton, Conisborough.
This aeroplane was owned by the Hull Aero Club at the time and was based at Hedon, Hull. During the morning Sunday, 2nd April 1939 it was one of four aeroplanes that were to fly from Hedon to Doncaster and later return to Hedon. Most, if not all, of the pilots were what was described as "Civil Air Guard" pilots. The weather was poor at the time the aeroplanes took off at around 8am and soon after one of the pilots turned around and returned to Hedon. Two of the aeroplanes reached Doncaster and landed at around 9am. Owing to poor visibility the pilot of G-ADBX missed Doncaster and was cicling the Conisborough area for some time before it struck a tree on rising ground. It then crashed into a field next to the Conisborough to Clifton road which saw the propeller smashed and the engine and wings damaged with part of the aeroplane being left in the tree. The pilot appears to have escaped injury though was taken to a doctor in Conisborough. Those who had landed safely at Doncaster heard of the accident, one Mr Kenneth William Pawson, was driven to Conisborough where he collected the pilot of G-ACBX and took him back to Hull. Despite the damage the aeroplane was recovered and repaired. Looking on modern mapping the site is probably close to or perhaps on what is now Crookhill Park Golf Course.
Pilot - Mr Robert Martin Ross, aged 24, of Skipsea, East Riding of Yorkshire.
P/O Kenneth Pawson was killed serving with 601 Squadron in the crash of Spitfire BP973 on 25th April 1942 and is buried on the island of Malta.
Civil Air Guard pilots in 1939 should in theory have gone on to serve in the flying branches of the armed forces in the months that followed. Robert Ross, in theory, should have gone on to serve in the RAF, RAFVR or FAA during the Second World War but I have not located anything that may relate to him doing so. He married in the Howden area in 1941 and survived the war because his wife gave birth to a baby in 1946.
This Gipsy Moth was built by D H Ltd. at Stag Lane was and registered to W.L.Everard at Ratcliffe in January 1933 where it was used by the Leicester Aero Club until being sold to Hull Aero Club on 25th October 1938. The accident at Clifton on 2nd April 1939 saw repairable damage and what would have been a Cat.R/FA damage assessment. On 4th August 1939 it was registered to London Transport Sports Association at Broxbourne but on 11th December 1939 it was impressed as X5132 then on 19th December 1939 flown to 20 MU at Aston Down for storage. On 3rd December 1940 it went to Sound City Films Ltd. for use as an airfield decoy but this was only brief as on 1st December 1941 it was struck off charge by 20 MU. It had clocked up a total of 1694.55 hours flying from new.