White Bear Bombardment Memorial

This memorial is located on the place where 6 people were killed by a German air raid on 16 April 1941.

"THIS STONE STANDS AS A MEMORIAL TO THE
FOUR CIVILIANS AND TWO SOLDIERS KILLED
ON THE NIGHT OF 16 APRIL 1941 WHEN
TWO ENEMY PAPACHUTE MINES LANDED ON
THIS SITE DESTROYING THE ORIGINAL
WHITE BEAR HOTEL AND SEVERAL HOUSES
THIS MEMORIAL WAS UNVEILED BY THE EARL OF SWINTON ON THE
8TH MAY 1995 THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF VE DAY

PAGE, H.C
SCAIFE, A.
SCAIFE, H
SWEET, A.L.
WATKINSON, D
WATKINSON, E.I."

Herbert (59) and Annie (62) Scaife and Douglas (32) and Elsie (31) Watkinson were buried in Masham Churchyard and are commemorated on the War Memorial.
The two Pioneer Corps Privates, Hubert Page (26) from Wootton Bassett and Alfred Sweet (25) from Tuckingmill in Cornwall were returned to their home towns.

The German Heinkel had been part of more than 100 aircraft bombing Tyneside and Teesside, somehow found itself over Masham with an engine fire. The crew jettisoned 2 parachute mines before crashing into a bridge at Huby near York. The Germans survived the crash and were captured.