Avro Anson Mk.XI NL185 from the Halton HQ Flight, RAF Bomber Command, crashed on The Cloughs near Edale, Kinder Scout, 23rd November 1945

 

Richard Douglas Speare Wing Commander Pilot Killed

 

On the 23rd November 1945 Wing Commander Speare was on a ferry flight from RAF Halton near High Wycombe to Feltwell near Thetford. For an unknown reason he had flown some 70o off course and with no navigation aids other than a compass in the poor weather that prevailed that day he became hopelessly lost.  Eventually he ended up flying across the southern end of the Pennines and flew into Kinder.

Wreckage at the crash site of Avro Anson NL185, The Cloughs, Kinder Scout, Edale
Shown in this photograph are some of the remains of NL185. Many think that these items are a part of NA Harvard FT415 which is about 150m away up hill, and are often moved to where this aircraft crashed. But these items can all be shown to be of Avro design, some have part numbers, others by their shape.
Wreckage at the crash site of Avro Anson NL185, The Cloughs, Kinder Scout, Edale
Another view, looking towards the Wool Pack, of the same wreckage taken in early 2007.
Armstrong Siddeley engine at the crash site of Avro Anson NL185, The Cloughs, Kinder Scout, Edale
Lower down the hill from where NL185 crashed is one of the aircraft two engines, this is slowly working its way down the hill.
Between two visits several years apart to this site the engine had moved quite a way.