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View Full Version : Late 1958 - Early 1959 crash near Sheffield/ Derbyshire/ Doncaster


Sapa
3rd Nov 2012, 18:05
Hi everyone. I've joined this forum to ask about something that happened to me when I was 4 years old! I've carried this with me all my life and need a solution to this mystery.
My mother left me alone a short time in the back garden and went to the shops with my younger sister in a pram. It had to be after September 1958 as my sister was born in May, and wasn't newborn, and before I started school, midterm, so before April 1959 and probably before February 1959 when I was 5. As she was going my mother said to me that I was old enough to stay behind a while on my own, as I was nearly 5 and going to start school soon. It was a dull overcast day, the plants didn't have many leaves.
I looked to see if there were any chickens loose over the hedge, an old woodyard where they used to run, and there wasn't any.
Then after a while I was sitting on the doorstep facing North East. (I've checked this) I saw a plane ahead of me, quite low on the horizon. I thought it was doing "tricks". It circled and flew in loops for quite a few minutes, then dived and came back up. Then after circling it dived again but didn't come up and I knew it had crashed. I was horrified and ran crying to a neighbours house to get someone to help the man inside it.
The next day my father placed a newspaper on the breakfast table in front of me with pictures of the crash. It wasn't on the front page and the picture took up half the page it was on. I heard people talking about it in hushed voices saying it had been too far away and in the wrong direction for me to see it. I think I saw a mirage of it in the high stratus clouds. I remember it was overcast.
It must have been close to the weekend because my father was a steelworker and was only home on Saturday and Sundays.

Any light on this would be greatly appreciated, it's bothering me in dreams as well now and I need to resolve it.

Atcham Tower
4th Nov 2012, 21:00
I think it must be this one 9 March 1959. Vampire from Linton-on-Ouse. There is more about it on the web if you Google.

Crashing Jet Misses Houses at Rotherham, March 9th 1959 (http://www.rotherhamweb.co.uk/h/extracts/1959.htm)

sisemen
7th Nov 2012, 14:33
Looks like a "I'll impress the folks/girlfriend. Watch me" scenario.

taxydual
10th Nov 2012, 08:31
Crash site of de Havilland Vampire T.11 XE854, and Memorial to Midshipman Ian Ferguson Wilson at Rawmarsh, Rotherham. | Flickr - Photo Sharing! (http://www.flickr.com/photos/maycontaintracesofnuts/3757781476/)

Old-Duffer
17th Nov 2012, 05:30
It was actually his parent's home he was beating up and he is thought to have lost control in cloud, as the aircraft was next seen in a left hand spiral dive.

The aircraft in question was a Vampire T11 of 1 FTS and was serialled XE854. The report generously concludes that, having departed from his briefed exercise, he indulged in unauthorised low flying and experienced conditions which were beyond his skill to cope with.

Old Duffer

Arriva driver
17th Nov 2012, 16:48
If I remember correctly Ian was on no. 75 Royal Naval Course at Linton on Ouse.
I am glad the memorial is to be tidied - I was there for the memorial service and dedication as the naval representative. He was much loved by his family.

fauteuil volant
18th Nov 2012, 16:52
It looks as if the circumstances of this crash were very similar to that discussed at The Return of the Prodigal Son - Meteor WS661 at Wadhurst (http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=182.0).