Does anybody know anything about this young pilot ? MOTTRAM AIR CRASH This plaque commemorates the untimely death of the young Polish pilot Joseph Gawkowski who died in a plane crash in the Londendale Valley on the afternoon of Sunday 19th July 1942. At just twenty years old, Pilot Gawkowski was flying a small ‘Miles Master Mark III, training aircraft from the Newton Airfield near Nottingham over to Glossop and Longdendale. Eyewitnesses have told of the deafening roar as the aircraft swept over the rooftops of Mottram. The pilot circled the village a couple of times before making a right turn, clipping a pylon wire with his aircraft wing. The aircraft then nose dived and crashed in the gully below Mottram. All who witnessed the sight on that fatefull summer afternoon have never forgotten the small yellow plane and its dashing young pilot. This event was recorded by Alan Jones, who unvelled this plaque on the 16th day of March 2006 along with Councillor S R Oldham CBE, Executive Leader, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council. Carl's Cam
There's a picture of him here Lest We Forget - RCAF & PAF Other than that, information about him seems sparse
Thanks K ! nice looking boy wasn't he ?? I can't find anything on him at all apart from the plaque ! Annie
Its a shame, but flying that low over a village, it does look as though he was playing silly b**gers. But I guess we all did daft things when we were twenty, on wheels, two or four, if not flying.
