ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 22356
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Monday 10 June 1940 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Fairey Battle Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 103 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P2328 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | between Roconval and Gasny, River Epte 8 km ESE of Vernon -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Ouzouer-le-Doyen, Loire, France |
Fairey Battle Mk.I P2328 103 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over Northern France. Both crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/852): "Battle P2328 crashed at Roconval, France, 10 June 1940. Leading Aircraftman P I Bligh and Pilot Officer C V Thomas: report of deaths"
On 10 June 1940 Fairey Battle bombers based in France were employed on reconnaissance and bombing operations, hoping to keep track of and slow the German advance to the west of Paris. The bridge over the River Seine at Vernon was the target for 103 Squadron. The crews were at great risk because no fighter escort was provided, but fortunately no Bf 109s of Bf 110 were operating in the area. As the Battles approached Vernon fighters attacked them. The crews that returned believed their attackers to have been Hurricanes, but they were French Caudron 714s from GC 1/145 - flown by Polish pilots.
P2328 was brought down in flames and crashed in boggy ground between Roconval and Gasny, River Epte 8 km ESE of Vernon. The two crew were buried as unknown airmen in the town's cemetery, but the families knew only that their son's had gone missing.
There was no more news of the crew until March 1946 when a letter was received at the RAF's Casualty Section based in Paris. Monsieur Smitz reported that he had seen a plane fall in flames between Gasny and Roconval on 10th May 1940. This prompted the RAF's Missing Research and Enquiry Unit to send F/O Glenn to investigate in October 1946. He was shown the wreck - still in situ - and noted the serial number P2328. The MREU rapidly identified the aircraft and crew, leading to the grave being formally identified in May 1947 and the families informed.
Crew of Battle P2328:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Cecil V. Thomas, RAF 41963, age 19, killed in action 10/06/1940
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Peter I. Bligh, RAF 541182, age 20, killed in action 10/06/1940
Both crew were buried (albeit post war, as per the above) in the Gasny Communal Cemetery, Eure, France. The reported crash location of Gasny is a commune in the Eure department in northern France, at approximate Coordinates: 49°05′34″N 1°36′18″E
The crash site and story of P2328 was investigated as part of the TV series WW2 Treasure Hunters, shown in the UK on The History Channel.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/852: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502658
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320797/thomas,-cecil-vernon/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320796/bligh,-peter-ivo/
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1154
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/103_squadron.html#1006
7. http://aircrewremembered.com/thomas-cecil.html
8. https://www.aviationarchaeology.co.uk/copy-of-battle-l5546-lamaronde
9. https://www.northlincsweb.net/103Sqn/html/103_squadron_fairey_battle_losses_1939__to_1940.html
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasny
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Aug-2008 10:17 | Anon. | Added |
| 23-Jan-2012 03:40 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport] |
| 22-Sep-2019 00:06 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Date, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Country, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 22-Sep-2019 22:15 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 24-Sep-2019 12:12 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation