Date:	Sunday 19 May 1940
Time:	10:45 LT
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	142 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P5238
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Epernay Aerodrome, Plivot, Marne -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Faux-Villecerf, France
Destination airport:	Epernay Aerdrome, Plivot, France

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.I P5238 (QT-X) 142 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) on combat operations 19 May 1940. One of the two crew was killed, one was injured. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/564): "Sergeant G H Ebert: injured. Sergeant T Jones: report of death; Battle P5238 in air operations, 19 May 1940"

Battle P5238 was airborne from Faux-Villecerf, France to attack enemy troop columns when it was badly damaged by ground fire (Flak/AAA) over Laon and force landed on Epernay Aerodrome, Plivot, Marne, where it was abandoned. The pilot and the Wireless Op./Air Gunner survived the air combat, but the Observer, Sgt Tom Jones, was severely wounded, and died of his injuries later the same day

Crew of Battle P5238:
Sgt G.H. Ebert (pilot, survived, recovered and returned to his unit)
Sergeant (Observer) Tom Jones, RAF 561183, age 29, killed in action 19/05/1940, buried at Terlincthun British Cemetery, Wimille, Pas de Calais, France
LAC R.S. Utteridge (Wireless Op./Air Gunner, survived, recovered and returned to his unit)

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 29)
2. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997 p 168)
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/564: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502015
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2280911/jones,-tom/
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=4412
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/142_squadron.html#1905
7. Photo of wreckage: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/uk/raf/fairey-battle/fairey-battle-p2190-p5238/
8. Photo of wreckage from a different angle: https://i0.wp.com/www.worldwarphotos.info/wp-content/gallery/uk/raf/hurricane/Hurricane_P2959_and_Battle_P5238.jpg?w=600
9. http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk/pages/rememb/ROH/15.htm .

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Aug-2019 18:43	Dr. John Smith	Added
14-Aug-2019 18:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Narrative]
14-Aug-2019 23:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]
15-Aug-2019 05:11	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]