Date:	Thursday 1 August 1940
Time:	night
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	12 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L5568
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Robinsons Farm, Anderby Creek, near Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.1 L5568, (PH-X) 12 Squadron, RAF Binbrook, Lincolnshire. Written off (destroyed) 1 August 1940: The aircraft was one of six Fairey Battles of 12 and 142 Squadrons tasked on the night of July 31st/August 1st 1940 to raid invasion barges in the port of Walhaven, with the airfield at Rotterdam as the secondary target. Two returned early with faulty equipment, four (including L5568) reached their target area, but could not find the intended targets due to low cloud in the target area, and jettisoned their bombs into the sea.

Three returned to base safely, but L5568 was destroyed when it was shot down by mistake by a British night-fighter over Skegness, Lincolnshire. The "friendly fire" is believed to have come from a Bristol Blenheim Mk.1F of 29 Squadron with a crew of Pilot Officer Rhodes (pilot) and Sergeant Service (Wireless Op/Air Gunner).

The aircraft came down at Robinsons Farm, one and a quarter miles south west of Anderby Creek, near Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire. All three crew killed.

Crew:
Flying Officer (72027) Brian Elwyn MOSS (pilot) RAFVR - killed on active service 1/8/1940,
Sergeant (580616) Brian Conway LONG (observer, aged 23) RAF - killed on active service 1/8/1940,
Sergeant (646336) Thomas James RADLEY (Wireless Op/Air Gunner) RAF - killed on active service 1/8/1940

All three crew were buried at St. Mary's Church Yard, Binbrook, Lincolnshire in adjacent graves (see link #15)

As a history of RAF Binbrook puts it (see link #12): "These were dangerous days for Britain, days when to shoot first and ask questions later was the unfortunate consequence of constant enemy attacks"

According to the following quote from the file at the National Archives (File AIR 81/1244):

"Bomber Command are still very upset and angry and continually making complaint and further comment regarding the Court of Inquiry into the shooting down of Battle L5568 of F/O B. E. Moss 72027, B. C. Long 580616 & T. Radley 646336 on 1st August 1940 at Anderby Creek (nearest town Mablethorpe). Bomber Command felt that there were other problems contributing to the shooting down and it was not their Battle Captain's fault, one being the opening of new Bomber Stations taking 6 weeks to two months to be officially notified to be notified to all concerned. Bomber Command are mounting a vigorous defence from several angles, on behalf of the late Battle crew, for months after the Inquiry."

In defence of Pilot Officer Rhodes, he attacked the Fairey Battle after being told by the ground controller that there were no "friendly" aircraft in the Mablethorpe/Skegness area, and the Battle had switched off its navigation lights.
(see link #14)

1. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997 p.76/p.172)
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1979 p.37)
3. 1 Group Bomber Command: An Operational Record By Chris Ward, Greg Harrison, Grzegorz Korcz
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1244: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502963
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2416761/BRIAN%20ELWYN%20MOSS/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2416757/BRIAN%20CONWAY%20LONG/
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2416765/THOMAS%20JAMES%20RADLEY/
8. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/116765
9. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/114193
10. https://losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss/119259
11. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-casualties-in-lincolnshire-anyone-know-them.10019/page-3
12. http://www.gordonstooke.com/460squadron/binbrook.htm
13. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?16963-Crash-near-Anderby-Anderby-Creek-north-of-Skegness
14. http://www.bcar.org.uk/new1940-incident-logs#aug
15. https://www.flickr.com/photos/96555212@N08/48578964807/ .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Aug-2008 10:03	Anon.	Added
16-Feb-2012 00:11	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative]
20-Aug-2013 14:10	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
25-Oct-2013 20:10	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
27-May-2014 21:33	angels one five	Updated [Date, Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
03-Jun-2015 14:59	QQ3	Updated [Operator, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
18-Oct-2018 19:06	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
28-Oct-2020 23:28	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
28-Oct-2020 23:31	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
28-Oct-2020 23:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]