Date:	Sunday 7 July 1940
Time:	13:10
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Mk Ia
Owner/operator:	54 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P9390
MSN:	573
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Location:	Deal, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hornchurch, Essex
Destination airport:	RAF Hornchurch, Essex

Narrative:
P9390: Spitfire Ia (c/no. 573) First Flown 4-3-40. Delivered to the RAF at 9 MU Cosford 9-3-40. issued to 54 Squadron 25-4-40 as "KL-B". Damaged in combat by Bf 109 over Deal, Kent 2-7-40. Struck Off Charge 19-7-40 as Cat.C(3) to ground instructional airframe 2111M 22-10-40.

According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/10354): "Spitfire P9390 lost in air operations, 7 July 1940. Pilot Officer E J Coleman: injured".

Airborne from RAF Hornchurch, Essex for a combat air patrol off Dover, Kent between 13:05 and 13:22 (one of six 54 Squadron Spitfires assigned to this). Shot down by a Bf 109 and force landed near Deal, Kent; pilot - Pilot Officer Edward Jack Coleman - slightly wounded.

Trivia point: The "Airfix" 1/24th scale model of the Spitfire 1a is based, and has the markings supplied for P9390/KL-B of 54 Squadron, and named "Kiwi", as it was frequently flown in May and June 1940 by Air Commodore Alan Christopher "Al" Deere, DSO, OBE, DFC & Bar. Some reports state that "The remains of this aircraft have recently been excavated and are to be rebuilt".

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, p 52)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1034: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502900
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p008.html
4. https://www.wingsofwar.org/forums/downloads.php?do=file&id=2155
5. https://www.aviationart.pl/links/52.html
6. http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Coleman.htm
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Christopher_Deere#Battle_of_Britain
8. First of the Few: 5 June - July 1940 By Brian Cull

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
08-Oct-2019 20:08	Dr. John Smith	Added
08-Oct-2019 20:09	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time]
10-Oct-2019 16:36	juza7	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]