Vickers Wellington Mk.XI HZ251 / 38 of No.6 (Coastal) Operational Training Unit, crashed at Low Bradley on the 23rd September 1943

Vickers Wellington Mk.X at the Royal Air Force Museum

 

Franciszek Ciaston Flight Sergeant PAF Pilot Killed
Wladyslaw Ostrowski Sergeant PAF Co-pilot Killed
Jozef Wolnik Flight Lieutenant PAF Navigator Killed
Abram Kawenoki Sergeant PAF Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Killed
Boleslaw Rychel Corporal PAF Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Killed
Boleslaw J. Swieca Corporal PAF Wireless Operator / Air Gunner Killed
Jan Czyzewski Corporal PAF Air Gunner Killed

 

The crew of HZ251 had flown a cross country navigation exercise on the 22nd September from their home station at RAF Silloth in Cumbria, they landed at RAF Skipton-on-Swale near Thirsk in North Yorkshire at the conclusion of the exercise. Just after midday on the 23rd they took off to return to Silloth, instead of flying direct across the North Pennines the crew had taken a southern route, possibly to reach the Irish Sea and follow the coast back to Silloth. While close to the town of Skipton the aircraft suffered catastrophic structural failure and crashed into / adjacent to the Leeds-Liverpool Canal close to Bridge 183 a short way South West of Low Bradley, killing all onboard.

Crash site of Vickers Wellington Mk.XI HZ251 beside the Leeds Liverpool Canal at Low Bradley, Skipton, North Yorkshire
The location of the crash site of HZ251 is marked with a small memorial next to the tow path.
Memorial at the crash site of Vickers Wellington Mk.XI HZ251 beside the Leeds Liverpool Canal at Low Bradley, Skipton, North Yorkshire
This is memorial cross at the crash site, in the background is the A629 Skipton – Keighley road and Bradley Ings beyond.
Memorial at Bridge 183 on the Leeds Liverpool Canal, Low Bradley, Skipton, close to the crash site of Vickers Wellington HZ251, North Yorkshire
At Bridge 183, a short distance north of the crash site along the Leeds-Liverpool Canal, is a large memorial dedicated to the memory of those who died in the crash.
Memorial plaque near the crash site of Vickers Wellington HZ251 at Low Bradley, Skipton, North Yorkshire
This is the plaque set into the memorial with the names of the crew of HZ251.
Vickers Wellington HZ251 memorial, Low Bradley, Skipton, North Yorkshire
The memorial is signed from the car park at Low Bradley, this sign points across the swing bridge to the memorial.