Date:	Monday 27 May 1940
Time:	morning
Type:	Bristol Blenheim Mk IVF
Owner/operator:	254 Sqn RAF
Registration:	R3624
MSN:	QY-M
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea, off Stavanger, Rogaland -   Norway
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Sumburgh, Shetland Islands
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV R3634 (QY-M) 254 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) for combat operations on 27 May 1940. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/604): " Blenheim R3624 failed to return from an operational flight over the Norwegian Coast, 27 May 1940. Aircraftman 2nd Class T P N Hammond, Acting Sergeant B A J Henrick and Pilot Officer E H Alexander: missing presumed dead".

Six Bristol Blenheim IVFs from 254 Squadron (18 Group) flying out of Sumburgh RAF station in the Shetland Islands were sent in two sections of three to sweep the Norwegian SW coast from 62 degrees North to Lister, mainly in search of enemy airfields, but also to locate the auxiliary naval vessel Königsberg.

Took off 05.30 hrs from Sumburgh. Shot down by Lt Deuschle from Staffel/J.G.77. Ross McNeill: 'Hptm Lang of II/JG77 reported shooting a Blenheim down off Stavanger.' Coastguards reported that an aircraft had crashed into the sea and the Thurso lifebot was launched

Crew:
Pilot Officer Edwin H. Alexander, RAF 41977, age 19, posted 27/05/1940, as missing presumed dead
Sergeant Basil A.J. Henrick, RAFVR 747704, age 19, posted 27/05/1940, as missing presumed dead
Sergeant Thomas P.N. Hammond, RAF 625785, age 23, posted 27/05/1940, as missing presumed dead

As there were no survivors, and no trace of the aircraft was ever found, the crew are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1980 p 23)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/604: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502296
3. Ross McNeill, Coastal Command Losses of the Second World War, Volume 1 (1939-1941), Midland publishing, 2003
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1082647/alexander,-edwin-holbrow/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1799944/henrick,-basil-aloysius-joseph/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1799253/hammond,-thomas-paul-nozareno/
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/254_squadron.html
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/08608.php
9. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-14#post-199996
10. http://miosjournal.org/journal/2006/02/WestonbirtMystery.html

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
11-Feb-2015 18:41	gerard57	Added
27-Mar-2015 16:16	Jixn	Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Narrative]
28-Sep-2015 20:21	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
26-Sep-2018 10:10	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Narrative, Operator]
20-Aug-2019 20:17	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]