RAF hero survived war to be killed in mid-air collision

Jump to: navigation, search

Discovering how his grandfather, Derby war hero Flt-Lt Cyril Ingleby, met his death in an air crash two years after the end of hostilities has been a fascinating and emotional process for Simon Wilkins, of Co Meath, Ireland – as he recounts here.

Wellington Bomber crewmen in front of a Wellington at RAF Feltwell in 1942. Flt-Lt Ingleby is in the centre, directly in front of the propeller

July 4 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the last mid-air collision in British air space.

The accident happened when an RAF Transport Command York plane collided with an SAS (Scandinavian Airlines Skymaster) airliner while both were circling in bad weather, awaiting instruction to land at Northolt airport, just outside London.

Seven people lost their lives on the RAF York and 32 on the SAS aircraft when they both crashed in woods near Northwood.

The RAF York was carrying Sir Edward Gent, the British High Commissioner for Malaya, whom it was rumoured was flying home to resign his post due to a disagreement with the Government.

Among those also killed on board the RAF aircraft was Flight Lieutenant Cyril Ingleby, of Parker Place, Derby.

He had served in the RAF throughout the Second World War in various Bomber Command squadrons, surviving countless combat operations, including one occasion when he was the only crew member to survive a crash.

Flt-Lt Ingleby and Constance outside Buckingham Palace on the day he was awarded the DFC

In 1942, at Buckingham Palace, he was awarded the DFC for gallantry, after making 60 bombing trips over Germany. It was thus a doubly ironic and tragic blow to his family when he was killed, two years after the end of the war, on a non-combat flight.

Flt Lt Ingleby was buried at Nottingham Road cemetery on July 12, 1948.

The airman’s grandson, Simon Wilkins, has been researching the crash and how his grandfather died and is intending to visit the site on July 4. He wanted to remind Derby people, who may have known his grandfather, of the tragedy. He told Bygones: “My research into the crash has turned up copies of newspaper reports from 1948, including the Evening Telegraph, maps of the crash site, my grandfather’s RAF service record and even material from the crash investigation.

“It has been a fascinating process and, at times, quite an emotional one, particularly for my mother, Wendy Wilkins, who would have been just eight years old at the time of the crash.

“My mother and grandmother, Constance Morledge (formerly Ingleby) – she remarried – plus most of our family, including grandchildren and great-grandchildren, are mainly based in the Ilkeston area.”

Cyril Ingleby lived with his grandparents as a child after his father died when he was only six months old.

His grandfather, Mr A. Hughes, ran billiards rooms on Babington Lane and Normanton Road, in Derby. Cyril managed the Babington Lane rooms before joining International Combustion as a storekeeper.

An expert billiards player, as a teenager he competed in the Scottish Boys’ championships and played for Scottish Boys against an English Boys’ team. He also played for International Combustion.

He married Constance Armroyd, of Longford Street, in 1940.

Simon believes his grandmother would have been well-known as the postmistress at Rose Hill Post Office, Normanton Road, for many years, before she retired and moved to live in Chaddesden.

He said: “She was known as one of the seven Armroyd sisters, from Longford Street. During the Second World War, she served in the ATS at Markeaton Hall.”

[edit]

FEEDBACK

Did you enjoy this article? If so, why not comment on it? Perhaps you disagree with something in it, or you know something the writer doesn't and can add some extra facts. You may want to ask a question about this article. Making a contribution is easy - either click 'edit' to insert more information or 'discussion' and then 'add comment.' This is your site. Please feel free to use it to the full and share your memories, thoughts and knowledge about Derbyshire with others.

If there is no 'edit' link showing it means the article has either previously been published in the Derby Evening Telegraph, or it has been protected by the site administrator and cannot be edited.'

Other tags that are relevant to RAF hero survived war to be killed in mid-air collision

Help us to improve You&Yesterday by adding more tags to this article. Simply edit this page, find this area and add the words in a list separated by commas next to the *.

To find out more about tagging please click here.

County: Derbyshire

Return to You_and_Yesterday

Retrieved from "http://www.youandyesterday.co.uk/articles/RAF_hero_survived_war_to_be_killed_in_mid-air_collision"

You can edit or add to this article.