Sergeant Douglas Barker Crabtree was born in Sowerby Bridge, the son of Frederick Alfred Crabtree.
He attended Tuel Lane Infants' School, Clay Street, Sowerby Bridge, before moving up to The Boys School, New Road, Sowerby Bridge.
He was educated in Sowerby Bridge; a fitter / carpenter's apprentice
In 1940, he married Beryl Astwood in Calder District.
Children:
During World War II, and he served as a Sergeant with 616 Squadron and fought in the Battle of Britain.
On 3rd July 1941, he was on a mission to attack the French town of Lille, when he was shot down. He bailed out at 3,000 ft and was captured by a German patrol. He was locked in a barn overnight and escaped through a hole in the wall. He was fed and clothed by French farmers. He met a small group of British and Canadian soldiers and went to Paris, Tours, Marseilles, Barcelona and Gibraltar before returning to England on 26th August 1941.
The family went to live in West Hartlepool. He became an instructor and manager at Greatham Airport, West Hartlepool.
He was mentioned in Dispatches.
He was awarded
On 24th June 1950, he was piloting a privately-hired plane from West Hartlepool to Blackpool when he lost his bearings and landed in a meadow at Brockthorn Farm, Tosside, Skipton. He waited for the mist to clear and then he took off again. As he did so, the plane caught the top of a stone wall. A wing was ripped off and the plane turned over, crashed in the next field and burst into flames. All 4 people on board were killed.
His brother Conrad scattered Douglas's ashes over the North Sea.
On 2nd November 2012, a Memorial Plaque was presented to Tuel Lane Infants' School by Squadron Leader (Ret) David Dinmore MBE DL in honour of Sergeant Douglas Crabtree, and accepted by the Headmistress Janet Shaw
It is said that a street is to be or has already been named after Douglas Crabtree on a new housing estate in Ovenden
This & associated entries use material contributed by Mark Andrew & Janet DiMaria
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