Date:	Sunday 17 March 1940
Time:	03:00
Type:	Handley Page Hampden Mk I
Owner/operator:	50 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L4063
MSN:	VN-
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Windy Gyle, Cheviot Hills, Northumberland, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Leuchars, Fife

Narrative:
On the night of 16-17/3/1940, two aircraft of 50 Squadron, RAF, took-off from RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, for a night-time security patrol in the Heligoland Bight. Having completed the patrol, both aircraft were diverted to R.A.F. Leuchars in Fife, Scotland due to bad weather at base.
Nothing of interest in the patrol area was reported. One aircraft (L4164) made a safe landing at Leuchars. However, the second, Hampden, L4063 piloted by F/O AYRES and 2nd pilot P/O ADDIE crashed into hills at Windy Gale, (Opposite Cock Law Foot, Morbattle) in the Cheviot Hill, of Northumberland, at around 2,032 feet AMSL on the Pennine Way about 12 miles SSE of Kirk Yetholme near Jedburgh while making for Leuchars in the early hours of the morning on the 17th. All four on board were killed.

The aircraft’s instruments were thought to have been fed incorrect QDM’s due to QDM equipment failure which led to the aircraft descending to 2000 feet in the area where hill tops were 3000 feet. A memorial has recently been erected on the crash site..

Later on 17/3/1940, two pilots, P/O BULL and P/O PILCHER flew to RAF Leuchars, possibly in connection with the loss of L4063. They returned on the 18/3/1940, performing an anti-submarine patrol from Leuchars on the way.
Nothing of interest was seen however the aircraft was intercepted by a Spitfire and after firing recognition signals the Spitfire disengaged; friendly fire was to cost many lives during this war. L4164 returned from RAF Leuchars to RAF Waddington later in the day

Crew:-
Pilot : Flying Officer Vivian Howard Ayres RAF 39479 [Killed] - buried: Cardiff (Cathays) Cemetery
2nd Pilot : Pilot Officer Peter Aubrey Forrester Addie RAF 41646 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 31 October, 1939) [Killed] - buried: Oundle Cemetery
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant George Albert Rowling RAF 514444 [Killed] - panel 19 Runnymede Memorial
Rear Gunner : Leading Aircraftman Allan Vincent Wallace RAF 550802 [Killed] - panel 24 Runnymede Memorial

Up until the 1960’s a considerable amount of wreckage, including the engines, rear fuselage and outboard wing sections were present at the site. It is believed that these were removed by helicopter but their ultimate fate is unknown, some sources claiming they went to the Otterburn Range to serve as targets.

Despite this, up until the mid 1990’s there was still a considerable amount of small to medium sized pieces still to be found in the main impact crater, and on the opposite side of the hill, the underside of the nose was partly buried in a stream. However these final remains were recovered from the site by the Lincolnshire Aircraft Recovery Group (LARG) and now only small fragments are to be found at the scene.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 23)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/101: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141923
3. http://www.aircrashsites-scotland.co.uk/hampden_w-gyle.htm
4. http://www.wtdwhd.co.uk/Wyndy%20Gyle.html
5. http://acia.co.uk/1940/03/17/hampden-l4063/
6. https://www.thesouthernreporter.co.uk/news/cadets-in-repair-mission-to-wartime-bomber-memorial-on-cheviots-1-1182802
7. http://www.planetrace.co.uk/1940-1949_28.html
8. http://www.no-50-and-no-61-squadrons-association.co.uk/app/download/5802508903/50+SQUADRON+ORB+1939+1943+Revision+1.pdf.
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2716790/ayres,-vivian-howard/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2949534/addie,-peter-aubrey-forrester/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1809511/wallace,-allan-vincent/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2940683/rowling,-george-albert/
13. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
14. Bomber Command Losses (1939-1940) WR Chorley, page 32
15. CWGC

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Aug-2008 01:36	Anon.	Added
21-Jan-2012 07:54	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Narrative, ]
06-Jul-2013 18:19	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Narrative, ]
02-Feb-2015 16:43	Xindel XP	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
07-Mar-2018 00:02	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, ]
07-Mar-2018 00:03	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative, ]
06-Jun-2019 17:48	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
22-May-2022 16:42	Anon.	Updated [Destination airport, Narrative, ]
21-May-2024 09:10	Nepa	Updated [Time, Location, Destination airport, Operator, ]
01-Aug-2024 10:47	Nepa	Updated [Destination airport, Narrative, Operator, ]
31-Oct-2024 10:05	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
13-Jul-2025 08:40	MMR	Updated [Cn, Source, Narrative, ]