Grostenquin France

The following detail pertaining to the Crash of F-86 Sabre 19234 was provided by Ron Collier, from his book "Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks". Ron functioned as the official historian for the Dark Peak Wrecks for a number of years.

As darkness was falling on Tuesday, December 15th, 1954, a single engined jet fighter tore down Holme Valley passing low over the village of Holme. A number of inhabitants of Holmfirth and the village of Holme saw the aircraft fly towards the high ground near Holme Moss television mast. As it disappeared from sight over the brow of the hill there was a tremendous bang and the darkening sky was lit with an orange glow.

Within minutes the police had been notified and shortly afterwards the local fire engine and other vehicles were climbing up the steep and winding road towards the television mast. The fire engines from Meltham, Marsden and Elland followed later. First onto the moor was the landlord of the Fleece Inn, Mr. Harry Shaw. He decided to proceed alone to try and find the crashed plane. Although there was a strong smell of burning in the night air, he was unable to locate the wrecked fighter and, after an hour, he returned to the television station where a large crowd was gathering.

A search party was formed of seven firemen and six policemen, led by the gamekeeper Mr. Kenneth Tinker of Meltham. As they set off by the light of torches a bittering wind lashed them. The moor was covered in drifted snow from a storm of the previous week and the ground was trecherous under foot - visibility was down to a few yards.

Finally the darkness yielded a faint glow and the crashed Sabre, with Royal Canadian Air Force markings, was located. The wings had been torn away by the impact but the fuselage around the cockpit area was intact. Of the pilot there was no sign and at first it was suggested that he might have bailed out. However, one of the party pointed to the ejector seat, which was still firmly in position, although the cockpit canopy was shattered. It was obvious that the aircraft's occupant had been catapulted out and must be in the vicinity. A search was instigated around the front of the wrecked plane, but they were only able to find the pilot's hemet. It was decided to try again next morning when it was daylight and they made their way back to the station.

Half an hour after the party arrived back, the RAF Mountain Rescue Team from Harpur Hill, Buxton, turned up and once again, Mr. Tinker volunteered to lead another party out to the site of the crash. When they got to the plane they widened out in their search for the missing pilot, reasoning that a man travelling in an aircraft at maybe four to five hundred miles per hour, would continue to do so, even if his machine had come to a dead stop. Sure enough, some 80 yards from the fighter plane they came across the body of the pilot.

As the stretcher party carried the body off the moor winds of up to 60 miles an hour were blowing and rain was lashing the rescuers. Visibility was down to a few yards. They were guided back by searchlights at the TV station. These were turned and pointed into the air by BBC engineers to act as beacons. The dead Canadian pilot, Flying Officer Patrick V Robinson, aged 28, had only been married a few weeks previously. He was taken to the mortuary at Home Valley Memorial Hospital.

The crashed fighter was a Canadair built version of the American F-86 Sabre. The type was designed and built by North American Aviation of California shortly after the end of the Second World War. With its swept back wings it became the classic fighter of the jet age, and arrived in time to take on the Russian built MiG-15 in the Korean War. Canadair of Montreal built upwards of 2,000 Sabres under licence, designated F-86Es and went on to supply the sound barrier breaking day fighter to other air forces of NATO countries.

With the "Cold War" in its infancy, strong defences in Europe were being built up and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization came into existence - Canada being one of its members. Part of Canada's commitment to the treaty was to European air defence, and for that task the RCAF chose the best fighter in the western world with which to equip its squadrons. Bases were provided in England, France and Germany.

On September 23rd, 1952, Canadian 430 (Silver Falcon) Squadron along with two other squadrons in number 2 Wing, took off from Uplands in Canada and flew in stages via Iceland and Scotland to Grostenquin in France. One of the pilots of 430 Squadron taking part in "Leapfrof 2" was Pat Robinson. The ferrying operation, in easy stages, took two weeks to reach the base in France.

After many months in the front line squadron in Europe, taking part in exercises and shooting competitions, Pat Robinson was seconded to 137 (T) Flight operating from Ringway.

At various placed in England civilian contractors were engaged in extensive refurbishing of both RAF and RCAF Sabres. Former RCAF Sabre 2s were done up at Ringway prior to the aircraft being transferred to Greece and Turkey, whilst Sabre 4s of the RAF were reconditioned and then sent to Italy and the non NATO country of Yugoslavia. The work involved a complete overhaul of both engine and airframe. Everything was removed, dismantled and checked, then new parts were fitted where necessary and modifications made.

Once the overhaul was completed to the satisfaction of the inspectors the test pilots then flew them. It was whilst Sabre F-86E, 19234, was being test flown from Ringway by Pat Robinson that it flew into the hillside.