ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229247
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| Date: | Tuesday 11 June 1940 |
| Time: | 12:45 LT |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 15 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L8851 |
| MSN: | LS-O |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Pont-Audemer (Eure), South bank of the River Risle, 28 km SE of le Hav -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire |
| RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L8851 (LS-O) 21 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from a combat operation over Northern France. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/849): "Blenheim L8851 crashed in the vicinity of Le Havre, France, 11 June 1940. Sergeant R Spencer, Sergeant M G Jones and Pilot Officer R H Werner: report of deaths".
Airborne 11:30 from RAF Wyton, Huntingdonshire. One of three Blenheims from 15 Squadron (L8851, L9024 and N3588) tasked with bombing targets in the Basse-Seine area in support of the BEF (British Expeditionary Force). While flying through cloud, P/O Werner (in Blenheim L8851) unknowingly overtook the formation leader, F/O Clark.
While turning to port, P/O Werner collided with F/O Clark (L9024), shedding a wing as his aircraft struck. (Some sources state that L9024 shed its starboard engine, which completely detached from the wing). Out of control, the Blenheim crashed in the vicinity of Pont-Audemer (Eure) on the South bank of the River Risle, 28 km South East of le Havre, Seine-Maritime, France, killing all three crew.
Crew of Blenheim L8851:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Raymond H. Werner, RAF 42289, age 27, killed in action 11/06/1940
Sergeant (Observer) Maurice G. Jones, RAF 581185, age 23, killed in action 11/06/1940
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Ronald Spencer, RAF 627782, age 19, killed in action 11/06/1940
All three crew fatalities were buried at Pont-Audemer Communal Cemetery, Eure, France. The reported crash location of Pont-Audemer is a commune in the Eure department in the Normandie (Normandy) region in northern France, on the river Risle, 13 km upstream from its outflow into the Seine. It lies on the border between the regions Roumois and Lieuvin, at approximate Coordinates: 49°22′N 0°31′E
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/849: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502655
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320895/werner,-raymond-henry/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320887/jones,-maurice-guy/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2320894/spencer,-ronald/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1148
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/15_squadron.html#1106
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pont-Audemer
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 12 May 1940 | P6912 | 15 Sqn RAF | 3 | Diepenbeek, near Genk, Limburg |  |
w/o |
| 21 May 1940 | R3706 | 15 Sqn RAF | 0 | between Etaples and Boulogne | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 22-Sep-2019 21:34 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 24-Sep-2019 13:11 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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