Date:	Thursday 16 May 1940
Time:	05:50
Type:	Westland Lysander Mk II
Owner/operator:	13 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L6855
MSN:	KJ-Q
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Vieux-Conde Railway Station, Vieux-Condé, Nord Department -   France
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Douai-Le Brayelle, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Westland Lysander Mk.II L6855 (KJ-Q) 13 Squadron, RAF; Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a Tactical Reconnaissance operation on 16 May 1940. Of the three crew two were killed, and one was injured. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/386): "Lysander L6855 crashed at Vieux-Conde, France, 17 May 1940 [*sic]. Pilot Officer T H Borg-Banks and Leading Aircraftman W F Lawes: report of deaths. Aircraftman 1st Class H P Moule, missing".

Lysander L6855 took off from Douai-Le Brayelle, escorted by Hurricanes of 85 Squadron. Believed to be the aircraft that was claimed as shot down by Fw Bothfeld of 1./JG27 over La Chapelle at 05.50 hrs, As stated above, two crew killed, one injured

Crew of Lysander L6855:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Thomas Humphrey Borg-Banks, RAF 41659, age 19, killed in action 16/05/1940
Leading Aircraftman (Air Gunner) Walter Francis Lawes, RAF 567002, age 21, killed in action 16/05/1940
AC.1 H.P. Moule - injured; suffered a broken arm.

The two crew fatalities were buried at Vieux-Condé Communal Cemetery, Nord Department, France. Note that the official Air Ministry file gives the date of loss as 17 May 1940, but most unofficial published sources give the date of loss as 16 May 1940 (the day before).

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 47)
2. Peter D. Cornwell, The Battle of France, Then and Now, 2008
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/386: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502273
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2776872/borg-banks,-thomas--humphrey/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2776874/lawes,-walter-francis/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=5402&PHPSESSID=15fa0a0ac8f49496f95336398fd7eeb7
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/13_squadron.html
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vieux-Cond%C3%A9 ..

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Mar-2008 18:17	JINX	Added
23-Mar-2008 00:29	JINX	Updated
08-Jun-2010 10:45	Anon.	Updated [Location, Country, Source, Narrative]
24-May-2011 14:19	ThW	Updated [Time, Source, Narrative]
17-Jun-2013 18:14	Nepa	Updated [Time, Operator, Narrative]
16-Jul-2019 00:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Time, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
16-Jul-2019 00:18	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source]
16-Jul-2019 00:22	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]