Date:	Thursday 25 April 1940
Time:	night
Type:	Handley Page Hampden Mk I
Owner/operator:	49 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P1319
MSN:	EA-E
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea, near Sylt, Frisian Islands -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:	RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire

Narrative:
Handley Page Hampden Mk.1 P1319 (EA-E) of 49 Squadron RAF: Lost on combat operations on night of 25 April 1940. Shot down near Sylt, Frisian Islands, believed by Ofw Hermann Forster of IV./JG2 flying a Me 109. Hampden P1319 officially listed as "crashed at sea off the North Sea coast of Germany, 25 April 1940". All four crew killed. According to the ORB (Air Ministry Form 540) for 49 Squadron for this period

"25/26 April, 1940; MINELAYING - BALTIC:
This would prove to be the squadron's most costly and saddest nights of the war so far; 8 Hampdens fought their way through terrible weather to the now familiar "gardening" (Minelaying) areas in Kiel Bay. Only one aircraft dropped vegetables successfully, the remainder failed due to the bad conditions. Returning home the squadron was diverted to Montrose where 4 aircraft landed and a fifth landed at Leuchars. 3 aircraft and crews were missing. The reason why two of the aircraft failed to return will never be known, but the third gained the unenviable distinction of being the first bomber of the squadron to be shot down by a German night fighter.

Hampden P1319, flown by Pilot Officer Arthur Benson fell victim to Fw Förster, a member of IV[N]/JG.2, the very first German night fighter unit. This unit operated Messerschmitt Bf 109D's which had the cockpit hoods removed. The Hampden came down in the North Sea off Sylt, Frisian Islands. The body of Sgt Robert Mackenzie was washed ashore on 30 May near Rantum, and now rests in the Kiel War Cemetery; the rest of the crew were never recovered".

Crew of Hampden P1319:
Sergeant Robert Ian Leonard MacKenzie (Observer, Service Number 580459, aged 23); killed in action, body recovered, buried in Kiel War Cemetery, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany (NCO:561994 Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 07 May, 1940)
Pilot Officer Arthur Herbert Benson (Pilot, Service Number 43131, aged 29)
Pilot Officer Alfred Peter Burdett Hordern (Second Pilot, Service Number 41418, aged 22) (Commission Gazetted : Tuesday 31 October, 1939)
Leading Aircraftman J D Openshaw (Wireless Op/Air gunner, Service Number 551751, aged 19)

As stated above, the body of Sgt Robert MacKenzie was recovered, and buried in the War Cemetery at Kiel. The other three crew were never found, and are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 23)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) Fire AIR 81/175: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141976
3. http://www.49squadron.co.uk/personnel_index/detail/Benson_A
4. https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/mackenzie-ril/
5. https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/openshaw-jd/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2356628/mackenzie,-robert-ian-leonard/
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1083830/benson,-arthur-herbert/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1800470/hordern,-alfred-peter-burdett/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1803629/openshaw,-john-derek/
10. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

10 March 1942

AT174

49 Sqn RAF

4

Hoerstgen, Kamp-Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfalen

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jun-2019 23:42	Dr. John Smith	Added
11-Jun-2019 05:29	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
25-Apr-2024 06:53	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative]