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Author Topic: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors  (Read 6540 times)

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wilts rover

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WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« on November 09, 2017, 10:59:11 pm by wilts rover »
I heard tonight that there were three aircraft that had crashed 'on Thorne Moors' that were still there and occasionally at least one of them bobs up to the surface and can be seen. Anyone on here know anything about these and/or where exactly they might be?

These are additional to the Spitfire found at Swinefleet, the Wellington on Lindholme Moor (where the Polish Memorial is) and the Australian Lancaster that crashed near Crowle killing all on board.



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DN8ROVER

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #1 on November 09, 2017, 11:24:45 pm by DN8ROVER »
Found this on the Memories of Bygone Moorends site

 In 1944, a short while after 'D Day', a Halifax crashed on the moors, apparently near the Verhees' and Smits small holdings on the edge of the moors.  Three French airmen were helped to safety by the farmer's families, apparently another two airmen were trapped and died in the aircraft.  The plane gradually sank, disappearing into the wet peat before the bodies could be recovered.  The authorities inspected the site, which had been roped off and decided not to recover the plane.  A wooden cross was erected on the site and it is said that the Verhees' sisters took flowers regularly and laid them beneath the cross.  In 1947 there was a fire on the moors and the cross was destroyed.  It is said that the wreckage has still not been recovered.

A Vickers Wellington, flown by Australian airmen, crashed in the area between the Winning Post and the Social Club one night in 1942.  All but one airman was killed.  Apparently, the engines were failing and the plane rapidly lost height when it approached the village, the pilot knew that it was going to go down, the crew were already bailing out but he persevered and managed to manouvre the plane away from the built up area, thus probably saving many lives and damage to property.  Sam Atkins lost two horses that were kept in a field nearby, they were killed as a result of the aviation fuel exploding.

In November 1939, one of our planes that was stationed at Finningly, ran out of fuel and crash landed into the Warping Drain bank.  After minor repairs and refuelling, it was dragged into the field, took off and returned to Finningley.

Here is a link to the site

http://www.memories-of-bygone-moorends.com/

hoolahoop

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #2 on November 10, 2017, 05:35:06 am by hoolahoop »
I heard tonight that there were three aircraft that had crashed 'on Thorne Moors' that were still there and occasionally at least one of them bobs up to the surface and can be seen. Anyone on here know anything about these and/or where exactly they might be?

These are additional to the Spitfire found at Swinefleet, the Wellington on Lindholme Moor (where the Polish Memorial is) and the Australian Lancaster that crashed near Crowle killing all on board.

You mean other nationalities were involved in WW2 , I was led to believe that we won it all on our own ;)

glosterred

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #3 on November 10, 2017, 09:14:50 am by glosterred »
I was told many years ago that a Polish aircraft crashed and the pilot was never recovered. And when Lindholme became a prison there were certain parts of the prison where the old hangers were, that even the guard dogs would not go to and there were reports that it was haunted. I think sometime in the 80/90’s the pilots was recovered and the guard dogs have started to go into that area. I believe this was all reported in the local paper of the time.

Found these links

http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/eb190.html
http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york41/w5557.html
http://aircrashsites.co.uk/raf-crash-sites-1942-1945/



« Last Edit: November 10, 2017, 09:20:10 am by glosterred »

The Red Baron

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #4 on November 10, 2017, 12:48:08 pm by The Red Baron »
My dad worked at Lindholme when it was still a RAF base, although he worked across the road from the hangars. There were a lot of stories about ghostly airmen.

drfchound

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #5 on November 10, 2017, 01:43:02 pm by drfchound »
When we were kids we spent a lot of time on the moors.
There was a tale about a ghost, known as Lindholme Willie.
I bet Donnywolf has heard of him.

Filo

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #6 on November 10, 2017, 01:50:58 pm by Filo »
Went rabbiting around Lindholme when it was in diduse before the prison, a very spooky place

Highland Rover

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #7 on November 10, 2017, 02:08:53 pm by Highland Rover »
Lived at Lindholme in the late 1950's and the ghost story was well known amongst the kids !

