— I l § | | Wednesday, 22nd June, 1988 THE TEESDALE MERCURY 3 Many more planes came to grief in dale Castle and houses JUST FOUND: AIRCRAFT during war than local people realised in new brochure Visitors to the Northumbria John Yarker reckons that at including one Australian woman utncrtg the wreckage could have tourist region will now find it least 60 Allied aircraft crashed who was delivering a plane when uooii me cause. easier to obtain information about in Teesdale during World War II, it came down. ■ i his insirument was faulty, nine of the North East’s most THAT CRASHED IN 1941 with the loss of 84 lives. ftii.ci looks as if it was that way prestigious attractions. Most of the aeroplanes were Strangely enough fewer than a Defore the crash/' says John A new brochure, produced by on training flights or delivery runs An RAF fighter pilot dozen of the casualties were barker. "It would make the pilot members of the Historic Houses rather than in combat. was far off course and Pieces dug up after 47 years British. The others were mainly oeiieve he was higher than he Association in Northumbria, hopelessly lost when he and I got him to give me a flight. from Commonwealth countries. The total of crashes was prob­ actually was, and that could well which includes only those houses IBUTORS still in private ownership, gives baled out high in the sky “From the air I spotted a place ably far higher than most resi­ have been why he hit the in which the ground did not look dents imagined. Many seem to ground.” details of opening hours for the above the Cotherstone major castles—Raby, Alnwick and quite right. We went down for have heard of a handful of inci­ Among other items from this area at 3 a.m. on 7th May, Bamburgh. a closer look and found the Hurri­ dents but it is now clear that site was a gyro-compass in per­ It also gives information about 1941. cane had gone in there, four miles censorship prevented news spread­ fect condition. The Canadians, :sel more intimate houses, such as ing about the majority of them. three wounded and two unhurt, As Sergeant A. Haley floated from where I was first told it had Accidents of this kind were tramped away over the moors, Rokeby Park, Meldon Park, Pres­ down by parachute in the moon­ crashed.” often hushed up, both to prevent while the aircraft gradually sank ton Tower and Chillingham Castle, light he saw a silvery blue sur­ He spent his spare time for a loss of morale in this country further in and became covered and the white cattle at Chilling- face below—and, thinking it musit LS several months with his friends and to avoid letting the enemy over. ham. The north’s most luxurious be a lake, pulled off his heavy fly­ Terry Bateman and Vic Jackson, know what was happening. It was a different story when castle hotel, Lumley at Chester-le- RVICE ing boots. digging down to recover as many In some parts of Britain air­ a Whitley bomber came down on Street, is also included in the con­ sortium. hi AM AREA But in fact it was heather on pieces as possible, including a craft crashed with crew still on the moors between Eggleston and Copies of the brochure, which the moors at the top of Balders- horseshoe which the pilot apparent­ board and were never recovered. Stanhope in darkness in 1941, has received aid from the English dale, and when he landed on it a ly had in the cockpit with him. They are now classed as war killing the crew of six. It caught fire and German aircraft repeat­ Tourist Board through the North­ 1127 or few moments later he fractured Once he knew the make of graves, and nobody is allowed to edly bombed it, thinking they umbria Tourist Board, are avail­ CDERMOTT both his ankles. plane, the R.A.F. was able to disturb them if they are found were attacking the aluminium able from all tourist information Opm) The pilot was found some hours trace the date of its disappearance by chance. works in Stanhope. Soon after­ centres in the region, as well as later and taken to hospital, but from its records. It could also But all personnel were MION accounted for in those which wards Lord Haw-Haw broadcast from Northumbria Tourist Board the remarkable fact is that his supply details of the pilot, who that the works had been bombed, offices at Aykley Heads, Durham, plane, a Hurricane, has just been was based near Edinburgh and came to grief in Teesdale, so the though they had not been hit. and from Raby Castle, Alnwick dug up in pieces from the remote was sent that night to do battle Ministry of Defence welcomes the As far as is known only one Castle and Bamburgh Castle. spot into which it crashed. with German bombers over Glas­ efforts of serious researchers like John Yarker and his team, as a enemy plane came down in Tees­ After lying buried in peat for gow. He was supposed to be on way of completing the story of dale during the war. That was a 47 years it has been recovered— his way back to Edinburgh when what happened to them. German fighter which crashed at or at least several important pants he crashed in Teesdale, some 120 One of his most interesting Barford Camp after being shot by Service in grounds of it have—by John Yarker and miles off course. a band of other enthusiasts from finds was a Wellington bomber a Spitfires. Barnard Castle. As on other digs of this kind, few miles from Cow Qreen and In compiling the story of the of ruined abbey John Yarker and his