ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228387
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| Date: | Monday 27 May 1940 |
| Time: | 06:35 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 53 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L8735 |
| MSN: | PZ-G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Faumont, 8 km West of Orchies, 20 km SE of Lille, Nord -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Hawkinge, Folkestone, Kent |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L8735 (PZ-G) of 53 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations on 27 May 1940. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the accident (File AIR 81/605): "Blenheim L8735 crashed near Faumont, near Lille, France, 27 May 1940. Temporary Sergeant D B Mearns, Sergeant A H Payne and Pilot Officer P F C Villiers-Tuthill: report of deaths"
The aircraft failed to return from a reconnaissance sortie to St. Omer. Shot down near there, probably by Obwf Labusga of 6./JG 3 Luftwaffe, who claimed "an RAF bomber shot down". As stated above, all three crew were killed, but there is a "twist"; the body of one of the crew was recovered, but there are claims that it was not properly identified:
"Alfred Hubert Payne (366401 Sergeant (OBS)) - RAF 53 Squadron.
A body was washed up on the Essex coast on 27th May 1940 - the body was identified by the name on his shirt. His body was buried in the graveyard in Quorn, Leicestershire in the family grave. In 1947, the war office wrote to his mother and explained that there had been a mistake - and that according to German Military Records, his body had been discovered in Northern France and was in fact buried at Lille. (Obviously they had been able to identify the body properly). In due course - a headstone was placed in the Quorn cemetrey in honour of the unknown airman whose body lay in the Payne family grave".
Crew of Blenheim L8735:
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Daniel Baxter Mearns, RAF 628503, age 19, killed in action 27/05/1940
Sergeant (Observer) Alfred H. Payne, RAF 366401, age 30, killed in action 27/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Percy F.C. Villiers-Tuthill, RAF 42165, age 23, killed in action 27/05/1940,
Officially, all three crew were buried at Faumont Churchyard, near Lille, Nord Department, France, but there seems to be no explanation or definitive proof as to where the body of Sgt A H Payne is. It is either in Faumont Churchyard in France (per the official CWGC records) or in an anonymous grave in Quorn, Leicestershire (as per the above)
The official crash location for Belnheim L8735 is near Faumont, 8 km west of Ochies, and 20 km south east of Lille, Nord Department at approximate co ordinates 50°27'41" north, 3°08'20" east.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 59)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/605: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502297
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2276584/mearns,-daniel-baxter/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2276585/payne,-alfred-hubert/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2276586/villiers-tuthill,-percy-frederick-charles/
6. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/missing-in-action.11176/
7. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=3480
8. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/53_squadron.html#2705
9. http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/faumont.htm
10. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/an-airman-of-the-1939-1945-war.56186/
11. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faumont
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Aug-2019 21:01 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 21-Aug-2019 09:43 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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