Military Jet Crash at Frechville in the 50's

[Magsby]

Sorry Grammer a bit out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Puffin4]

Sorry Magsby, just me being a bit facetious; the old Nether Edge Grammar School will out! Add to that, half a lifetime in the RAF and that is the basis of my sense of humour.

 

I did actually witness the crash and have commented upon it earlier in the thread. I was a youth of about 14 or 15 and was in the back garden of my home at Richmond when the aircraft came over very low and making a bit of a racket. Seconds later there was a boom and flames over in Frecheville.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

[Magsby]

Thought this to be a friendly site. No other comment from me on this subject!!!!!

[Puffin4]

Hi Magsby,

 

I was not trying to be unfriendly, quite the opposite. My sincere apologies if I have acted outside the bounds of your expectations of the site.

 

Regards,

 

Mike

[son returned]

I seem to remember it was a jet belonging to the American Airforce it came down on the land next to the tram track where it crosses Birley Moor Road. I remember it because I had a piece of the wreckage. I was at Frecheville school at the time. It was said the pilot had engine problems and wanted to avoid hitting any houses, I think he died in the crash.

[carolg]

I remember seeing this just after it happened, the pilot did well to miss all the houses on the Hackenthorpe side and the Silkstone Road side of Frechville. We were stopped from walking across the field going to a relative's and had to walk round on Birley Moor Road and from there we could see the plane in the dip of the field although dark. The police told my parents the pilot must have been looking for somewhere to land with no street lights. I was about 10 at the time.

[JayLee38]

I was wondering what had happened then! Didn't notice the in the 50's bit and thought it was recent lol

[mickyboy]

I was wondering what had happened then! Didn't notice the in the 50's bit and thought it was recent lol

 

Ther's quite quite a lot of information in a book called "Shirebroook The forgotten valley" Very interesting book anyway for anyone from around there. Got it from Waterstones in town glossy and well illustrated. No author but published on behalf of Shirebrook Heritage group.

[little malc]

It's worth mentioning that the Gloster Meteor was almost impossible to control if one engine was lost. Because the engines were spaced out on each wing the asymmetric thrust from only one engine would be terribly difficult to cope with and if it was a trainee pilot flying then he would have little chance. A very large number of RAF pilots lost their lives flying Meteor's.