Date:	Wednesday 22 May 1940
Time:	night
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk 1c
Owner/operator:	99 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L7803
MSN:	LN-P
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Belval, 6 km WNW of Charleville-Mezieres, Ardennes -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Newmarket, Suffolk
Destination airport:	RAF Newmarket, Suffolk

Narrative:
Vickers Wellington Mk.Ic L7803 (LN-P) 99 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) for a combat operation on 22 May 1940. All six crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident: "Wellington L7803 crashed at Belval, France, 22 May 1940. Sergeant J H Lawrenson, Aircraftman 1st Class E Morton, Aircraftman 1st Class S C Ogilvie, Leading Aircraftman C R A Lovejoy, Flying Officer O L Williams and Flying Officer J P Dyer - report of deaths".

Wellington L7803 was Airborne at 21:20 on 21 May 1940 from RAF Newmarket, Suffolk. Target: Dinant. Crashed at Le Pre Wairrin, near Belval (Ardennes), 6 km WNW of Charleville-Mezieres, France. Probably shot down by Flak/AAA, aircraft exploded in flight. No survivors among the crew of six.

Crew of Wellington L7803:
Flying Officer (Pilot) John Phillip Dyer, RAF 39073 (Canadian), DFC, age 27, killed in action 22/05/1940
Flying Officer (Pilot) Owen Lloyd Williams, RAF 39091, killed in action 22/05/1940
Sergeant (Observer) John Heaton Lawrenson, RAF 580791, killed in action 22/05/1940
Leading Aircraftman (Air Gunner) Charles Rrobin Archibald Lovejoy, RAF 518071, age 26, killed in action 22/05/1940
Aircraftman 1st Class (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Edward Morton, RAF 629523, killed in action 22/05/1940
Aircraftman 1st Class (Wireles Op./Air Gunner) Stanley Carter Ogilvie, RAF 632492, age 21, killed in action 22/05/1940

All six crew fatalities were buried in the Belval Communal Cemetery, Ardennes, France

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000 - L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 53)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/463: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14501993
3. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=180
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/99_squadron.html#212205
5. http://baaa-acro.sindev.ch/crash/crash-vickers-416-wellington-ic-belval-6-killed
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689625/dyer,-john-phillip/
7. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689637/williams,-owen-lloyd/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689628/lawrenson,-john-heaton/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689629/lovejoy,-charles-robin-archibald/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689630/morton,-edward/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689631/ogilvie,-stanley-carter/
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belval,_Ardennes

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Jul-2019 01:29	Dr. John Smith	Added
29-Jul-2019 11:54	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
30-Jun-2022 03:22	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]
22-Mar-2024 15:16	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative]