This is still the only site with GPS verified, precise and accurate grid references for all of the peak district crash sites where any wreckage remains. We also have many in Wales, Yorkshire, and Bowland.
We are still active, and are in the process of updating the site, which has been rather inactive for a few years due to work commitments.
The much looted crash site of NT266 on Pockley Moor, Yorkshire still had these undercarriage parts as of last week. Look on ebay for the rest.
Location: SE 62039 92492
A tough 19k in fog and rain brought us precious little of this aircraft which crashed at night in low cloud and rain on Riggs Moor.
The poor visibility around here which did for all but one of the crew of the Wellington has caused us a few problems too. The weather was relatively fine until we came to the search area, and visibility then dropped dramatically, just as it did last time we were here.
We were out of light before we had a chance to complete our search, and had to do a couple of K over cloughs and groughs in the dark, which was a good navigation exercise. We found this lightweight bit, around 400mm square, but I'm pretty sure we were almost 100m from the main site.
The crash site is big, and having been assured it could be seen from 100m (if only you could see that far), we are certain we will get the main site at our next attempt, (especially as I spotted it on Google Earth this morning!)
Location: SE 02205 73365
More Info
1. The new crater (illustrated) is very similar in appearance to the one on Black Edge, known to be a V1 site.
4. We have seen no other V1 sites which are a flat black scar on the peat like the supposed V1 site on Howden Moor. All other sites are sharp-sided craters like the new candidate.
5. We have evidence from Tomsk that scraps found at the supposed V1 crater come instead from a Luftmine B parachute mine. Here's a Luftmine B:
Note the distinctive cross section of the fins, and their five rivets. Here's a bit recovered from the old site with that cross section and five rivets:
6. Tomsk also identifies parts found at the new site as belonging to a V1. Here's the bolt which holds the warhead on on a museum piece:
Here's something which looks very similar recovered from the site:
Here's the guillotine mechanism which cuts the cables to send the V1 into a dive:
So our initial scepticism has been greatly tempered. The new location seems far more likely to be correct than the commonly held one. The sixth comment on this post also contains seemingly confirmatory information from the Imperial War Museum including these pics. Thanks Dave.
It'll be interesting if others modify their opinions and websites to suit. More interesting still will be who they credit-Mick tells me that Alan Clark for one is simply following us around the sites we have visited in Wales nowadays without crediting us, judging by the updates to his site.
New Location: SK 18224 97083
We found this bit of aircraft aluminium on our walk to the Halifax, more or less halfway between the reported crash sites of the Halifax and a Wellington.
Location: SE 10236 67759
Pretty much the whole of this Piper Cherokee remains at Ashfold Gill Head on the moors above Pateley Bridge
Location: SE 07420 68358
A poignant message seemingly left recently by the 22-year old pilot's son on the wing of the aircraft.
A pit containing large pieces of aluminium skinning from Halifax DG404 on Brown Hill Plain (some give it as Heathfield Moor or even Ashfold Side Beck) on the moors above Pateley Bridge
Location: SE 09570 67520
One of the two groups of good-sized wreckage at this Halifax crash site
Location: SE 09592 67502
And for you serial number fans, here's a detail from a bit of wreckage carrying an embossed serial number with the "57" prefix indicative of a Halifax.
We went up to Yorkshire yesterday in search of some bigger bits of aircraft wreckage. There are at least seven 'planes downed on Great Whernside, above Kettlewell in the Yorkshire Dales, so we gave that a go. Nice village. Big hill, on such a warm day.
This bit was found on the far side of the Mosquito wreck site from the Halifax crash location. Serial numbers and inspection stamps we found on the part however suggest that it is from the Halifax. The wreckage fields for Mosquito and Halifax are therefore overlapping. They did crash very close to each other. Details of the Halifax and Mosquito in the following posts.
Location:SE 00070 73490
A Mosquito undercarriage with various recognisable and and molten bits on Great Whernside on the North Yorkshire Moors.
A chunky home-made cross has been acquired since Richard Allenby's visit, but it seems that its accompanying plaque has been destroyed.
Location:SE 00024 73473
More info:Richard Allenby
We are casting our net a little wider now, as the wreck sites in the Peak are often now just a few scraps of aluminium.
We bought a few more books, and made contact with some people in surrounding areas, like Yorkshire.
We went out this week to try our luck on Ilkley Moor, and found the Halifax up there with accurate coordinates from Richard Allenby. His suggested site for the Whitley near Cowper's Cross was however probably fruitless.
Ilkely Moor was more like a country park than real moorland, but nice enough...You wouldn't believe the trouble we had finding a pie in Ilkley, would have been easier to get guacamole than mushy peas. Eeh, it's posh up North...
Our search of the area around Cowper's Cross yielded this twisted bit of aluminium. It was a long way away from the area we were advised to look in, and it doesn't look anything like the bits of wreckage previous hunters claim to have found. We are not convinced, but just maybe...
We are not sure if there are two Whitleys on the Moor, or one. Richard Allenby told us one, but his website shows two...
Location:SE 103 457
Further info(Richard Allenby)
This wreckage pile is not featured on other sites. It is quite a way from the memorial and its associated smaller wreckage pool. We'd probably have found those without help, as they are right on the path, and the memorial stands out, but this one is more or less down to Richard Allenby's assistance.
Location:SE 093 467
More info(Alan Clark)
More info(Richard Allenby)
