Bomber Command Memorial Register

Buckden Pike N.2848 Memorial

Buckden Pike, North Yorkshire

Complete Record
Confirmed location?

Location

Buckden Pike, North Yorkshire, North Yorkshire

what3words: ///courage.drawn.snipped

Narrative

On 30 January 1942, a crew of six Polish airmen from No. 18 Operational Training Unit took off from RAF Bramcote in Warwickshire on a cross-country navigation training flight routed via Carlisle, Newcastle and Hull. The weather deteriorated rapidly into widespread blizzard conditions. As the crew headed northwards for Carlisle they strayed to the east of their intended route. Catching a faint glimpse of a town below — unknowingly Skipton — they looped once around it and continued blindly into the Yorkshire Dales. Flying too low, the Wellington clipped a dry-stone wall on Starbotton Fell at the southern end of Buckden Pike and broke apart, scattering wreckage across the ridge. Four men were killed on impact. The wireless operator, Sergeant Sadowski, survived the crash initially, and fellow survivor Sergeant Fusniak built him a small shelter before setting off for help despite a broken ankle. In the blinding snowstorm, Fusniak noticed the tracks of a fox heading downhill and followed them. The fox's trail led him to the farmsteads at Cray, where he raised the alarm. Sadowski, tragically, died of his injuries before help could reach him. All five dead were buried in the Polish War Graves section of Newark Cemetery, Nottinghamshire.

Aircraft & Operation Details

18 OTU (Polish) badgeWith courage and faith
Aircraft Type
Wellington Mk.IC
Serial Number
N2848
Squadron
18 OTU (Polish)
Station
Bramcote
Date of Loss
1942-01-30
Operation Type
Training
Cause of Loss
Flew into hillside in blizzard conditions; strayed east of intended route after passing over Skipton

Crew (6 members)

RankNameRoleAgeNationalityFateBurial / Status
F/LtCzeslaw KujawaPilot—PolishKilledNewark Cemetery (Polish War Graves)CWGC
P/OJerzy Polczyk2nd Pilot—PolishKilledNewark Cemetery (Polish War Graves)CWGC
F/OTadeusz Jan BieganskiObserver—PolishKilledNewark Cemetery (Polish War Graves)CWGC
SgtJan SadowskiWireless Operator—PolishDied of injuriesNewark Cemetery (Polish War Graves)CWGC
SgtJan Andrzej TokarzewskiAir Gunner—PolishKilledNewark Cemetery (Polish War Graves)CWGC
SgtJozef FusniakAir Gunner—PolishSurvived—

About the Crew

F/Lt Czeslaw KujawaPilot

Flight Lieutenant Kujawa was an experienced Polish pilot who had escaped occupied Poland to continue fighting with the RAF.

Sgt Jozef FusniakAir Gunner

After the war, Fusniak settled in England. In 1973 he returned to Buckden Pike to build the memorial cross with help from local residents. The bronze fox's head at the base honours the fox whose tracks saved his life. He died in Cambridge in July 2017 at age 95.

Memorial Details

Type
Memorial cross on Buckden Pike with bronze fox head at base; incorporates duralumin from Wellington geodetic framework
Dedication Date
08/08/1973 (built by survivor Jozef Fusniak)

Memorial Care

national trust
Organisation
National Trust

Memorial cross on National Trust land. Originally erected by sole survivor Jozef Fusniak in 1973.

Local Contacts

These local organisations are connected to this memorial and may be able to help with information or visits.

Skipton Royal British Legionbritish legion

Local remembrance and memorial support

Further Reading

National TrustRetrieved 2026-03-23

The National Trust maintains a walking trail to the Polish memorial cross on Buckden Pike. The memorial was built by sole survivor Jozef Fusniak in 1973 and incorporates a bronze fox's head at its base, honouring the fox whose tracks led Fusniak to safety through a blizzard.

National Trust walking trail from Buckden villageApproximately 2-hour walk to summit at 2,303 ft

IWM War Memorials RegisterRetrieved 2026-03-23

IWM records the memorial to the Polish RAF Air Crew of Wellington N2848 crash site on Buckden Pike, North Yorkshire. The memorial was dedicated on 8 August 1973.

IWM reference: memorial/30083

Peak District Air CrashesRetrieved 2026-03-23

Detailed crash site analysis documenting Wellington N2848 of 18 OTU from RAF Bramcote. The crew strayed east of their intended route and the aircraft clipped a dry-stone wall on Starbotton Fell. The memorial cross incorporates duralumin fragments from the Wellington's geodetic framework concreted into its base.

Aircraft clipped dry-stone wall on Starbotton FellDuralumin from geodetic framework incorporated into memorial base

WikipediaRetrieved 2026-03-23

Wikipedia's entry on Buckden Pike documents the 1942 Wellington crash and the memorial cross erected by survivor Jozef Fusniak. The article notes the fox tracks legend and the memorial's significance as a popular walking destination.

Memorial is a well-known landmark on Buckden Pike summit

Sources

Credits & Acknowledgements

Record compiled by
Keith Binley
Heritage sources
National Trust (retrieved 2026-03-23)
IWM War Memorials Register (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Peak District Air Crashes (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-03-23)
Last updated 2026-03-23

Nearby Memorials

Great Whernside Halifax Memorial
Great Whernside, above Kettlewell, Pennines (North)Halifax1943-11-23
5.6 km
away
Colsterdale Halifax Memorial
Colsterdale, Slipstone Crags, North YorkshireHalifax1943-11-24
17.6 km
away
Low Bradley Mk.XI Memorial
Low Bradley, near Skipton, Pennines (North)Wellington Mk.XI1943-09-23
29.8 km
away
Halifax area Halifax Memorial
Halifax area, West YorkshireHalifax1944-02-07
54.3 km
away
Longside Edge serial) Memorial
Longside Edge, Keswick, Cumbria / Lake DistrictWellington (unknown serial)1942-12-16
58.3 km
away

Do you have additional information, photographs, or corrections for this record? We welcome contributions from researchers, families, and local communities.

Suggest a correction or addition