Date:	Sunday 19 May 1940
Time:	10:45 LT
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	142 Sqn RAF
Registration:	K7696
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Hirson, near Bosmont-sur-Serre, Aisne, east of Marle -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Faux-Villecerf, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.I K7696 (QT-I) 142 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat sortie to Laon, France on 19 May 1940. All three crew survived. According to the official Air Ministry file on this incident (File AIR 81/465): "Battle K7696 crashed at Hirson, France, 19 May 1940. Sergeant S Lang, Aircraftman 1st Class H Long and Pilot Officer H H Taylor: prisoners of war".

Fairey Battle K7696 was one of three Battles of 142 Squadron that were lost on this day on a raid against targets west of Laon, France (K7696, L5223 and P5238). Airborne from Faux-Villecerf, France, and crashed in the target area when brought down by ground AAA fire. Battle K7696 bellylanded at Hirson, near Bosmont-sur-Serre, east of Marle at 10:45 hrs. All three crew survived, but were captured and taken as PoWs

Crew of Battle K7696:
Pilot Officer Howard.Hamilton "Squizzy" Taylor (RAF 36153); survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in Camp Stalag Luft 3, as PoW No.584. Promoted to Flying Officer during captivity.
Sgt Stanley Lang (RAF 561779); survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW Camps 8B/L3/L6/357
AC.1 Herbert Long (RAF 615961); survived captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW Camp 357, as PoW No.2665

The reported crash location of Bosmont-sur-Serre is a commune in the department of Aisne in Hauts-de-France in northern France, at approximate Coordinates: 49°43′57″N 3°51′37″E

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976 p 63)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/465: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14501995
3. The Battle File (Sideney Shail, Air Britain, 1997 p 129)
4. http://aircrewremembered.com/taylor-howard-hamilton.html
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=6225
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/142_squadron.html#1905
7. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=46655
8. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?10731-Sgt-R-E-Hotchkiss-653176-POW-29-7-1940&styleid=3
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosmont-sur-Serre

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Jul-2019 02:21	Dr. John Smith	Added
29-Jul-2019 11:53	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]