RAF losses May 1940. An update.

Discussion in 'The War In The Air' started by Peter Clare, Aug 31, 2009.

  1. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    'The Battle Of France Then And Now' - Cornwell gives the following for 15 May 1940....

    59 Squadron

    Blenheim IV (no serial given)
    Shot down during strategic reconnaissance sortie between Dinant and Celles and crashed near Gembes 7.45 am. F/O. M I Murdoch captured Sgt. C A. Morgan killed, aircraft a write-off.

    ..............................

    I can find no report of the above loss in Bomber Command Losses. Vol.1 or in fact 'The Bristol Blenheim' - Warner - also Murdoch is not, as far as I can see, listed as a POW, nor is he listed as an evader. The Blenheim also usually had a crew of three.

    .............................


    From 'The Bristol Blenheim' - Warner

    19 May 1940.

    59 Squadron.

    Blenheim L4856. TR-K

    Took off from Merville at 1630 hrs for recce. Force-landed near Crecy at dusk low in fuel, aircraft destroyed next day by bombing. P/O. C. Wylie, Sgt. Liddiard and A/c. Houliham returned to UK via Cherbourg.


    Regards
    Peter
     
  2. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    40 Squadron
    Blenheim IV P6901 BL-
    Op. Ypenburg

    Took off 1549 hrs Wyton. Cashed near Voorburg (Zuid, Holland) in the SE outskirts of Den Haag, Holland.

    BCL Chorley

    Peter, do you know what happened to the third crewmember of this plane, Aircraftman 1st Class Webster? Was he taken POW?
     
  3. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    600 Squadron
    Blenheim I-F L1515

    Shot down by Me110s of ZG 1 Western Front

    The Bristol Blenheim Warner

    Name: ANDERSON, MICHAEL HERBERT
    Initials: M H
    Nationality: United Kingdom
    Rank: Pilot Officer
    Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
    Unit Text: 600 Sqdn.
    Age: 23
    Date of Death: 10/05/1940
    Service No: 90497
    Awards: Mentioned in Despatches
    Additional information: Husband of Priscilla Ann Anderson (nee Troughton), of Kingston, near Lewes, Sussex.
    Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 26.
    Cemetery: SPIJKENISSE GENERAL CEMETERY

    [​IMG]

    Name: HAWKINS, HERBERT CHARLES WILLIAM
    Initials: H C W
    Nationality: United Kingdom
    Rank: Leading Aircraftman
    Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force
    Unit Text: 600 Sqdn.
    Date of Death: 10/05/1940
    Service No: 800567
    Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
    Grave/Memorial Reference: Grave 25.
    Cemetery: SPIJKENISSE GENERAL CEMETERY

    [​IMG]
     
  4. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Peter, do you know what happened to the third crewmember of this plane, Aircraftman 1st Class Webster? Was he taken POW?


    Hi Pieter, Yes AC1. J A Webster was indeed a POW. Held Luft I / Luft III pow No.152
     
  5. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Hi Pieter, Yes AC1. J A Webster was indeed a POW. Held Luft I / Luft III pow No.152

    Thank you for the verification, Peter.
     
  6. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Quote:
    ECHLIN, ROBERT WYATT HAMILTON 77117 Pilot Officer (Air Gnr.) 10/05/1940

    600 Squadron
    Blenheim I-F L1401

    Shot down Western Front by Me110s of ZG 1.



    See this topic for more details on Pilot Officer Robert Echlin.
     
  7. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    Quote:
    ISAACS, LAURENCE DAVID 800520 Corporal 10/05/1940
    MOORE, CHARLES ROGER 90098 Flying Officer 10/05/1940

    600 squadron

    Blenheim I-F L1335

    Shot down Western Front by Me110s of ZG 1.

    The Bristol Blenheim Warner


    See this topic for more information on Flying Officer Charles Moore and Corporal Laurence Isaacs.
     
