12/02/1950 - Supermarine Seafire SX129

Lieutenant (A) Geoffrey Alan Beaumont of No 1831 squadron Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve was flying one of four Supermarine Seafires that took of from Royal Naval Air Stretton Nr Warrington at 14:00 hours under the command of Lieutenant Commander Richard Ian Gilchrist RNVR. After taking off together the flight of four Seafires climbed to 12,000 feet and headed West under control of the fighter Unit at Fazackerley, Liverpool. There were thick clouds from 3,000 feet to 12,000 feet, about fifteen minutes after taking off Lieutenant Commander Gilchrist entered the top of his aircraft into the main layer of cloud when something happened, his flying instruments toppled, possibly because he had too much bank on. After about a minute Lieutenant (A) Beaumont was instructed to take over the lead, whilst Lieutenant Commander Gilchrist climbed above the cloud, upon letting back down Lieutenant (A) Beaumont would have been in line with his port side and the other aircraft would have been on the opposite side in echelon. After losing contact Lieutenant Commander Gilchrist did not see Lieutenant (A) Beaumont’s aircraft again.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont’s aircraft had crashed at Adlington Common after apparently exploding in mid air, wreckage was strewn about the countryside and the port side wing severed a power line, cutting of the electricity supply for the immediate district for two hours. The engine and fuselage plunged into a field of soft clay to a depth of over ten feet.

A number of local residents had narrow escapes, Mr T Ince of Beehive Cottage was half asleep in bed when a part of the aircraft struck the roof of his house causing plaster and debris to fall on his pillow, a hole was made in the roof and as he looked up Mr Ince was able to see the Sky. With the buried engine in land at the front of her house No 1 Common End and the wing at the back Miss J Holt also had a lucky escape. Mr John Carr heard a loud explosion and rushing out of his house saw the air filled with wreckage.

Wing of SX129

After landing back at Stretton Lieutenant Commander Gilchrist traveled by car to Adlington with the Instructor and Doctor, once arriving here he was shown the wing of the aircraft, which he identified as SX129.

Mr Malc Fairclough recently recalled the events of that fateful Sunday, “I was walking up the common with my father to visit my grandparents farm, the aircraft was flying low as if it was going to land in a field,  it hit the roof of a house at Common End  with its landing wheels which made it shoot down into the field only a few yards past the house, it stuck into the ground nose first. I can’t remember everything that happened, but it has stuck in my mind for all of my life”.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont who was the younger son of Mr and Mrs H Beaumont of Meltham House Farm, New Mill, Holmfirth, who during the war had previously served for 4 ½ years in the Fleet Air Arm, attaining commissioned rank. After training in Canada he spent several months on Atlantic air patrols and then as a fighter pilot attached to the aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable off the Japanese coast. After the war he went to Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and the Fiji Islands on a grand tour with HMS Indefatigable.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont’s father recalled at the time “Geoffrey was mad on flying, it seemed to be in his blood. After he demobilised he wanted to join the service with his old rank, but as he could not do that he joined the Fleet Air Arm Reserve, at weekends he went to Stretton for training flights and had flown long distances, sometimes going up to Scotland and at other times to the South Cost. Many times he had flown over the family farm, during the last twelve months Geoffrey had not missed more than three weekends flying and that was when the station was closed”.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont’s mother recalled at the time “Geoffrey could not settle down after he left the service and flying was what he lived for”.

With 4 ½ years of wartime service and several years with the Volunteer Reserve Lieutenant (A) Beaumont had hoped to rejoin the regular service again. His commanding officer told his father that he would probably have been accepted to rejoin the regular service within a few weeks.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont was educated at Bingley and Holme Valley Grammar Schools were he was White House Captain of the latter and gained his school colours for football. He had also been a playing member of the Old Holmevalians Football Club. He had also been a member of the Holmfirth ATC, the New Mill branch of the British Legion, the David Brown Dramatic Society and the Thongsbridge Tennis Club. At one time he had sang in the Newmill Parish Church choir.

Prior to the accident Lieutenant (A) Beaumont had left home as usual on the Friday evening before the accident after finishing work at Messer’s David Brown and Sons Ltd, Lockwood where he was a machine hand.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont’s funeral with full military honours took place at Appleton Thorn, St Cross Churchyard, Warrington, Cheshire on Thursday 16^th February 1950 and was attended by a large number of airmen from Stretton along with a group of family and friends and the Commanding officer of No 1466 squadron ATC, Holmfirth.

Lieutenant (A) Beaumont's grave

Supermarine Seafire F.17 SX129 (Type 376), was built by Westland Aircraft under contract No FNo AIR/3853, order for 213 Seafire XV dated March 1944. They were built as XV/XVII between April and November 1945 and powered by A Rolls Royce Griffon VI, SX129 was delivered to the Receipt and Dispatch Unit, RNAS Culham on the 31^st August 1945, it was on the strength of No 807 squadron by the 18^th March 1946. Very little has been published about F.17 Seafires, they only served on front line squadrons for less than two years before being relegated to reserve and training squadrons, finally being withdrawn in 1954. The F.17 was the first Seafire with the cut down rear fuselage and teardrop canopy.

SX129 Crash Site - Spring 2002