Date:	Saturday 13 July 1940
Time:	15:20 LT
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk 1
Owner/operator:	238 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P2950
MSN:	VK-D
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Southdown, Littlemore, near RAF Warmwell, Dorset -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Warmwell, Dorset
Destination airport:	RAF Warmwell, Dorset

Narrative:
Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 P2950 (VK-D), 238 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when Failed To Return - crashed during combat air patrol. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/1107): "Hurricane P2950 crashed following air operations, 13 July 1940. Flying Officer J C Kennedy: report of death"

Early fog covered much of southern England on July 13 1940 and restricted any flying operation until mid-morning. Then clearing conditions but low cloud persisted. Most commanders kept their squadrons "confined to quarters" because of the weather. There was very little activity, even by the Luftwaffe. Later in the afternoon, enemy aircraft were detected again in the Channel area and attacked the convoy code named "Bread" off the Dorset coast near Lyme Bay and 56 Squadron North Weald (Hurricanes), 64 Squadron Kenley (Spitfires) and 238 Squadron (Hurricanes) were scrambled to intercept.

At 15:00 hours, twelve Hurricanes of No. 238 Squadron and three Spitfires of No. 609 Squadron were sent from RAF Warmwell to patrol over a convoy in Lyme Bay. Failing to find the ships, the RAF fighters encountered a large enemy raid that included the first major deployment of Bf 110 fighter-bombers from V/LG 1. In the resulting action, one Bf 110 was shot down and another two were severely damaged.

Flying Officer J.C. Kennedy, an Australian of No 238 Squadron was on patrol in a Hurricane (P2950) on the 13th of July 1940, he shot down a Do 17 off Chesil Beach, Dorset, at 15:20 hrs. Kennedy's aircraft was attacked by German fighters and he dived towards the coast. As he approached to make a forced-landing on the shore, he stalled and crashed at Southdown, Littlemore, Dorset, trying to avoid high tension cables. Some sources state the the Hurricane was damaged and/or the pilot was injured by return fire from the Do 17 that he shot down.

Crew of Hurricane P2950:
Flying Officer John Connolly Kennedy (Pilot, Australian) RAF 40052, aged 23 - killed in action 13/07/1940, buried at Warmwell (Holy Trinity) Churchyard, Warmwell, Dorset, UK

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 17)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1107: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502919
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2709628/kennedy,-john-connolly/
4. https://battleofbritain1940.com/entry/saturday-13-july-1940/
5. https://www.geni.com/projects/Battle-of-Britain/14852
6. https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10324355
7. http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/KennedyJC.htm
8. https://www.battleofbritain1940.net/0021.html
9. The Fallen Few of the Battle of Britain By Nigel McCrery & Norman Franks
10. https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/local/south-down-north-dorset

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
14-Oct-2019 19:10	Dr. John Smith	Added
15-Oct-2019 07:31	juza7	Updated [Operator]