ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229510
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| Date: | Sunday 16 June 1940 |
| Time: | 06:30 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 59 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | R3817 |
| MSN: | TR-J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Nonancourt, West of Dreux, Eure-et-Loire, Normandy -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Odiham, Hampshire |
| RAF Odiham, Hampshire |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV R3817 (TR-J) 59 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over Northern France. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/951): "Blenheim R3817 failed to return from a reconnaissance flight over France, 16 June 1940. Sergeant J W Harris, Sergeant T A Thomas and Pilot Officer C R Wylie: report of deaths"
On June 16, 1940, faced with the invasion of France by German soldiers, the RAF attempted to cover the retreat of the French army to the south and slow down the German advance. On June 15, 1940, German troops penetrated the north of the department of Eure-et-Loire. Dreux was already in the hands of the Nazi occupiers.
The Blenheim (R3817) of 59 Squadron was part of the RAF. Its mission consisted mainly in observing the advance of the German troops and informing the troops on the ground. For unknown reasons, the bomber crashed near Nonancourt, west of Dreux and its three occupants were killed. The official archives mistakenly locate the place of this crash towards Le Mans, Sarthe, France.
Crew of Blenheim R3817:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Clive Robinson Wylie, RAF 41769 (New Zealander), age 26, killed in action 16/06/1940
Sergeant (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Thomas Arthur Thomas, RAF 625095 (US National), age 20, killed in action 16/06/1940
Sergeant (Observer) James W. Harris, RAF 563138, age 26, killed in action 16/06/1940
All three fatalities were buried at Dreux Communal Cemetery, Eure-et-Loire, France. The reported crash location of Nonancourt is a commune in the Eure department in Normandy in northern France, at approximate Coordinates: 48°46′38″N 1°11′39″E.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1980 p 24)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/951): https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502583
3. https://forcedlanding.pagesperso-orange.fr/Commonwealth19.htm
4. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=11385
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=558
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/59_squadron.html#1606
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2321128/wylie,-clive-robinson/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2321122/thomas,-thomas-arthur/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2321087/harris,-james-william/
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonancourt
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Sep-2019 16:23 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 02-Oct-2019 09:21 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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