ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 141355
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| Date: | Friday 17 May 1940 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 82 (United Provinces) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P4838 |
| MSN: | UX-R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Laon, Aisne department in Hauts-de-France -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Watton, Norfolk |
| RAF Watton, Norfolk |
On 17th May, 1940, twelve aircraft of 82 Squadron, based at Watton, in Norfolk, took off to attack troop concentrations at Gembloux, Belgium, where the German army was sweeping West towards the Channel ports.
They were supposed to have a Hurricane fighter escort but they were intercepted before the escort could arrive and they had to proceed without their escorts. As they reached their target, 15 German Bf-109 fighters attacked them.
Eleven of them were shot down and the sole survivor (L8858, UX-W), badly damaged, managed to reach Watton, but it was written off due to the damage sustained.
Blenheim P4838 (UX-R) was airborne at 04:50 hrs from RAF Watton, Norfolk. Hit by Flak and abandoned near Laon, Aisne department in Hauts-de-France; all three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/395): "Blenheim P4838 failed to return from an operational flight, 17 May 1940. Flying Officer A M Gofton, Sergeant F S Miller and Corporal T H Cummins: missing presumed dead".
Crew of Blenheim P4838:
Corporal Thomas Henry Cummins,(Observer) RAF 537830, age 20, posted 17/05/1940, as missing presumed dead
Flying Officer Alexander Moresby Gofton (Pilot) RAF 39312, age 29, posted 17/05/1940, as missing presumed dead
Sergeant Frederick Stanley Miller (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) RAF 515573, age 27, posted 17/05/1940, as missing presumed dead.
As no trace of the aircraft or its crew was ever found, all three crew members are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000- P9999 (James J Halley Air Britain, 1978 p 26)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/395: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502282
3. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/82_squadron.html
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/231643/cummins,-thomas-henry/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1798485/gofton,-alexander-moresby/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1076835/miller,-frederick-stanley/
7. https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/alexander-moresby-gofton-birth-1911-death-1940/164092566
8. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-9#post-197023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jan-2012 09:58 | Uli Elch | Added |
| 02-Jan-2012 10:02 | Uli Elch | Updated [Location, Country, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Jul-2019 21:35 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 17-Jul-2019 13:39 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 29-Jul-2019 00:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Operator] |
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