Date:	Saturday 1 June 1940
Time:	09:05 LT
Type:	Bristol Blenheim Mk IV
Owner/operator:	254 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L9481
MSN:	QY-A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	English Channel, 2 miles off Dunkerque, Pas de Calais, Hauts de France -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Detling, Maidstone, Kent
Destination airport:	RAF Detling, Maidstone, Kent

Narrative:
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L9481 (QY-A) 254 Sqaudron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations over the Dunkirk area. Two of the crew of three were killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/739): "Blenheim L9481 lost in air operations over Dunkirk, France, 1 June 1940. Sergeant R Roskrow and Flying Officer J W Baird: report of deaths. Pilot Officer G W Spiers: uninjured"

At 04:50 hours on Saturday 1st June 1940, two Blenheims of No. 254 Squadron and two of No. 248 Squadron took off from RAF Detling to make a three-hour shipping cover patrol of the Dunkirk evacuation shipping route. The patrol was commanded by Flying Officer John W. Baird in Blenheim L9481/QY-A

Soon after take-off at 04:47 hours, first one, and then the other, of the No. 248 Squadron Blenheims radioed that they were returning to Detling due to aircraft unserviceability, The two aircraft 254 Squadron aircraft commenced their patrol at about 05:00 hours and had made several circuits up to 07:45 hours. During two of these circuits, they engaged in unresolved encounters with first a Junkers 87 aircraft and later with a Heinkel 111.

At about 07:50 hours they started their last circuit before returning to RAF Detling and at 07:55 hours they were at 8,000 feet approaching Dunkirk, two miles out to sea flying parallel to the shore, when they were attacked by eleven Bf 109 aircraft diving on them from the South in line astern. One sources credits "Shot down by Oberlt Gerhart Framm (Staffelkapitän) of 2./JG27" - (claim) 'Wellington' at 09:05 hrs CET. The observer, Pilot Officer George Watson Spiers crash landed the plane into the sea; He ditched close to an armed trawler which picked him up and brought him to Ramsgate, Kent. The other two crew were killed; one was never found, the other was washed up on the French coast.

Crew of Blenheim L9481:
Flying Officer (Pilot) John William Baird, RAF 39408, killed in action 01/06/1940, body washed ashore, buried at Malo-les-Bains Communal Cemetery, Nord Department, France
Pilot Officer (Observer) George Watson Spiers RAF 78266 - survived, bailed out, rescued and returned to England by ship.
Sergeant Richard Roskrow, RAF 536061, age 21, posted 01/06/1940, as missing in action, believed killed. Body not found/not recovered

As no trace of Sgt Richard Roskrow was ever found, he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Note that while the Blenheim was attacked over English Channel, 2 miles off Dunkerque, Pas de Calais, Hauts de France, some sources state that it crashed onto the Goodwin Sands, which is nearer to the coast of Kent than that of France. Quote: "Account from sole survivor, the observer, who was forced to ditch the plane after the death of his pilot and rear gunner". The account - see BBC link below (#10) - was dated June 2004

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/739: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502623
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/2277072/baird,-john-william/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2940588/roskrow,-richard/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=5446
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/254_squadron.html#0106
8. https://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=1328538
9. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=29818
10. Account of Sole survivor: http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/35/a2764235.shtml .
11. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=52804

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Feb-2015 09:38	gerard57	Added
27-Mar-2015 16:11	Jixn	Updated [Operator]
29-Sep-2015 08:00	Anon.	Updated [Narrative]
26-Sep-2018 10:10	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
06-Sep-2019 21:13	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
06-Sep-2019 21:16	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
06-Sep-2019 21:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
07-Sep-2019 09:06	stehlík49	Updated [Operator]
16-Feb-2021 13:30	TigerTimon	Updated [Time]
16-Feb-2021 13:31	TigerTimon	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative]