Peak District Air Accident Research

Handley Page Hampden Mk.I AE381 of No.50 Squadron, RAF, crashed at Cluther Rocks on Kinder 21st January 1942 in a blizzard.

The crew of AE381 were on a training flight from Skellingthorpe near Lincoln in weather not fit for flying, with high winds and blinding snow.  After becoming lost on a night cross country navigation exercise the crew made radio contact with Ringway.  They had over flown the airfield along the line of a now disused runway but had not been able to see anything due the snow and darkness, a radio message was sent to the pilot instructing him to turn through 180^o to make another pass over the airfield, before this turn could be executed the aircraft flew into the western edge of Kinder where it burst into flames and was totally destroyed.

A photo looking west from the crash site on the edge of Kinder, in the background is Kinder Reservoir.

One of two small collections of wreckage at the crash site, there are other small fragments spread about the area.

On the 14th February 2004 Mick Peters, nephew of Sidney Peters, placed a slate memorial plaque at the site bearing the details of the aircraft and crew. Below are two photographs showing the plaque.

Below is a photograph of Sidney Peters. Image Copyright Mick Peters.

The photograph below shows Sydney Peters while most likely at an Air Gunners' School since all of the people in the picture are air gunners, he is seated in the middle row on the left hand end. However it could also have been an intake photograph from an OTU as some would photograph each intake of each trade.

Image via Mick Peters.

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