Date:	Sunday 26 May 1940
Time:
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Owner/operator:	605 (County of Warwick) Sqn RAF
Registration:	N2346
MSN:	UP-L
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Dunkirk, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hawkinge, Folkestone, Kent
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Hurricane N2346/L: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat air patrol in the Dunkirk area. Pilot bailed out, and eventually returned to his unit. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/580) Hurricane L2346 failed to return from air operations over France. 26/05/1940
Crew:
P/O (43362) Ian James MUIRHEAD (pilot) RAF - missing, later reported safe"

Shot down by Bf-110 over the Dunkirk, Pas De Calais area. Pilot bailed out, was fired on by Belgian troops, returned by ship from Ostend (Oostende), but the ship he was in was torpedoed, he was rescued, hospitalised in Torquay. Pilot was Pilot Officer Ian James "Jock" Muirhead. According to the history of 605 (County of Warwick) Sqaudron, and the personal testimony of the pilot himself:

"The next day the Squadron engaged several Ju 88s just after lunch, claiming three destroyed including Mike Cooper Slipper who fired at one aircraft and then proceeded to chase it down into the sea. Jock Muirhead reported attacking a Me 110, silencing the rear gunner and then fired at it again as it dived towards Ostend and was later credited to him after it was seen to crash by some troops, but was cut short when he noticed fumes in his own cockpit, probably caused by a combination of a glycol leak and steam.

Despite efforts to find a suitable airfield to land his damaged aircraft he had little choice but to bale out, the situation made worse by the fact that he couldn't see his instrument panel and therefore had no idea at what height he was flying. He later estimated his height to be about 1000 feet when he parted company with it, and then came under fire from a group of Belgian troops. Picked up by an RAMC officer he was sent to Ostend by car and sent to the harbour as a ship would be sailing to England that evening. Jock wrote the following two letters on his return, the first to his mother and the other to the Irvine Parachute Company:-

'It's been quite an exciting week. Apparently the AM notified you I was missing on Monday which was the day I was shot down on. Well, I've been bombed and torpedoed since then on my way back and missing again. The start of the whole business was when I got a bullet in my radiator over France and all the cooling stuff came into the cockpit so that I was forced to leave by parachute. I got out at about 1,000 ft and was immediately fired on by all the Belgians in the neighbourhood. I eventually fell in a tree with everyone in the neighbourhood still shooting for all they were worth.

Eventually I got in a ditch and stayed there until I was in a position to argue. Anyway, some of our own troops came along after a while and I scrounged a lift to Ostend where I fell in with the Belgium Air Force who told me a ship was leaving that night. Well I tootled along to the ship and found it wasn't going until the next night and so we had to wait.

I ran into one or two of my pals who had been shot down and we spent the next two days dodging bombs which were showered on us incessantly wherever we went. We got quite used to them. Well we eventually sailed sometime in the evening expecting further bombing attacks, but instead of that a German aeroplane followed us about 20 or 30 miles and gave our position to either a submarine or coast motorboat which promptly torpedoed us after firing 4 torpedoes at us, I was standing on the wheelhouse dead over the strike and got blown into the air somewhere, anyhow, I came down eventually and swam around for a while until I found a big chunk of wood which I boarded with three other blokes and stayed put for the next four hours or so.

We were eventually picked up by some destroyers (incidentally, the chap who picked us up was sunk the next day) who took us home where we were put on a hospital train and eventually sent here. I've been pretty thoroughly bruised between the legs, my legs were completely out of action, but they are recovering a little strength now and I've got a burst eardrum but apart from a lot of skin missing where I contacted the ship, I think I'm OK.

Jimmy from Dumfries rang up last night. I don't know how he knew. Tell him I'll be seeing him soon. Give all my love to Dell, tell her I can't write anymore as I'm terribly tired. 3 days without sleep and eats. I was the only Air Force Officer to survive I believe so I expect I have a spot of cross-examination to go through. I expect Dad will laugh like blazes to think that I should get away with being shot down only then be torpedoed!
Love Ian
PS All I possess, one pair of flannels and a pullover the Navy gave me.'

and the second letter:
'Royal Air Force,
Officer Hospital,
Torquay
8.7.40
Dear Sir
I am writing this short account which may interest you of the extremely efficient operation of one of your seat type parachutes. I was patrolling Dunkirk on the 26th May in a Hurricane when I encountered a ME 110, which I subsequently engaged and disposed of. Shortly after this operation which took place at 5,000ft out to sea, I found a bullet had lodged in the cockpit and cut a glycol pipe.

As fumes and boiling glycol were entering the cockpit rapidly, I made for the shore and endeavoured to land at [censored]...then in Belgium hands. Unfortunately the cockpit had become untenable and I was unable to see the instruments. I then decided to jump and with that end in view, disconnected my oxygen and microphone leads. I left the aircraft at 1000 ft over [censored]...by rolling it onto its back at an airspeed of about 150 mph and pushing the stick forward as I became inverted. I was immediately thrown out of the machine and when 300 ft clear pulled the rip cord. The parachute opened so rapidly that I can only assume I had unconsciously eased the ring before pulling it as I never even got it clear of the pocket. I was then fired on violently by Belgian troops and civilians and was able to escape by partially collapsing the chute by climbing up one set of the rigging lines.

I let go at about 200 ft and landed in a tree which I was unable to avoid as there was quite a strong wind. I subsequently was obliged to abandon the parachute as I had great difficulty in preventing the Belgians from shooting me in mistake for a German. I eventually got back to this country two days later after being torpedoed. I am still in hospital but I am very grateful to you for the extremely efficient manner in which your parachute behaved at low altitude.
Yours sincerely
P/O (43362) Ian James MUIRHEAD DFC

Note that the official Air Ministry File into the incident (File AIR 81/580) lists the Hurricane involved as "L2346". This is clearly an error for N2346, as L2346 was a Blackburn Skua

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p.12)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/580: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502218
3. Air Battle for Dunkirk: 26 May - 3 June 1940 By Norman Franks
4. http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Muirhead.htm
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/605_squadron.html#2605
6. http://www.605squadron.co.uk/We%20Never%20Slept%20-%20The%20Story%20of%20605%20Squadron.pdf

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Jan-2011 13:44	ThW	Added
18-Jan-2011 02:43	penguin832	Updated [Registration, Source, Narrative]
04-Jan-2012 14:38	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, Narrative]
18-Jan-2012 06:41	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Source]
16-Aug-2019 21:45	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
16-Aug-2019 21:46	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
16-Aug-2019 21:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
07-Jan-2022 11:13	Nepa	Updated [Time, Narrative, Operator]