ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 226797
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| Date: | Tuesday 14 May 1940 |
| Time: | morning |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 |
| Owner/operator: | 3 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L1932 |
| MSN: | QO-T |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Leuven, Flemish Brabant -
 Belgium
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Vitry-en-Artois, France |
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I L1932 (QO-T) 3 Squadron, RAF: Written off (damaged beyond repair) 14 May 1940 when lost on combat operations. Pilot survived but injured. According to the official Air Ministry file on this incident (File AIR 81/325): "Hurricane L1932 crashed near Leuven, Belgium, 14 May 1940. Pilot Officer F R Carey: missing, later reported safe".
According to a Belgian source, roughly translated into English (see link #4 for the original Belgian text):
"During a patrol south of Leuven, this Hurricane intercepts a Do 17 and shoots it down. However, he was hit by return fire from the enemy aircraft. The pilot of 3 Squadron, RAF, Pilot Officer Frank Reginald Carey, is obliged to perform a belly landing near Hamme-Mille*, Morsain near Leuven. His plane is wrecked, the pilot is injured by a bullet in his leg.
After thumbing a lift on the back of a Belgian soldier's motorcycle he joined a party of refugees until a British Army truck picked him up. Eventually Carey arrived at a casualty clearing station in Dieppe where he encountered the 16th Duke of Norfolk, a fellow patient who apologised that he was only there with gout.
As the enemy approached they were put on a hospital train, which was subsequently bombed. Carey and the Duke took shelter then returned to help move the seriously wounded. Meanwhile the engine-driver had uncoupled the engine and driven off.
Carey and his fellow walking wounded pushed the carriages out of the danger area then kept going until reaching the Atlantic coast at La Baule where the Hermitage Hotel served as an officers hospital, though he was soon sent to the less comfortable RAF tented depot near Nantes.
In the second week of June, together with three other RAF walking wounded, Carey located an abandoned Bristol Bombay aircraft. Obtaining fuel from the French Air Force they filled it up and took off, with Carey manning the rear gun. After landing at Hendon in north London Carey discovered that he had been listed 'Missing, believed Killed'.
Carey was awarded the DFC and Bar, both being gazetted on the same day (31st May 1940). He joined 43 Squadron at Tangmere on 24th June [1940]"
Frank Reginald Carey, survived WWII, retired from the RAF on 2nd June 1960 as a Group Captain, and was made a CBE (gazetted 11th June 1960). Carey was also awarded the Silver Star (US). He died on 6th December 2004, aged 93.
*Hamme-Mille is a town in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant and a part of Bevekom at approximate Coordinates 50°47′ N, 4°43′ E.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/325:
3. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/3_squadron.html#1405
4. https://www.luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/hawker-hurricane-l1932-te-morsain
5. http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/carey.htm
6. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamme-Mille
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Jul-2019 00:06 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 08-Jul-2019 05:45 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 05-Nov-2022 23:58 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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