Memorial Title

FO H A Jones USAAF

Summary

Derbyshire War Memorials: a description of a composite WW2 war memorial to FO Hugh Jones USAAF at Tintwistle Knarr, Longdendale, Derbyshire.

Images

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Further images may be available on request.

Locations

Last known location:
Tintwistle Knarr
Woodhead Pass (A628)
Tintwistle
Longdendale
Derbyshire

Nearest postcode:
SK13 1HT

NGR:
SK 03927 99083 ±5m
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Location details:
Tintwistle Knarr is an area of remote woodland and heather moorland between Tintwistle and Crowden. It lies on the northern valley side of the River Etherow valley, Longdendale, north of Woodhead Pass and accessible only by very steep and arduous paths.
Five military aircraft have crashed in this area: if you visit this site please respect it and those commemorated, and especially do not remove items from the many débris pools.

Type

Overall type: Composite

Overall condition: Fair.

Description:

A composite memorial comprising a cairn with several crosses. The irregular cairn has been assembled by walkers over a period of years using large stones and pieces of débris from the crashed aircraft. Components have changed over time and a former inscribed wooden cross appears to have collapsed and broken up, whilst other crosses have been added. In 2018 a wooden cross and a small metal cross with a red poppy at its centre were the most prominent features but the remains of other small wooden crosses, including fragments of the inscription, were discernible within the cairn.

Glossary

Components:

Component	Material	Height	Width	Depth	Condition
Cairn	Stone, metal	c500	c2000	dia	Fair
Cross	Wood	c750	c400	c50	Lost
Cross	Wood	c750	c400	c50	Fair
Cross	Metal	c500	c250	c10	Good
Dimensions in millimetres ±5mm unless stated otherwise.

Inscription

IN
MEMORY
F.O. HUGH
ALLEN
JONES
USAAF
LIGHTNING P38J
42-67207
CRASHED 10-5-44

Conflicts and people named:
Conflict	Second World War (1939-1945)	Totals
Action or event	**
Number died	1	1
Number served and returned	0	0
Total names	1	1
** Although the event is not stated on the memorial it is now known to have been a training sortie.

Administration

Custodian: Not known

Local authorities:
From WW2: Tintwistle Parish Council; Tintwistle Rural District Council; Cheshire County Council.
From 1974: Tintwistle Parish Council; High Peak Borough Council; Derbyshire County Council.

History and Conservation

17th April, 1951: The memorial lies within the Peak District National Park designated on that date.

30th September, 2018: The memorial was surveyed by Jo Sellors and Baz Sellors. It was in fair condition.

References

Peakland Air Crashes The North; Pat Cunningham; Landmark Collectors Library; 2006; ISBN 1 84306 330 1; pp116-117: a comprehensive account of the site.

Comments

The aircraft was a USAAF P38 Lightning 42-67207 flown by FO Hugh Jones on posting from North Carolina. He took off from USAAF Station 345 (formerly RAF Goxhill) near Grimsby to take part in a flying exercise but once airborne he could not locate his flight due to cloud and requested permission to join a pair of aircraft whose exercise was a cross country navigation training flight. They headed due west until they reached cloud bank extending to ground level and the two other pilots were instructed to turn back. Subsequently the flight leader found that FO Jones was missing. It was deduced that he had become disorientated and rolled his aircraft over so when he attempted to climb he was actually descending until the aircraft struck the ground.

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