Date:	Wednesday 20 November 1940
Time:	20:30
Type:	Gloster Gladiator Mk II
Owner/operator:	247 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N5644
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	High Willhays, Okehampton, Devon, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF St Eval,
Destination airport:	RAF St Eval

Narrative:
The night of 20-21 November 1940 saw a repeat raid by the Luftwaffe on Birmingham, already bombed the previous night. This time 116 bombers attacked the city (at least 47 other failed to reach it for one reason or the other), while 45 others participated in a secondary attack on London. Other cities and some airfields were also attacked, and 11 German night-fighters flew Intruder missions, but without any contact.

No German aircraft was lost over England, the only loss being a Ju 88 of KG 77 that crashed in fog on return to base in France. British defences fired 6,500 rounds of HAA during the night but made no claims, as the 64 night fighters sent up by the RAF, although several raiders were seen and two engaged. On the other hand, two British fighters were lost in accidents, with the death of three airmen.

One of these losses was the Gladiator II N5644 of 247 Sqn which took of from St Eval at 2000 hrs to carry out a night patrol of the local area. It did not return and was thought to have crashed into the sea. Members of the Home Guard were asked to keep a look out. On the 22nd, the wreckage of the Gladiator was found with inside the body of the pilot, Sgt Thomas. It ws presumed that the pilot had made an error of navigation and flown into a hillside at some 2,000 feet on High Willhays (2,038 ft.), Okehampton, Devon, the Gladiator breaking up over a distance of 200 yards.
Crew:
Sgt (754426) Robert Tudor THOMAS (pilot) RAF - killed

"The Blitz Then and Now, volume 2. September 1940 – May 1941", collective work, ISBN 0-900913-54-1
“Battle of Britain-The Forgotten Months, November and December 1940.”, by John Foreman. ISBN 1-871187-02-8
http://web.archive.org/web/20160830211323/http://www.rafdavidstowmoor.org:80/crash-log/view-1940-crash-log
http://surfcity.kund.dalnet.se/gladiator_raf_247.htm
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2957600/THOMAS,%20ROBERT%20TUDOR
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okehampton
http://www.maplandia.com/united-kingdom/england/south-west/devon-county/okehampton/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
26-Mar-2015 07:23	angels one five	Added
20-Nov-2015 18:50	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Source, Narrative]
26-Feb-2016 13:06	Dartmoor Chris	Updated [Location, Narrative]
12-Nov-2018 17:19	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator]
10-Aug-2021 09:36	Iwosch	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Narrative, Operator]