PATRICK ESMOND REEVE (grave 84)

A typical Canberra crew at Scampton with their aircraft.

By now, Scampton had entered the jet-age with the arrival of the English Electric Canberra. The aircraft was a massive leap forward, flying twice as fast as the Lincoln, which it replaced. With this increased performance came increased risk, especially since the capabilities and limitations of jet aircraft were not yet fully understood.

Canberra WH669 of 10 Squadron was being flown from Scampton by its pilot, Flying Officer Reeve and his two crew, Pilot Officer John Golden Woods (Navigator Plotter) and Pilot Officer Vivian Owen (Navigator Observer).

The crew had been on a continuation training sortie which had taken off at 2pm. Fifty minutes later the Canberra made a successful let down from high altitude and overshot Scampton to practice another. It is presumed that the aircraft was then climbed to 30,000 feet to position for a let down to Scampton once more.

For reasons that the Board of Enquiry were never able to establish, Pilot Officer Reeve lost control of the aircraft and it entered a high speed dive.

Although he tried everything in his power to slow the aircraft down, including extending the air brakes and opening the bomb bay, he was unsuccessful and the aircraft struck the ground at Dilhorne near Cheadle, just eleven minutes after departing Scampton.

Farm workers at the scene saw the aircraft at high level suddenly stall and go into a steep dive from which it did not recover. The pilot jettisoned the canopy, but was unable to effect an escape before the aircraft crashed. Although there is little left today to show that such dramatic events took place, a close examination of the crash scene will still reveal some scattered wreckage.