Have also worked there , at 840 SU over the road from the airfield

bahrain rover

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #8 on November 10, 2017, 02:22:15 pm by bahrain rover »
I am waiting Donnywolfs input, I think this is right up his street. (nearly ;) )

glosterred

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #9 on November 10, 2017, 03:45:59 pm by glosterred »


Have also worked there , at 840 SU over the road from the airfield

The old Northern Radar building.



The Red Baron

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #10 on November 10, 2017, 05:29:03 pm by The Red Baron »


Have also worked there , at 840 SU over the road from the airfield

The old Northern Radar building.




That's where my dad worked. 1966-1977, when it closed.

StocktonRover

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #11 on November 10, 2017, 07:11:42 pm by StocktonRover »
I’m guessing he would have been there the same time as my dad then.
He was a WO at Northern Radar.

Donnywolf

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #12 on November 11, 2017, 07:39:19 am by Donnywolf »
When we were kids we spent a lot of time on the moors.
There was a tale about a ghost, known as Lindholme Willie.
I bet Donnywolf has heard of him.

Sure have heard of Lindholme Willie (but had forgotten "him").

Spoke to my mate - an old timer about this last night and he says three Planes have crashed on the Moors

He has worked and walked on the Moors being subcontracted by the Peat extraction Companies for 40 or more years

There is the Halifax on Thorne Moors which are between Moorends and Goole and although he knows to within 200 Yards where it is he has never found it nor anything from it

There is a Wellington on Hatfield Moors (which are behind the Prisons and go towards Wroot) and that Site is well known and marked

Also there was a Meteor (Jet) that crashed almost I think he said as the war was ending. The Site for that is  / was  also well known. Locals at the time thought it was a Hurricane but it was established as a Meteor which were still being developed and would go on to be mainstream RAF Aircraft
« Last Edit: November 11, 2017, 08:04:48 am by Donnywolf »

Donnywolf

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #13 on November 11, 2017, 07:50:41 am by Donnywolf »
I’m guessing he would have been there the same time as my dad then.
He was a WO at Northern Radar.

I got to know a nice bloke that worked there too as well as Goose Bay and other far flung outposts. He was a dream member of our Quiz Team as he had such a brilliant niche knowledge

He got it he said by having hours weeks and months in those far flung places to read avidly which he had done and usefully could recall almost all of it when asked

wilts rover

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Re: WW2 Air Crash Sites on Thorne Moors
« Reply #14 on November 16, 2017, 08:55:32 pm by wilts rover »
Thank you all for your input - this is what I have so far.

Wellington W5557 SM-G - 305 (Polish) Squadron RAF.
Crashed on Hatfield Moor, 27th September 1942, on return to RAF Lindholme from a raid on Cologne killing four of the six crew. It is still there and was 'rediscovered' by Fisons in the 1970's when they began draining the area. The crash site is the one marked by the memorial on Hatfield Moor.

All the crew were accounted for at the time so 'Lindholme Willie', the body of the Polish airman discovered by workmen on the moor in 1987, was not from this plane.

Lancaster ND639 - 1667 HCU, RAF Sandtoft
Crashed near Medge Hall on 5th April 1945 during a training flight from Sandtoft killing all of the mostly Australian crew. It is this plane that was in the news a couple of years back when there was a plan to put a wind turbine somewhere in the area it is thought to be. It sank so fast that only the remains of five of the crew were able to be recovered, two are still onboard, hence the fuss.

Halifax EB190 GG-H - 1667 HCU, RAF Sandtoft
Crashed on Thorne Moors east of Moorends, 25th July 1944 during a training flight from Sandtoft. Four of the crew died in the crash, two in Doncaster Hospital and two survived. I believe this is one of the crashes mentioned on the Moorends website and might be the one your friend knows Wolfie.

Halifax EB149 GG-C, 1667 HCU; hit a pylon whilst returning to RAF Sandtoft on 19th March 1944. 4 killed, 3 injured. Some of the crew were Canadian so these may be the 'Frenchmen' mentioned on the Moorends site.

Halifax DK133, 1667 HCU; crashed during night flight training 6th September 1944, killing all onboard.

No Meteors seem to have crashed on the Moors during the war but Meteor 8, WH278 came down near Sandtoft on 22 May 1954.

The photo is the Polish Memorial.

 

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