Trafford

Born during the September quarter 1910 in the Hull R.D. - ref: 9d/305, the
son of Joseph & Jane Hannah Short, (nee Atkinson).

1911 Census - 2 Ada Avenue, Ena Street, Hull, Yorkshire.   Son - aged: 9
months - born: Hull.  Head of household - Joseph Short - Married - aged: 42
- occ: Blacksmith - born: Ulrome, Yorkshire.   Also - Jane Hannah Short -
Wife - aged: 34 - born: Gristhorpe, Yorkshire.   Plus 3 elder siblings.

Married Vera Ryder during the December quarter 1934 in the Sculcoates R.D.
- ref: 9d/318.

1939 National Registration.  St. Louis, Holderness Road, Kingston upon
Hull, Yorkshire.   Ambrose Ryder - Married - born on the 6th May 1887 -
occ: Newsagent & Tobacconist.  Louisa Ryder - Married - born on the 25th
May 1890 - occ: Unpaid Domestic Duties.  Ambrose Ryder - Single - occ:
Newsagent & Tobacconist.   Vera A. Short - Married - born on the ???? 1909
[during the June quarter 1909] - occ: Unpaid Domestic Duties.   Bernard
Short Single - born on the 1st September 1938.   At this time, Bernard was
already serving in the RAFVR, so would not be listed anywhere in the 1939
records.

The Yorkshire Post & Leeds Intellegencer dated the 17th November 1943 -
Divorce proceeding were heard before Mr Justice Oliver yesterday.  Vera
Annie Short was granted a Decree Nisi against her husband - Bernard Short,
an officer with the Air Transport Auxiliary, Manchester with a woman named
Murphy.

See also - the excellent website www.afleetingpeace.org/the-ata/index/php

On the 2nd April 1943, the port float of a Walrus he was piloting, hit the
ground on landing at RAF Kirkbride. 

AM118 - At the time of his death, he was flying a Halifax MkII Bomber - No.
JP182 with four Merlin engines.  In bad weather conditions, at 12.30 hrs,
he crashed the a/c into Eel Crag, between Crummock Water and Derwent Water,
4 miles south-west of Braithwaite, Cumbria, while ferrying the a/c from
45MU (Kinloss) to 5MU (Kemble).   He had flown a total of 1,914 hours, of
which 89 were on Halifaxes.    Eel Cragg is the second highest peak in the
Lake District.

From - http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/lakes/jp182.html  There
are also photographs of segments of this a/c that 

On 24th January 1944 Halifax JP182 aircraft took off from Kinloss airfield
in Scotland, on board was an ATA pilot and an ATA flight engineer who were
to fly the aircraft down to Kemble in Wiltshire just prior to it being
flown to the Middle Eastern/North African theatre of operations. Whilst
flying in poor visibility and with high winds effecting much of the country
the two airmen became lost over northern England. Because the ATA aircraft
carried no navigators it was probably common practice when lost to locate
the coastline to work out their position, in this case the crew had been
attempting to divert to land at Kirkbride airfield near Carlisle so they
were probably attempting to fly west and locate the west coast and then fly
north-east to Carlisle. The pilot would have known Kirkbride airfield as he
had made landings there before with earlier ATA flights. The Halifax was
not flying high enough as it crossed the Lake District and at around
12.30hrs the aircraft crashed into Scot Crag, on Crag Hill/Eel Crag
mountain to the west of Keswick killing the two on board instantly. The
bodies of the two crew members were recovered at the time but due to the
nature of the crash location and the weather the recovery of the wreckage
took several months to carry out and during this operation a member of the
RAF fell and required hospital treatment. LAC J R Hopps (624894) was
admitted to the Mary Hewitson Cottage Hospital in Keswick with serious
injuries. The UK National Archives hold much more information in files AVIA
15/3619 and 3620.

Halifax JP182 was built to contract B.124357/40 by The London Passenger
Transport Board at Leavesden as a B.II Series.1a and was awaiting
collection on 20th December 1943. Before the end of 1943 it was delivered
to No.1 OAPU (Overseas Aircraft Preparation Unit) at Kemble for preparation
for service overseas. As a result of the accident in the Lake District
Cat.E2/FA damage was recorded on the paperwork and at the time of the
incident it was in the hands of 14 FPP based at Ringway. The aircraft may
well have crashed while it was on the return leg of a test flight with the
Kemble to Kinloss part of the flight being successful.

Those killed - Pilot - F/Cpt Bernard Short ATA, aged 33. of Hull,
Yorkshire. Buried Ringway Churchyard, Cheshire (Row 3, grave 4).   Flight
Engineer - Snr F/Eng Arthur Bird ATA, aged 29, of Edenbridge, Kent. Buried
Edenbridge Cemetery, Kent (Grave 292A).

Bernard learned to fly at the Hull Aero Club in 1937, gaining a Royal Aero
Club Aviator's Certificate (Cert. No.15381) on 22nd September 1937, at that
time he was working as a newsagent (his in-law's business). He later took a
job working for North Eastern Airways Ltd. When the War begun he briefly
served in the RAF but left to join the ATA and served in the ATA until his
death in the Lake District. While ferrying aircraft he was involved in
three mishaps prior to this incident near Braithwaite; on 30th August 1941
he was the pilot of Leopard Moth AV986 which was force-landed on Rushup
Edge in the Peak District and was damaged when he attempted to take off, on
20th February 1943 he was the pilot of Walrus W3070 which was damaged in a
flying accident in high winds and on 2nd April 1943 he was the pilot of
Walrus X9482 which crashed on landing at Kirkbride, Carlisle in a strong
cross-wind. He left a young son - Bernard Short Jnr.

Death registered during the March quarter 1944 in the Cockermouth R.D. -
ref: 10b/687 - aged: 33.    His widow - Mrs. D.A. Short resided at 1009
Holderness Road, Hull, Yorkshire.

He has a CWGC headstone on his grave in Ringway (St. Mary's P.C.) Church
which is now closed and is being used as offices.  It does not have any
personal M.I. on it.