May 29th, 1939 (MONDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: Rochdale, Lancashire: Ramblers out taking a Whit Monday Bank Holiday walk watched in horror as a small plane crashed into the hills.
It was 6.30pm when the Hillcom Praga aircraft left Barton Aerodrome for a leisurely cruise around the region.
It came into the Rochdale area over Royton, between Tandle Hills and Trows, then disaster struck.
Just before 7pm ramblers in fields in the Balderstone and Thornham district looked skywards, attracted by the noise of the plane's engine.
While they looked on the engine stopped, spluttered back into life then stopped again before what sounded like an explosion rang out.
Part of a wing fell off and dropped within 200 yards of Hill Crest in Castleton, home of C R Hartley, clerk to Rochdale Borough magistrates.
Other pieces fell on the railway sidings at Castleton, the recreation ground of Castelton Congregational Church on Heywood Road and a garden in Alexander Street.
The aircraft then turned towards Balderstone Fold and another large piece of wing fell away and landed close to Rop o' th' Hill Farm before the stricken plane crashed nose first into the ground against a fence in a field adjoining Kirkholt Farm.
An ambulance was immediately called and a fire engine also arrived with the brigade's equipment van but none were needed.
The wreckage did not catch fire while the two men were killed instantly.
One of them was David Johnston, 24, of Grove House, Drake Street, Rochdale.
A qualified pilot, he was a car salesman at Rochdale Motor Garage on Tweedale Street, having formerly worked at Collinge Motors on Maclure Road.
The other victim was Donald Smith Ferguson, a 26-year-old commercial traveller from Hull.
After the crash, Mr Hartley said of the plane: "Just as it passed over it seemed to do a big bank upwards and turned half right and the next moment it appeared to drop to pieces.
"For a moment or two it looked as though there had been a paper chase in the sky as small pieces came floating down."
Probably the nearest person to the crash was John Taylerson of Ramsden Road, Wardle, who had been sitting in fields near Top o' th' Hill Farm.
He said: "There was a crack and I saw a wing drop off and fall somewhere near the farm. Then the machine plunged down in a spiral dive and hit the ground."
One person left counting his blessings after the tragedy was Mr J W Waddington, son of the licensee of the George and Dragon pub in Castleton.
He was a colleague of David Johnston and had arranged to join him on that fatal flight, only to pull out at the last moment because of pressure of work.
(Rochdale Observer 2 February, 2002: From the Gank to the Mount)