ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 155585
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| Date: | Friday 31 March 1944 |
| Time: | 06:05 |
| Type: |  Handley Page Halifax Mk III |
| Owner/operator: | 578 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | LK797 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 7 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Ryhope Colliery, Hollicarrside, Ryhope, County Durham -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Burn, North Yorkshire |
On 30th March 1944, having now completed six sorties in Halifax LK797 'LK-E' - which the crew had named Excalibur- they took off on a raid against Nuremburg. Whilst still 70 miles from the target, they were attacked head on by two enemy fighters. Excalibur had two fuel tanks punctured, both the radio and rear turret disabled, the starboard inner engine was on fire and the intercom lines were cut.
Despite several determined attacks by a Ju88 nightfighter, and with the aid of his crew, Barton managed to avoid the attacks. Unfortunately following the first attack, the navigator, bomb aimer and wireless operator had misinterpreted signals given to them and bailed out. Despite these difficulties, Barton decided to press on to the target and drop his bombs.
Guided only by the Pole Star and his pilots flight map, Barton started for home, crossing the English coast ninety miles north of Burn. Low on fuel he ordered the three remaining crew to crash positions behind the main spar. Soon after three engines cut out and Barton attempted the forced landing. He made a gallant attempt to put down clear of the houses over which he was flying and the aircraft ploughed through several gardens and greenhouses. The rear fuselage broke off and landed in a deep railway cutting with the three crewmen inside. One civilian - Mr. George Heads, a miner on his way to work at Ryhope Colliery - was killed by the flying debris
Excalibur had crashed in the yard of Ryhope Colliery, Hollicarrside, Ryhope, County Durham. Pilot Officer Cyril Barton was recovered alive from the wreckage, but died of his injuries before reaching hospital. As a result of his selfless actions, the three crewmen (Freddy Brice, Harry Wood and Maurice Trowsdale) still on board LK797 survived. On 27th June 1944, Cyril Barton was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross.
Cyril Joe Barton is buried at Kingston-on-Thames (C.W.G.C. Ref. UK4253). Barton’s name and story was added to the war memorial on Ryhope village green in 1985 and a plaque was also unveiled at Cherry Knowle Hospital in 1991.
On March 31st 2014, the 70th anniversary of the crash, a new memorial plaque, of etched glass, was formally unveiled at Hopewood Park Hospital in Ryhope. The hospital was built on the site of Ryhope General Hospital, where Barton's body was initially taken for examination and identification. Cyril’s sisters Joyce Voysey and Cynthia Maidment were among the RAF representatives, dignitaries and staff from Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust who attended the unveiling of the glazed art work, which was designed by Dan Savage.
Sources:
1, http://www.neam.co.uk/ryhope.html
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_Joe_Barton
3. http://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/local/all-news/village-honours-its-wartime-hero-1-1115317
4. http://www.578squadron.org.uk/operations/barton.html
5. picture of wreckage http://www.578squadron.org.uk/operations/barton1.jpg
6. https://www.findagrave.com/page=gr&GRid=10466513
7. http://maldensandcoombeheritagesociety.weebly.com/remembering-cyril-barton-vc.html
8. https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/hero-world-war-two-pilot-immortalised-in-glass-1-6532662
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2434910/BARTON,%20CYRIL%20JOE
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Apr-2013 04:06 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 05-Mar-2017 22:21 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Mar-2017 22:56 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2018 19:06 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Operator, Operator] |
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