Date:	Monday 11 August 1952
Time:	12:45 LT
Type:	Gloster Meteor F Mk 4
Owner/operator:	215 AFS RAF
Registration:	RA376
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Firbeck Hall, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Initial climb
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	RAF Finningley, South Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Finningley, South Yorkshire
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
On the Monday 11 August 1952, a Meteor F.4 serial number RA376, located at RAF Finningley, and was one of the aircraft used by No. 215 Advanced Flying School RAF (AFS) had just taken off from the airfield for an exercise when it crashed close to Firbeck Hall on the Nottinghamshire/South Yorkshire borders, approximately 8 miles (13 km) from the runway. According to a published source (see link #5) the detailled account of the crash was as follows:

"In the summer of 1952, Meteor MK 4 serial number RA 376, was based at RAF Finningley, and was one of the aircraft used by 215 AFS (advanced flying school). On Monday 11th August at about 12.30 this aircraft took off for the start of a training exercise. Alongside was another Meteor, a two seat T7, being flown by the course instructor and carrying another student pilot. The two aircraft took off wing tip to wing tip in a southerly direction along the main runway. The stated intention that morning, was to carry out a formation flying exercise ('exercise 32'), above 2000ft.

The aircraft had been cleared for such an exercise, as the weather conditions had improved during the morning and the prediction was that this improvement would continue. The previous week of August had seen unsettled weather and a rain shower had crossed the airfield at midday. The pair climbed away from the airfield towards the cloud base at 1500 ft. As the instructor was about to enter cloud he noticed that his student in the MK4 had fallen behind and below. The pair were not in radio communication at this point, however, he entered cloud and emerged above to wait for his student to appear alongside, then the exercise could begin.

Firbeck Hall is about 15km south of Finningley, and the building and the grounds were then being used as a miners rehabilitation hospital. The hall was surrounded by several collieries of the North Nottinghamshire and South Yorkshire coalfields, and its use was now a world away from the exclusive country club of the 1930's. Freda Armstrong worked within the administration of the hospital, and had decided to spend some of her lunch break on the putting green.

It was a pleasant August day, and the putting green represented an ideal opportunity to relax before the work of the afternoon. She was suddenly distracted by the noise of a jet aircraft which passed rapidly and low overhead, she watched it disappear over the woods in the direction of Letwell, then moments later heard the sound of an explosion and saw a column of black smoke rising from the distance. Freda made her way to the hospitals' telephone and placed an emergency call with the local police, who confirmed that they had already received reports of an aircraft crashing".

The pilot was killed.

Crew of Meteor RA376:
PIlot Officer John Sim 'Johnny' KIDD (Pilot) RAF - killed on duty 11/8/1952

Firbeck is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with Nottinghamshire. It lies between Maltby and Oldcotes, off the A634 and B6463 roads.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.130 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Last Take-off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 Colin Cummings p 271
3. 215 AFS ORB (Operations Record Book)(Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/2/1952 to 30/6/1954: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 29/2143/3 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7162857
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Finningley#Post_Second_World_War
5. http://homepages.force9.net/tuxford/meteor/account_files/reduced.htm
7. https://www.morgan-academy-fpa.co.uk/tributes/john-sim-kidd-1952/
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firbeck#Second_World_War_onwards

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Mar-2021 22:10	Dr. John Smith	Added
18-Mar-2021 22:10	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
18-Mar-2021 22:11	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
19-Mar-2021 10:48	TGM	Updated [Operator, Location, Narrative, Operator]