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Date: | Monday 20 May 1940 |
Time: | 15:30 |
Type: | Hawker Hurricane Mk I |
Owner/operator: | 85 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | P3426 |
MSN: | VY-R |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | near Amiens, Somme department of the Picardy region -
France
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | Merville, Lille, France |
Destination airport: | |
Narrative:Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P3426 (VY-R) 85 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations (Ground strafing), over Arras. 20.5.1940. Pilot killed. Shot down by Bf-109s while ground strafing enemy columns east of Arras. Possibly the Hurricane claimed as shot down by Lt Heymann of 4./JG3. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/637): "Pilot Officer R W Shrewsbury and Pilot Officer R W Burton: report of deaths; Hurricane crashed near Arras, France, 20 May 1940"
Although as stated above, the Hurricane was claimed to have been shot down, the official Air Ministry file implies that the two 85 Squadron Hurricanes collided over Arras, possibly during evasive manoeuvres, killing the pilots of both aircraft.
Crew of Hurricane P3426:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Richard W. Shrewsbury, RAF 41874, age 19, killed in action 20/05/1940, buried at Arras Communal Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 20)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/637:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502058 3. Peter D. Cornwell, The Battle of France, Then and Now, 2008
4.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2278676/shrewsbury,-richard-william/ 5.
http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=749 6.
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/85_squadron.html#2005 7.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=12421
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
11 May 1940 |
N2388 |
85 Sqn RAF |
0 |
between Tongres and St Trond, near Maastricht, Limburg |
|
w/o |
19 May 1940 |
P2923 |
85 Sqn RAF |
0 |
near Lille |
|
w/o |
18 August 1940 |
P2923 |
85 Sqn RAF |
1 |
sea 30 miles East of Clacton, Essex. |
|
w/o |
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
08-Jun-2015 12:55 |
Thomas Fuk |
Added |
08-Jun-2015 12:56 |
INV |
Updated [Registration] |
08-Jun-2015 17:44 |
SIS07 |
Updated [Departure airport] |
24-Aug-2019 23:18 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
01-Sep-2019 01:38 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Other fatalities] |