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| Date: | Wednesday 26 October 1938 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 34 Squadron, RAF |
| Registration: | L1252 |
| MSN: | 34-H |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Lune Moor, Staple Moss, Mickle Fell, North Yorkshire, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire |
| RAF Kingstown, Cumberland |
On 26th October 1938 the crew of Blenheim L1252 ("H" of 34 Squadron) and at least one other from the same unit were undertaking a practice bombing raid and using Carlisle as their target. Both aircraft set out from RAF Upper Heyford in the south of England and headed north and landed at Driffield airfield, this was probably so they could refuel. They took off again and headed north-west and while over the Pennines they encountered poor weather and the two aircraft became separated.
It was thought that crew of this aircraft had opted to turn back and head for Catterick or had lost control in the cloud after turning to instrument flying. Over high ground and in bad visibility the aircraft iced up and lost height. Being over high ground losing height, put the aircraft in danger and it crashed soon afterwards with the three on board were sadly killed. Aircraft crashed on Lune Moor, Staple Moss, around the head of Hargill Beck to the South East of Mickle Fell, 6 miles West of Middleton-in-Teesdale, in the North Pennines, on the borders of North Yorkshire and County Durham.
Crew:
Pilot - Pilot Officer John Owen Sowerbutts RAF, aged 25. Buried Catterick Cemetery, North Yorkshire.
Wireless Operator (Observer) - AC1 William Ashbridge RAF (566675), aged 21. Buried Catterick Cemetery, North Yorkshire. ORB states he was a Fitter.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner U/T - AC2 Horace Redfern RAF (551643), aged 18. Buried Catterick Cemetery, North Yorkshire.
The three airmen were returned to Catterick and were buried alongside one another. It is likely that John Sowerbutts was born in the Skipton district of Yorkshire, he was a well-known rugby player of his day. William Ashbridge was born in Cockermouth and had lived in Frizington, Cumberland and Horace Redfern was born in Holywell, Flintshire.
Mickle Fell (2585ft/788 metres) is a typical Pennine (England) hill, comprising a massive area of gently-graded peat and heather moor. It has a curved summit ridge 1km in length orientated E to W. From the W this ridge rises very gently NE to the large summit cairn, then gently falls ENE to the 750m contour before rising again E turning ESE to a trig point at 758m marking its E end. There are minor crags to the S of this ridge.
SPECIAL NOTE: Mickle Fell is located on Warcop Artillery Range, the land being leased by the Ministry of Defence and shown on maps as a Danger Area. Access is strictly controlled and is allowed only by two routes, one from the N and the other from the S, both following the County Durham/Cumberland boundary fence to the Western end of the summit ridge. At the beginnings of these routes a red flag flies when access is denied, which is most of the time.
Sources:
1. The Northern Echo 16 May 2015: https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/12954559.Blenheim_bomber_crashed_at_Middleton_in_thick_fog/
2. http://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/crash_sites/pennines/bristol-blenheim-l1252-hargill-beck/
3. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939.htm
4. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/planes/dales/l1252.html
5. https://www.militaryimages.net/media/sowerbutts-john-owen.84943/
6. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-bristol-142-blenheim-i-mt-mickle-fell-3-killed
7. (paywall) https://www.flightglobal.com/FlightPDFArchive/1938/1938%20-%203172.PDF
8. https://www.peakdistrictaircrashes.co.uk/crash_sites/pennines/bristol-blenheim-l1252-hargill-beck/
8. https://www.militaryimages.net/tags/34-bomber-squadron/
10. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173584651/john-owen-sowerbutts
11. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173584652/horace-redfern
12. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/280116
13. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/280117/
14. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/280118/
15. https://durhamtrigs.com/mickle-fell-trig-point/
16. http://www.munromagic.com/MountainInfo.cfm?Mountain=585
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Feb-2008 01:28 | JINX | Added |
| 26-Feb-2008 01:31 | JINX | Updated |
| 24-Aug-2013 14:51 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 24-Aug-2013 15:01 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, ] |
| 15-Dec-2014 14:22 | Jixon | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative, ] |
| 28-Feb-2018 16:26 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 18-Mar-2018 00:14 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 06-Oct-2018 06:36 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 21-Aug-2024 18:04 | Nepa | Updated [Cn, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Operator, ] |
| 21-Aug-2024 18:05 | Nepa | Updated [Cn, Operator, ] |
| 10-Aug-2025 05:57 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator, Source, Narrative, Category, ] |
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