Sub/Lt Williamson, of 751 squadron had been assigned

to deliver P4223 to Ford that day. Williamson was a very

experienced pilot with over 10 years flying experience,

and was honorary secretary of the Yorkshire Light

Aeroplane Club. At the outbreak of war on Sept 3rd he

immediately volunteered for flying duties, and following

assesment, was given a posting to the Fleet Air Arm in

October 1939.

Having left Silloth heading South,the four aircraft ran

into a blizzard over the Pennines,and with high winds,

heavy snow and freezing tempretures,the Swordfish

with its open cockpit, was not a very nice place to be,

bad visability was also causing problems and the four

aircraft soon became seperated, Williamson caught in

a severe blizzard was forced off course and headed

too far east,ending up over the wild moorlands south

of the Yorkshire Village of Holmfirth,Nr Huddersfield,

Here, flying at a speed of over 100-mph, he struck a

hill at a location known as Heydon Head and was killed

outright.

Due to the heavy snowfall of Winter 1940, Sub/Lt

Williamson`s Swordfish lay dormant for over a month,

and was only spotted by chance when a County Council

workman, Mr John Davis,clearing snow from the A6024

Woodhead to Holmfirth road,noticed the strange shape

in the distance, and curiosity got the better of him and he

set off on a 2 mile trek to investigate,on arrival he was

shocked to find the dead pilot still strapped in his seat
in the wreck of an aeroplane, he rushed back down the

Woodhead road, and to the nearest phone, some 5 miles

away,and telephoned the local Police.

The pilot was soon recovered from the aircraft and the

coroner had established that cause of death was a

fractured skull, and he added that death would have been

instantainous.

On 13th March 1940, a party of RAF men went up to bury

the wreck at the crash site, the heavy snow still around

meant that the area was quite featurless, and with the task

completed the men set off back across the moor, however,

with night falling they became lost and were missing for over

20 hours. Eventually a local gamekeeper found them and led