team kept John Yarker with some of the pieces recovered from aircraft. some eight miles south east of men who flew the aircraft, one Mr Yarker, a senior prison I The ruins of Egglestone Abbey quiet until all the pieces were clear­ Alston. He made a lengthy search point which leaves a great im­ officer at Deerbolt, has traced the will be a hub of activity on Sun­ ed away, as they did not want He still has a lot of work to do time nor resources to search for ■ of that area after being told a pression on John Yarker is their remains of several dozen crashed day, 3rd July, when iBamard Castle souvenir hunters prowling round to trace -the exact location. Trickles them, and some that were found | Mosquito had come down 14 age. Many were teenagers or just aircraft all over Teesdale in the Christian Council holds an ecu­ the site. of petrol which surface in wet were simply buried or covered | miles south of Alston. over 20. Occasionally there was past 10 years, and has sent most weather can be one sign. over rather than taken away. menical service there at 3 p.m. of the pieces, along with photo­ He found large sections of the one as old as 24, regarded by Records show the Hurricane was Wellington thanks to severe winter everyone as a veteran. All Christian bodies in Barnard graphs and details of the locations, He has been fascinated by the Censorship meant the Mercury just three months old when it weather, which caused a peat "M o st of them had not been Castle and Startforth will partic­ to museums. crashed. About 3 cwt. of material whole subject of wartime flying and other papers could not report ipate and the service is open to He has a licence from the these crashes. As the years have mound in which it had lain hidden long left school, but after six or was recovered and taken to the and crashes since he was in the for over 40 years to collapse. all. People are expected from as Ministry of Defence to do this gone by fewer people are left with seven months of training they aircraft museum near Stokesley, R.A.F. as an aircraft fitter. From the evidence he gathered were flying fairly sophisticated far as Knaresborough. detective work as a hobby, and he but the engine has not been found. memories of them, and their ideas “I look on this work as preserv- on the spot the RAF was quickly aircraft in a major w ar/' he says. The senior and junior bands of gets a lot of help from Ministry It is thought it might have bounc­ of when and where any aircraft and R.A.F. officials to piece to­ j ing history,” he said. “The conflict did crash have become more vague. able to supply other details: the Barnard Castle School have volun­ ed on for some distance, and a in the air during World War II was bomber crashed on 20th August, teered to play and the service will gether the full story of any wreck­ search may be made for it later. Bank case deferred age he uncovers. one of the major battles ever fought “So it Is becoming more difficult 1942 during a training flight with be led by the vicar of Startforth, Some items, such as a brass plate by Britain—just as important in to find any other aircraft but I a crew of five Canadians on Officials of the Trustees Savings the Rev. Peter McCarthy, assisted It took him nearly 10 years to Bank were due to appear before find the Hurricane at the top of from the cockpit, are as good as its way as the Battle of Hastings. know there are certainly some board. It had a soft landing, by other members of the Christian Teesdale magistrates on Wednes­ Baldersdale after he heard stories new. A cork float recovered intact “iBecause of the war tremendous from the war years still hidden in thanks to the angle of descent Council. day on charges of displaying two of a plane crashing there and the from the petrol tank is important advances were made in the design remote parts of Teesdale,” said and a thick layer of peat— and as it shows there was no fire. and manufacture of aircraft, and John Yarker. amazingly all five walked away advertising signs on its Barnard The congregation is invited to injured pilot being helped by a Castle branch without the consent picnic afterwards but asked to local farmer. John Yarker, who has kept a that set the pattern for later years. “I mean to go on searching for alive. of Teesdale Council. leave no litter. An informal pro­ few small items from this and If it had not been for the war them for quite a lot of years It was the second time the “At various times over the years After hearing that the bank in­ cession will leave the Startforth side I tramped all over the area look­ other wrecks, is already on the there would not be a space shuttle yet. If anyone has any idea of Wellington had crashed. It had tends to plead not guilty, the court of Thomgate Bridge at 2-15 p.m. ing for signs,” he said. “But I trail of another crashed aircraft, now.” where there could be a plane, I will just been repaired and put onto adjourned the cases until Wednes­ For non-walkers there is a small found nothing until a friend of though like the others he is keep­ When planes crashed during the be glad to hear the details and training duty when it came down day, 6th July. car park at the abbey. mine was up here with a helicopter ing quiet about the area it is in. war there was often neither the investigate.” again— and an altimeter found m B

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