ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 74121
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| Date: | Wednesday 6 September 1939 |
| Time: | 06:45 |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 56 (Punjab) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L1985 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Manor Farm, Hintlesham, Babergh, Suffolk, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF North Weald, Essex |
| RAF North Weald | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
In a tragic incident that entered the folklore of the wartime RAF as "The Battle of Barking Creek" two Hurricanes of No.56 Sqn were shot down on September 6, 1939 in error by Spitfires of No.74 Sqn. The commander of 74 Sqn Adolph MALAN saw in front of him machines of both young pilots, and because he was firmly convinced that they were German Messerschmitt 109s, issued the order to attack. His pilots Vincent BYRNY and John FREEBORN, obeyed and opened fire.
One of the Hurricane pilots (P/O ROSE in Hurricane L1980) survived uninjured, but the pilot of L1985 was struck in the back of the head by a bullet and probably died instantly. At this early stage of the war RAF fighter planes were not fitted with head armour. The Hurricane spiralled down and crashed at Manor Farm, Hintlesham, Suffolk, about 5 miles from Ipswich.
The alert which caused two squadrons of Hurricanes and three of Spitfires to be "scrambled" turned out to be a false alarm. P/O Montague Leslie HULTON-HARROP was the first RAF fighter pilot to die in World War Two. R.I.P.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 14)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/5: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141984
3. http://northwealdairfieldhistory.org/content/battle-barking-creek/
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939a.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barking_Creek
6. https://www.denik.cz/ze_sveta/prvni-leteckou-bitvu-nad-anglii-svedli-britove-sami-mezi-sebou-20190904
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2426950
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/70/a5781170.shtml
8. http://blitzwalkers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-battle-of-barking-creek.html
9. http://www.rbl-epping.org.uk/Royal_British_Legion,_Epping_%26_District/BARKING_CREEK.html
10. https://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/the-battle-of-barking-creek/
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Apr-2010 16:14 | angels one five | Added |
| 29-Apr-2010 16:48 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 29-Apr-2010 16:56 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 18-Jun-2010 19:25 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Nov-2010 07:11 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Source] |
| 03-Jan-2012 06:31 | Uli Elch | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Jan-2012 13:40 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 10-Jan-2012 15:54 | angels one five | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 12-Jan-2012 13:32 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 22-Jan-2012 19:37 | angels one five | Updated [[Operator, Source]] |
| 26-Feb-2013 20:28 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Apr-2013 13:44 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport] |
| 27-May-2013 05:20 | Nepa | Updated [Operator] |
| 04-Aug-2013 07:06 | JINX | Updated [Operator] |
| 14-Oct-2013 16:32 | JINX | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport] |
| 08-Nov-2013 23:20 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Nov-2013 23:21 | angels one five | Updated [Narrative] |
| 01-Apr-2015 19:07 | Jixn | Updated [Operator] |
| 19-Apr-2015 22:35 | angels one five | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 09-May-2015 11:07 | Angel dot comma | Updated [Time, Operator] |
| 06-Jan-2016 15:10 | JINX | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 07-Jan-2016 20:23 | Django | Updated [Time, Operator] |
| 11-Jan-2018 09:47 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 20-Apr-2018 19:32 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jun-2019 16:23 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Jul-2019 13:40 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 08-Sep-2019 08:54 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Operator] |
| 13-Apr-2022 00:28 | angels one five | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 18-Nov-2022 21:41 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Category] |
| 12-Apr-2024 09:59 | Nepa | Updated [Location, Operator] |
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