ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228091
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| Date: | Thursday 23 May 1940 |
| Time: | 15:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 15 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L9403 |
| MSN: | LS-X |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Morval, 7 km SSE of Bapaume, Pas de Calais, Hauts de France -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L9403 (LS-X) 15 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations on 23 May 1940; tasked to attack targets (reportedly enemy troop columns) in the Arras area of the Pas de Calais. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/523): "Blenheim L9403 crashed at Morval, France, 23 May 1940. Sergeant E Tucker, Leading Aircraftman C W Thompson and Pilot Officer J G Masters: report of deaths".
Airborne at 13:00 hrs on 23 May 1940 from RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire. Cause of loss not established, but possibly shot down by Flak/AAA. Crashed near Morval (Pas-de-Calais), 7 km South-South-East of Bapaume, France. No survivors.
Crew of Blenheim L9403
Pilot Officer (Pilot) James G. Masters, RAF 42249, age 19, killed in action 23/05/1940
Flight Sergeant (Observer) Eugene Tucker, RAF 581420, age 24, killed in action 23/05/1940
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Clifford W. Thompson, RAF 551783, age 19, killed in action 23/05/1940,
All three crew fatalities were buried London Cemetery and Extension, Longueval, Somme, France. The reported crash location of Morval is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France, at approximate coordinates: 50°01′55″N 2°52′24″E.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 62)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 818/523: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502144
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2280246/masters,-james-graham/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2280247/tucker,-eugene/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2846762/thompson,-clifford-william/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1026
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/15_squadron.html#arras
8. https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/228559/
9. https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/227927/
10. http://3945.auzeau.fr/france/62-pas-de-calais/62-morval/
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morval
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 7 July 1940 | R3896 | 15 Sqn RAF | 3 | Bruges-Zeebrugge Canal, Dudzele, West Flanders |  |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 10-Aug-2019 22:07 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 11-Aug-2019 07:05 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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