Avro Lancaster RA571 , Beamsley Beacon , Skipton ,Yorkshire RAF Leeming, 5th November 1945

A quick run out with Tricia to the the hill of Beamsley Beacon north of Skipton ,Yorkshire to revisit the site of the sad crash of Avro Lancaster RA571 .
The bomber with a crew of 6 and 2 ground crew had taken off for a local training fight from its home base at RAF.Leeming , Yorkshire on the 5th November 1945 heading south the crew carried out all of the requirements of the flight including a 'George' test and turned for home but poor weather had closed in over the hills loosing sight of the ground the crew called for a fix from Leeming receiving one they tried to also get a visual with the ground which sadly led to the bomber impacting the high ground of Beamsley Beacon , impacting low boggy ground behind the hill top and bursting into flames the bomber broke up .

Of the crew and passengers Four were lost in the crash four survived, one a Sgt Joseph.P. Belanger managed to make his way to a local farm to raise help for the other survivors lying injured on the hill.
At the site today little shows the events of that day a shallow bare area well hidden by the heather is still littered with small remains dug out from a burial pit and scattered by the local sheep a quick look about found buckles, fuses,, a webbing end cap, button surround, and a toggle switch plus many more small parts .

Lost on RA571 =
F/O Walter.F.Conley RCAF
F/Sgt Arnold. E.Stinson RCAF
F/O Wallace.E.Lang RCAF
Cpl William.J.Ellis RCAF
Survivors=
F/O Alan.P.Coleman RCAF
F/Sgt Francis.J.Moran RCAF
LAC Reginald.E.Henderson RCAF
Sgt Joseph.P.Belanger RCAF

P-38G 42-12928 Baxton fell 78th Fighter Group 26th January 1943

Last site from my visit to the moors is about 1mile away from the remains of P-38G Lightning 42-12905 on Dunsop Fell , this is the wreckage of P-38G 42-12928 Lying on Baxton fell this plane flying in formation for delivery to Ireland collided with 905 , 905 fell immediately to the ground 928 piloted by 2nd Lt S.White carried on for some distance then either through injury to the pilot or damage to the plane dived onto the moors with the sad loss of the pilot .

On the moors today there is a large shallow scar containing many parts heading away from the impact nearby is a collection of wing remains plus many other parts in a scatter down the slope .

Crew=
2nd Lt S.L.White
Last picture is of the memorial stone placed near the track at the bottom to the fells this lists the crew and planes lost in this part of the hills a very thoughtful and welcome reminder to the passerby of those lost

P-38 42-12905 of the 83rd FS, 78th FG R.A.F. Goxhill Lincolnshire Dunsop Fell 26-01-1943

The first site of my visit into the North was to the crash site of P-38 42-12905 of the 83rd FS, 78th FG R.A.F. Goxhill Lincolnshire .
The plane was part of a large group being flown to Langford Lodge in Ireland 26-01-1943 for conversion to desert standard for service in North Africa afterwards the pilots were to return to base to start transitioning to P-47s.

The group heading north into the worsening weather that blanketed the moors of the Western Pennines struggled to maintain formation in the heavy cloud this pushed the young men to their limits, tragically 2 of these young men were to be lost when two of the aircraft collided over the mass of Dunsop Fell , 42-12905 crashed almost immediately with the loss of the Pilot

At the site today in a low boggy area a small collection of remains lie partially buried looking about I could see no crater or scar indicating the aircraft broke up before impact nothing else was seen on the surface though other bits may lie under the grass

Crew=
1st Lt H.L.Perry

Lancaster PA411 of 230 O.C.U R.A.F.Lindholme December 20th 1948 Tintwistle Knarr Glossop

Final one of my last trip to the peak district is the last few remains of Lancaster PA411 of 230 O.C.U R.A.F.Lindholme flying a night training flight on the night of December 20th 1948 , the bomber with a crew of 5 and 2 instructors was to have stayed close to Lindholme but strayed too far west into the hills around Tintwistle gaining a signal from its home base the pilot believed he was much closer to home and was letting down when the bomber stuck the slope above Tintwistle Knarr.

Exploding into flames the tail section was found complete below the main wreckage indicating the pilot had seen the hill at the last second and was trying to climb, all 7 onboard tragically lost their lives in the crash .

One of the usual crew Fl/Sgt R.Walker was not on the flight he was returning to base from his honeymoon when he learned of the fate of his crew who had all attended his wedding the week before. Walker had previously escaped a terrible crash with sad loss of all the rest of his crew in February 1945 when the Halifax he was tail gunner in, crashed and exploded at R.A.F Leconfield .

At the site much has changed since my first visit in 2006, back then the site was littered with remains along a shallow peat scar today the site is covered with new growth with only a collection of the larger parts of undercarriage and prop parts remaining visible. Without digging about I did find some small parts in a burnt area below the site but nothing else was visible .

Crew =
Fl/Sgt J.S.Thompson
Flight Lieutenant P.M.Maskell
Fl/Sgt R.Smith
Fl/Sgt V.Graham
Sgt W.A.Love
Crew instructors
Fl/Lt T.L.Johnson
Fl/Sgt D.W.H.Harris