Date:	Saturday 25 May 1940
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia
Owner/operator:	54 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N3096
MSN:	367
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Location:	Missing near Dunkirk, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hornchurch, Essex
Destination airport:

Narrative:
First Flown 16-10-39; delivered to the RAF at 8 MU Little Rissington 23-11-39. Issued to 54 Squadron (as "KL-G") 1-3-40.

Missing 25-5-1940 from escort mission, escorting FAA RN Fairey Swordfish to Gravelines. 54 Squadron lost 3 Spitfires this day on this mission: N3096, N3103, and N3188. The pilots of the other 2 were P/O J.L. Allen (survived and rescued) and F/Lt D.G. Gribble (safely bailed out, returned UK by ship). According to the official report into the loss of this aircraft (Air Ministry file AIR 81/795): "Spitfire N3096 in air operations between Calais and Dunkirk, France, 25 May 1940. Sergeant F E Buckland: report of death". Some published sources list the crash site as nearer Dunkirk than Calais (see links #6 & #7)

Pilot of Spitfire N3096:
Sergeant Frank Edwin Buckland (Service Number 741093) - missing, presumed killed in action 25/05/40.

As no trace of Spitfire N3096 or its pilot was ever found, he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/795: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502466
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1530759/buckland,-frank-edwin/
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p002.html
5. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/17990.php
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/54_squadron.html
7. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-13#post-199523
8. Air Battle for Dunkirk: 26 May - 3 June 1940 By Norman Franks

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Oct-2011 19:38	angels one five	Added
25-Dec-2011 05:32	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport]
22-Jan-2012 20:57	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type]
04-Nov-2012 20:53	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative]
11-May-2019 23:14	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
12-May-2019 09:43	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
10-Sep-2019 20:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
18-Apr-2022 05:42	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
07-Jul-2022 23:48	Ron Averes	Updated [Aircraft type]