Date:	Tuesday 10 December 1940
Time:	18:00
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Owner/operator:	85 Sqn RAF
Registration:	V6674
MSN:	VY-D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Tilbury Docks, Essex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Gravesend, Kent
Destination airport:	RAF Gravesend

Narrative:
During the night of 10-11 December 1940 the German activity over Great Britain was reduced to only a handful of lone raiders that were plotted over East Anglia and dropped there a few bombs. They were probably intruders nightfighters from I./NJG 2. British nightfighters were also up but could achieve no success, even if a Ju 88 was chased for 15 minutes by Flt Lt Guy Gibson of 29 Sqn, who was unable to deliver an attack.

On the other hand one British fighter was lost. After fighting over France and in the first months of the Battle of Britain, 85 Sqn RAF had moved in September to Yorkshire and in October began night fighter patrols, still flying Hurricanes. In November it returned south to fly night patrols but the lack of radar gave little chance of success. That evening, two pilots of 85 Sqn, Flg Off William Fleming Carnaby and Sgt Robert Scott Hutton, took off at 1715 hrs from Gravesend to carry out dusk patrols. On the way back they ran into a severe electrical storm and Sgt Hutton lost control of his Hurricane I V6674, crashed at around 1800 hrs near Tilbury docks and was killed instantaneously. The aircraft burned itself in the ground and Hutton’s body was not recovered until 10 days later.

Hutton, of Shirehampton, Bristol, joined the RAFVR about August 1939, as an airman u/t pilot. Called up on 1 September, he completed his training and arrived at 5 OTU on 1 September 1940. He converted to Hurricanes and joined 85 Sqn at Church Fenton on 16 September. He was 25 and is buried in St Mary Redcliffe Cemetery, Bristol.

85 Sqn RAF ORB, December 1940 (available online at http://www.oldrafrecords.com/index.php)
"Men of The Battle of Britain: A Biographical Dictionary of The Few", by Kenneth G. Wynn. ISBN 978-1-47384-767-5
"Battle of Britain-The Forgotten Months, November and December 1940", by John Foreman. ISBN 1-871187-02-8
http://shirehamptonbookofremembrance.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=124561227
https://www.raf.mod.uk/history/85squadron.cfm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilbury
http://www.maplandia.com/united-kingdom/england/south-east/thurrock/tilbury/

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

15 May 1940

P2701

85 Sqn RAF

1

near Poix-du-Nord, Nord Department, Hauts-de-France

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Jun-2015 06:40	Nepa	Added
10-Dec-2015 13:35	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Registration, Source, Narrative]