Page 20 - Jigsaw December 2021

A GLANCE AT THE PAST
Hero pilot crashes plane near Islip Mill...
There will be people locally who remember the Oxmoor plane crash in Huntingdon on 3rd May 1977 when a Canberra Bomber from RAF Wyton crashed in Huntingdon, killing two aircrew and three children. Seventeen years before, a similar event could have occurred in Thrapston.
On Monday 30th May 1960, the actions of one man averted a potential disaster locally. Flight Lieutenant G. Thornally from Grimsby was on a routine training flight when over Thrapston in his Hawker Hunter F Mk 6 registration XF507 jet fighter, whilst diving
at 400mph from 28,000 feet during combat manoeuvres, he failed to pull out of the dive.
By the time he was over Islip, it was inevitable that the plane was going to crash. The pilot could have ejected leaving both communities vulnerable to a disaster. However, with commendable bravery he stayed in the jet
and guided it to within fifty yards from Islip
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Mill where it crashed. An eyewitness, Mr Russel Tilney who worked at the mill said “It came down like a flash of lightening. He had obviously done his best to get it clear of the village and probably saved a far more serious accident. Wreckage was strewn over about 150 square yards and a haystack caught fire.”
The aircraft, shown above from a stock photograph, began production in 1956, the first of 383 were delivered to the RAF in August of that year. Later, Fokker and Fairey Aviation produced a further 237 aircraft for the Dutch and Belgian Air Forces. It remained the RAF’s frontline fighter until 1963.
The crash site is shown being behind the tree on the right, photographed by me during the summer. I didn’t go far into the site, although others have told me there is still a slight indentation in the land.
This became national news with, amongst others, the Daily Mirror and Birmingham Post reporting the crash on Tuesday 31st May. It is possible that some pictures of the event were taken although I have not to date discovered any.
My thanks to Tony Sanders for suggesting this topic. Thanks to everyone who has contacted me as a result of these local history articles. I still have a number of potential topics for future items, suggestions are always welcomed.
Contact: ericfranklin2@hotmail.com
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