  8. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    WELLS, JAMES MICHAEL 90081 Squadron Leader 10/05/1940
    KIDD, BASIL ARTHUR 800235 Corporal (Air Gnr.) 10/05/1940

    600 Squadron Blenheim I-F L6616

    Shot down Western Front by Me110s of ZG 1

    The Bristol Blenheim Warner


    See this topic for more information on Squadron Leader James Wells and Corporal Basil Kidd.
     
  9. Rich Payne

    Rich Payne Rivet Counter Patron 1940 Obsessive

    58 squadron
    Whitley V N1361 GE-F
    Op. Communications

    Took off 2300 hrs Linton-on-Ouse. Believed to have crashed in the Ardennes region of Belgium. F/L. McLaren is shown as belonging to No.78 Squadron.

    BCL Chorley
    [FONT=&quot]
    [/FONT]

    :poppy: Flight Lieutenant McLaren's original temporary grave marker :-

    [​IMG]

    The remains of Whitley N1361 EY F

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    Peter Clare and Pieter F like this.
  10. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    ALLEN, DEREK HURLSTONE 39840 Flying Officer 15/05/1940 DFC
    85 Squadron
    Hurricane IP2828

    Baled out after combat with Me 110s of 5/ZG26 east of Ath, Belgium

    FCL Franks



    Previously commemorated on Panel 5 of the Runnymede Memorial, I wonder if anyone had noticed this posted on the CWGC website:-

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=31105&d=1278969446

    Rededication ceremony for identified Flying Officer


    [​IMG]

    06 July 2012

    A rededication ceremony will take place for the headstone of Flying Officer Derek Hurlstone Allen DFC on Friday 20 July.

    Flying Officer Allen was originally buried at Poix Du Nord Communal Cemetery Extension in France as an unidentified casualty. However, due to research by the Air Historical Branch of the Ministry of Defence, he has now been identified and his gravesite can be marked accordingly.
    Flying Officer Allen, a member of the Royal Air Force 85 Sqdn. who died in May 1940, was previously commemorated at the RAF Memorial in Runnymede.

    It is expected that members of his family will be travelling to the cemetery from the UK to attend the ceremony which will take place at 14:00, local time.
     
  11. Crisp

    Crisp Junior Member

    Hi Peter

    New member so not sure if this is the right place for my query but you seem to have a lot of similar information to what I am looking for on different squadrons, so here goes:

    I would like to know what 110 Squadron were doing immediately prior to their raid on Sedan, France, in May 1940. I am particularly interested in the wireless operator Patrick Aherne who was KIA on the raid. I know the plane left from Wattisham, near Ipswich, but I am trying to make a link with RAF Leconfield, East Yorkshire. Is it possible that 110 Squadron were there just before this raid, or could Patrick Aherne have been sent there for training? If you can help with this or has any further information about Patrick Aherne other than details given on CWGC website, I would be very grateful.
     
  12. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Hi Peter,

    Welcome to the forum.

    110sq were at Lossiemouth, Morayshire from 19/4/40 then to Wattisham, Suffolk on 2/5/1940.

    Cheers

    Geoff
     
  13. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    From: Chorley Vol 1 1939-1940

    14th May 1940

    Blenheim IV
    L9217
    VE-?
    110sqn

    T/o 1650 Wattisham. Crashed at Torcy (Ardennes) on the western outskirts of Sedan, France.

    Crew:

    P/O E.R. Mullins (POW)
    Sgt R. Lowe (POW)
    AC2 P. Aherne +

    According to Chorley, 46 aircraft were lost on Operation Sedan
     
  14. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    From June 1939 No.110 Squadron operated the Blenheim IV until June 1942. On 11 May 1939 they went to Wattisham with detachments at the following.....

    Lossiemouth
    Horsham St, Faith
    Manston
    Lindholme
    Ipswich
    Martlesham Heath
    Brize Norton
    Luqa
    Swanton Morley

    On 17 March 1942 they were en route to the Middle East.
     
  15. Crisp

    Crisp Junior Member

    Hi All

    Thanks for the welcome and information on 110 Squadron. It does not look like they were at Leconfield then, unless maybe Patrick Aherne was there having wireless operator training. I know it's a long-shot but does anyone know if that was likely to be carried out at Leconfield?
    Thanks.
     
