Date:	Monday 31 August 1936
Time:	day
Type:	Miles M.2 Hawk
Owner/operator:	Robert King Clark
Registration:	G-ACTD
MSN:	36
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Carr Grange Farm, Common Road, Conisbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Private
Departure airport:	York Municipal Aerodrome, York, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	Doncaster Aerodrome, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
First registered (C of R 5083) 24.5.34 as G-ACTD to Captain G.R.D. Shaw, Sywell Aerodrome, Sywell, Northamptonshire. C of A 4361 issued 23.6.34. Sold on and re-registered (C of R 6030) on 2.7.35 to Kenneth Crawford, Murrayfield, Edinburgh (aircraft based at Macmerry, Lothian). Sold on in July or August 1936 (but not officially re-registered) to Robert King Clark, York Municipal Aerodrome, York, North Yorkshire.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 31.8.36 when Spun on approach, Carr Grange Farm, Common Road, Conisbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Of the two persons on board, one was killed: 2nd Lt Henry Ninian Evelegh Frisby (passenger, aged 20) died 25.9.36 of injuries sustained. According to his obituary notice (see link #6):

"HENRY NINIAN EVELEGH FRISBY died on the 25th of September, 1936, from injuries received in an aeroplane accident at Doncaster on August 31st. He was in his 21st year, and had only recently been commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in The Manchester Regiment, stationed at Strensall".

2nd Lt Robert "Rex" King Clark (pilot/owner) injured. According to his biography (see link #7):

"During July" [1936] "he learned to fly at York airport, and bought a Miles Hawk Gypsy III soon afterwards. On the 31st August he flew this aircraft from York to Doncaster. His friend, Second Lieutenant Henry Frisby went with him. As Rex landed the aircraft stalled and crashed. Rex suffered a concussion and 'some facial injury', but Henry was killed. As Rex put it in 1986: 'The crash was entirely my fault...and that's really all I feel I can say about it, even...half a century on'.

After the accident Rex was told by the Air Ministry accident investigator that he was not to blame, and given 3 months sick leave."

Rex King-Clark was born on 27th November 1913. He was proficient at a number of things including motor racing driver, aircraft pilot, author and aerial photographer. He had learnt to fly at the York and Leeming Aero Club to whom he had joined as a flying member by October 1935. Both he and Frisby are listed in Flight Magazine as qualifying to fly solo in the first week of August 1936 and gaining their A-Licences in the same month. Later in August 1936 King-Clark bought G-ACTD and crashed it soon after. He later bought Miles Whitney Straight G-AERS and this was also based at York. In 1937 he was given permission to fly G-AERS out to Egypt and then back a few months later after serving with the 1st Battalion, Manchester Regiment. While in North Africa he flew the aircraft and took aerial photographs. He was awarded the Military Cross for his actions in Palestine in 1938. Having served in France during the Battle of France he was later to be evacuated through Dunkirk, being posted to India and Burma later in the War. He was awarded the MBE on 8th December 1953 for service in Korea. He died in 2007.

Henry Frisby was born in Chertsey, Surrey in 1916 and was the only son of Henry Guy Fellowes Frisby and Ruth Evelegh. As a young man he had attended St. Peter's School, York. Both he and King-Clark were serving officers in the 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment, based at Strensall Barracks in the mid-1930s. He is listed in Flight Magazine as qualifying to fly solo at the York and Leeming Aero Club in August 1936. He broke his back as a result of the crashing G-ACTD as well as sustaining other injuries and succumbed to these injuries on 25th September 1936. It is worthy of note that his father's brother was Cyril Hubert Frisby V.C.

Registration G-ACTD cancelled by the Air Ministry 2.4.38 due to "destruction or permanent withdrawal from use of aircraft"

1. http://afleetingpeace.org/index.php/15-aeroplanes/77-register-gb-g-ac
2. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_G-A5.html
3. https://cwsprduksumbraco.blob.core.windows.net/g-info/HistoricalLedger/G-ACTD.pdf
4. http://www.ukairfieldguide.net/airfields/Woodley
5. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1937.htm
6. https://www.stpetersyork.org.uk/assets/archive/0000/8941/28-284_JAN_1937.pdf
7. http://www.themenbehindthemedals.org.uk/index.asp?page=full&mwsquery=(%7BPerson%20identity%7D=%7BKing-Clark,%20R%7D)
8. https://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york36/actd.html
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Doncaster#Aviation_Centre

Miles Hawk Major G-ACTD was the prototype Miles M.2F Hawk Major. It was first registered to Captain G. R. D. Shaw and was flown by Mr Tommy Rose in the 1934 King\'s Cup Air Race taking second place. Mr Rose won the race the following year in a Miles Falcon. G-ACTD was then sold to and registered by Kenneth Crawford, of Murrayfield, Edinburgh (and based at Macmerry) from 2nd July 1935 to April 1938 when it was listed as destroyed or permanently withdrawn from use. Kenneth Crawford had actually sold the aircraft to Robert King-Clark in July or August 1936 but it was never registered to him, possibly as he crashed it first. The wrecked aircraft was taken away and remained stored for many years (at an unknown location) before being taken to York Aerodrome (Clifton) to be used as a target for a practice bombing demonstration at an air display after WW2 (possibly the airshow at Clifton in June 1951).

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
27-Dec-2017 16:30	Dr. John Smith	Added
27-Dec-2017 19:52	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
27-Dec-2017 23:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
29-Dec-2017 20:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
28-Jul-2025 17:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, Category, ]