Lodge Moor local history

[chill]

Originally posted by Cols

"Park on the A59"

 

Would that be in Harrogate then ?

That's one hell of a walk ....

 

I think you mean the A57. Seriously though, thanks for the info. I must give it a try one day.

 

Col S

 

Doh.

[carriewarr]

The Peak District Rangers are doing a couple of walks this year to the various crash sites. Here's the next scheduled one:

 

12th June

Seeking Sabres

A strenuous moorland walk over rugged terrain of about 10 miles, led by Steve Brown. Seeking out crashed aircraft remains on Mill Hill and the Northern Edges of Kinder Scout. Suitable for experienced walkers. Meet at Bowden Bridge (Grid Ref. SK048869) at 10:30am, finish at 5pm. Public transport links: bus service 358 to Hayfield Village, about 1 mile from Bowden Bridge.

 

http://www.peakdistrict.org/ranger50/allwalks1.htm

 

I think there's another scheduled later in the year - but it doesn't seem to be listed on their web site. Will try and dig out the paper I saw it in....

 

Cheers, Carrie

[Tony]

Originally posted by Bob_in_USA

Col,

I read your recent note which mentioned a jet which crashed at Lodge Moor with much interest. So I went and registered with the forum, and here I am.

 

I was raised in Lodge Moor up to the age of ten perhaps, and was there when the crash happened.

'Been looking for some time on the internet for some reference to the event.

 

It was an American F80 Shooting Star and crashed on to the hospital killing a woman, and the pilot I recall.

We lived along Lodge Moor Road, at number 28, close to the hospital perimeter and the family was gathered in the back room. I remember the flash thru the curtains and the bang. And my father and a neighbour running out to help.

 

Does anyone know anything more about this? I've never heard of an aircraft crashing at the Hospital.

[Cols]

The only info I know about it was from the book I read. You can find it at Broomhill Library in the local history section. It's written by a lady who worked at the hospital and is a history of the hospital and its patients. There's only a couple of paragraphs on the plane crash but here's some brief details....

 

The plane was a US Air Force jet.

I believe it run out of fuel.

It crashed into the hospital in about 1954/5 and started a fire in one building.

One, or maybe two, people were killed.

I think the pilot ejected and was unhurt (but Bob mentioned otherwise).

The story was well reported in the press.

[Highnote]

To go further back in the history of the area read the history of the Sheffield City Battalion,"Sheffield Pals" whose first depot was at Redmires on their formation.

[RichK]

There was a racecourse at Redmires, I think on the site of the camp.

 

See This thread

[wheaty]

Originally posted by Cols

The plane was a US Air Force jet.

I believe it run out of fuel.

It crashed into the hospital in about 1954/5 and started a fire in one building.

One, or maybe two, people were killed.

I think the pilot ejected and was unhurt (but Bob mentioned otherwise).

The story was well reported in the press.

 

 

The accident was indeed extensively reported in both Sheffield Newspapers - the Star and the Sheffield Telegraph. These are the salient details of the crash.

 

o Aircraft was a Republic F-84 Thunderstreak from the 3rd Air Force. A photograph of the crashed plane shows airframe serial number of 26692.

 

o Pilot was Lt. Roy G. Evans, 24, of Polaski, Tennessee who was attached to RAF Weathersfield.

 

o Flight originated from RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk and was for instrument training.

 

o Colonel Harold Bailer, base operations commander at USAF Burtonwood (Lancs.) arrived at crash site and said trouble started when flight was over Derbyshire. Burtonwood were only people with contact with pilot at the time by radio. The base could faintly hear the pilot, but the pilot could not hear them. Pilot reported "I have a flame-out.... leaving the aircraft". Pilot ejected in cloud after several attempts to re-start his engine over the Peak District at what was believed to be 2,500ft and was recovered on the moors east of Hathersage. Pilot suffered an injured ankle and was returned to USAF Burtonwood, the nearest US base "with very minor injuries".

 

o Pilot recovered to Hathersage police station who telephoned Burtonwood to say he would be returning to base.

 

o Plane flew over 8 other wards before crashing at just after 5.00pm on December 9th 1955.

 

o Impact speed believed to have been 300mph.

 

o Plane hit roof of Ward North No.2 before demolishing a covered connecting corridor and end of Ward North No.1 before coming to rest by the mortuary in two pieces.

 

o Blazing wreckage put out by fire brigade, preventing it spreading to other wards, despite exploding ammunition. This was due to a smashed gas main. Fire was under control by 7.30pm

 

o Wards occupied by 28 cubicles out of 32 capacity. Casualties deemed to be relatively light considering.

 

o Only fatality was Mrs Elsie Murdoch, 46, of Walkley, Sheffield. She was convalescing and was due to be discharged on the Monday (crash was on a Friday). After the crash, nurse Margaret Schofield, 20, ironically of Hathersage, stayed with her until she died.

 

o Injured people were all patients:

Florence Stanton, 67, of Wickersley, Rotherham (shock)

John Wilson, 12, of Manor, Sheffield (injury to left hand)

Patrick Handley, 13, of Upperthorpe, Sheffield (slight foot injury)

Sandra Williams, 10, of Rotherham (superficial injuries to legs, right hand and scalp)

Dorothy Corrill, 30, of Dalton, Rotherham (superficial injuries to scalp, face and hands)

Florence Burcoyne, 45, of Tinsley, Sheffield (slight Shock)

Harold Wilcockson, 47, of Woodhouse, Sheffield (cut finger and bruising)

 

o 19 year old nurse Nita Richardson was a patient (convalescing) and left her cubicle for a cup of tea when the crash occurred and shattered her cubicle - she would almost certainly have died had she not done this!

 

o Pilot unaware of death when he left Burtonwood hospital for his home base of RAF Sculthorpe.

 

o Colonel E. Salisbury of the 3rd Air Force was to investigate the crash. The following day, the USAF personnel present on site comprised Brigadier-General John "Troup" Miller (Burtonwood), four colonels, two first-lieutenants, and over 50 technical staff. B-G Miller visited Mr Murdoch, the dead woman's husband with Frank Kershaw from the hospital management.

 

o Messages of 'deep regret' sent by Major General Roscoe C. Wilson, Commander US 3rd Air Force.

 

==

 

I hope that clarifies things.

 

Please visit my website for extensive information on two aircrashes that happened in Holmesfield, North Derbyshire. The first was an RAF Gloster Meteor in 1955, the other was a USAF RF-4C Phantom in 1970.

 

http://www.millthorpeaircrash.org.uk

[fox20thc]

Many thanks for that information, Mrs Murdoch was my great aunty. Nice to put some detail to the family story.

[wheaty]

No problem - can you email me off-list, please?

 

I'm reseraching this crash for a book and I'd like to get in touch with Mrs. Murdoch's descendents. Thanks.

[algy]

Originally posted by oldtimer

Cols, you are probably right, but I just finished Googling Karl Doenitz. His bio says he was a british POW from 1918-1919 (not sure what months) but it didn't say where he was imprisoned!

Was Lodge Moor a prison back then?

According to what I heard at a talk the other day, it was a POW camp at the end of WW1, and Doenitz was a U-boat commander imprisoned there, the same one who succeeded Hitler after his suicide.