  16. samo

    samo Junior Member

    Do you know if Patrick Aherne was assigned to or on loan to 110 (Hyderabad) Squadron's sister squadron 152 (Hyderabad) Squadron before his service with 110? No. 152 was detached to RAF Leconfield sometime between Oct 1939 and July 1940.

    Also...

    P/O Mullins flew three missions with 110 Squadron in May 1940 (Waalhaven May 10, Maastricht May 11 and Sedan May 14) before being shot down, spending five years as a PoW. AC2 Patrick “Paddy” Aherne was Mullins’ gunner.

    Sara
     
  17. Crisp

    Crisp Junior Member

    Hi Sara

    Thanks, this is great information! So, if he was assigned to or on loan to 110 (Hyderabad) Squadron he could have been in Leconfield in April/May 1940 before flying the 3 missions you mentioned with P/O Mullins. Just one thing - I thought Patrick Aherne was a radio operator - would he have been a gunner as well? (my knowledge of RAF is very sadly lacking!)
     
  18. samo

    samo Junior Member

    If he was with (or on loan to) 152(H) Squadron when that squadron was on detachment to RAF Leconfield, then Patrick Aherne might have been in Leconfield. No. 110(H) Squadron was not at RAF Leconfield. WOp/AG - Wireless Operator Air Gunner, like my father.
     
  19. Willem Westland

    Willem Westland Junior Member

    40 Squadron
    Blenheim IV L8831 BL-
    Op. Ypenburg

    Took off 1544 hrs Wyton. Crashed in the vicinity of Den Haag (Zuid, Holland)

    BCL Chorley

    L8831 crashed, after beeing attacked by two Me110 fighters and one engine on fire, in a glasshouse area, SW of the Uithofslaan Wateringen, Zuid Holland. Crew died and has been burried in a fieldgrave in the farm of Mr. Duivesteijn, with a cut out round RAF roundel from the plane above it. Photo's are known by me. In June 1940 a unexploded 40 lb bomb was found and made 'controlled' exploded. After the war, the crew was re-burried at Westduin Cementery. In november 2008 the last remains of the plane where rediscoverd and the area cleaned bij the KLu. Some parts, i.e. one engine and a prop, are exposed now in the Ypenburg Museum near Den Haag. During the investigation an armourplate had been found, with the number L8831 on it.
     
  20. Pieter F

    Pieter F Very Senior Member

    The crew of Blenheim L8831 are buried next to eachother at Westduin.

    BRIDSON, HAROLD
    Rank:Leading Aircraftman
    Trade:W. Op./Air Gnr.
    Service No:539332
    Date of Death:10/05/1940
    Age:20
    Regiment/Service:Royal Air Force
    40 Sqdn.
    Grave ReferenceAllied Plot, Row 1. Joint grave 8.
    CemeteryTHE HAGUE (WESTDUIN) GENERAL CEMETERY
    Additional Information:
    Son of Joseph Henry and Kathleen Bridson, of Douglas, Isle of Man.

    [​IMG]

    SPURR, VICTOR
    Rank:Sergeant
    Trade:Obs.
    Service No:561257
    Date of Death:10/05/1940
    Regiment/Service:Royal Air Force
    40 Sqdn.
    Grave ReferenceAllied Plot. Row 1. Joint grave 8.
    CemeteryTHE HAGUE (WESTDUIN) GENERAL CEMETERY

    [​IMG]

    THOMAS, IVOR LLEWELLYN
    Rank:Sergeant
    Trade:Pilot
    Service No:580177
    Date of Death:10/05/1940
    Age:24
    Regiment/Service:Royal Air Force
    40 Sqdn.
    Grave ReferenceAllied Plot. Row 1. Grave 7.
    CemeteryTHE HAGUE (WESTDUIN) GENERAL CEMETERY
    Additional Information:
    Son of George Ivor and Annie Maria Thomas, of Llanrhidian, Glamorgan; husband of Joyce Evelyn Thomas, of Peterborough, Northamptonshire. His brother Albert George also died on service.

    [​IMG]
     

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