Date:	Tuesday 16 July 1940
Time:	day
Type:	Vickers Wellesley Mk 1
Owner/operator:	47 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L2641
MSN:	KU-D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Massawa, Semienawi Keyih Bahri, Northern Red Sea Region -   Eritrea
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Erkowit/Cathargo, Sudan (HSCG)
Destination airport:	Erkowit/Cathargo, Sudan (HSCG)

Narrative:
Vickers Wellesley Mk.I L2641, (KU-D) 47 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from Combat Operations over Eritrea. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/1083): "Wellesley L2641 failed to return from air operations over Asmara, Eritrea, 16 July 1940. Sergeant W C H Style, Corporal J Clark and Leading Aircraftman W Crossland: missing presumed dead".

According to one published source ("The Aeroplane Monthly" November 2014):

"An increased number of operations from Erkowit/Carthago continued during the month [of July 1940] and losses for 47 Squadron included K8520, which became one of Capitano Mario Visintini Medaglia’s victims on July 12. The Italian ace would eventually claim a total of 17 victories, all in biplanes, before his death in February 1941. Two aircraft, K7771 and L2641 collided over Massawa on July 16, with K7777 surviving to be wrecked on landing at Carthago on July 31"

Took off from Erkowit/Carthago, Sudan, 09:30 for Asmara. Reported crashed after it collided with Welleslesy K7771 over the target area. Wellesley L2641 was destroyed when it dived into the ground, killing all three crew; Wellesley K7771 managed to make it back to base, but was deemed "damaged beyond economic repair" and written off (Struck Off Charge 16/07/1940).

Crew of Welleslsey L2641:
Sergeant William Charles Harry Style (Pilot) RAF 521075, aged 24 - killed in action 16/07/1940
Corporal John Clark (Observer) RAF 566208, aged 22 - killed in action 16/07/1940
Leading Aircraftman Walter Crossland (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) RAF 522035, aged 27 - killed in action 16/07/1940

The bodies of all three crew members were recovered, and all three are buried at Asmara War Cemetery in Eritrea.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 18)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1083): https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502816
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2272224/style,-william-charles-harry/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2272044/clark,-john/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2272061/crossland,-walter/
6. http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk/pages/rememb/ROH/26.htm
7. Aeroplane Monthly November 2014 p 44
8. http://www.rememberthefallen.co.uk/casualty/style-h-w-c/
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carthago_Airport
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massawa#Italian_rule

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Mar-2008 02:00	JINX	Added
12-Nov-2018 17:43	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Phase, Source, Operator]
13-Oct-2019 01:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]