Wreckage find leads to search for pilot’s relatives

Flight Sergeant Angus McBean was killed when his Blenheim K7091 crashed into a field at Hempholme, near Driffield, during a night training exercise at 1.15am on May 6, 1942.

Although the site was cleared and his body was recovered and buried in his home town of Durham at St Cuthbert’s Churchyard, more wreckage was recently discovered when trees and woodland were being cleared during restoration work at Tophill Low nature reserve, which borders the site.

To honour his memory, Yorkshire Water, which runs the reserve, would like to invite relatives of the 25-year-old to attend the unveiling of a memorial at the site on the 70th anniversary of his death.

A new bird-watching hide named after Flt Sgt McBean will be officially opened, where a memorial plaque and a small unit telling the pilot’s story will go on display, alongside the aircraft parts which have been found.

Richard Hampshire, warden at the reserve, said he thought the pilot may have crashed after mistaking the moonlight shining on the River Hull for the aerodrome lights at RAF Catfoss, where he was trying to land. That stretch of the river had been straightened in the 1800s to ease navigation for traffic on the river.

He said: “He was undertaking night-flying training circuits and landing practice when he is thought to have lost site of the local airfield’s lighting, with his plane striking the ground near Standingholme Farm, near Hempholme. It may have been that he saw the river gleaming in the moonlight and tried to land.”

Mr Hampshire said volunteers at the site, one of whom used to be an aircraft engineer, wanted to find out more after discovering the wreckage.

He said: “Once we cleared the trees out we found these bits of aluminium wreckage and started looking into it. We knew a Halifax came down a mile away from the site and thought it was a bit too far away to be that.

“A lot of RAF logs say a Blenheim came down at RAF Catfoss, but an RAF crash card does record a crash at Hempholme, at Standingholme Farm, on the other side of the drain.”

Aerial photographs taken in 1946 appear to show a possible crash site in a meadow and the farming company which owns it has given permission for a search of the field by Cottingham Metal Detectorist Society this Sunday for further aircraft fragments.

Mr Hampshire added: “It was only when we uncovered bits of the wreckage that we learnt of the tragic story of Flight Sergeant Angus McBean.

“From that moment on, it seemed only right to do something that honoured his memory, and as we’ve created a new bird-watching hide near the location of the crash, we thought it would be a good idea to name it after him in order that he be remembered forever.

“We have tried tracing existing family members but have struggled so far, so we’re hoping that if there are any relatives reading this now, or friends who might be able to point us in the right direction, they’ll get in touch with us, as we’d very much like to have them present at the unveiling.”

Flt Sgt McBean was a member of 2 Operational Training Unit (Coastal) being trained to fly twin-engined fighter and strike aircraft.

Contact Mr Hampshire on 01377 270690 or email [email protected].