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Date: | Friday 17 May 1940 |
Time: | 15:30 |
Type: | Hawker Hurricane Mk 1 |
Owner/operator: | 229 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | L1802 |
MSN: | RE-G |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Castilon Hill, Mons, Hainaut -
Belgium
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Northolt, South Ruislip, Middlesex |
Destination airport: | |
Narrative:Hawker Hurricane Mk.I, L1802 (RE-G) 229 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat operation over Mons, Belgium. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/490): "Pilot Officer A M Dillon, report of death; aircraft crashed at Mons, France [sic], 17 May 1940". Reportedly shot down by Bf109s of II.JG 26 north of Cambrai shortly after take off on escort sortie and crashed near Castilon Hill at Mons 3:30 pm
The aircraft of Flight Lieutenant Frederick Rosier was also shot down in this attack, exploding and burning. In his memoirs, "Be Bold", Rosier describes the attack on page 44, quote: "We scrambled and they clearly had us at a great disadvantage and tried to pick us off as we were taking off. It was at this moment that Pilot Officer Dillon was killed. Somehow I managed to take off, get my wheels up and gain some height".
Crew of Hurricane L1802:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Anthony M. Dillon, RAF 41991, age 18, killed in action 17/05/1940, buried at Mons (Bergen) Communal Cemetery, Hainaut, Belgium
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 13)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/490:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502192 3.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2254582/dillon,-anthony-michael/ 4.
http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/229_squadron.html#1705 5.
http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-9#post-197029 6.
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showpost.php?p=239496&postcount=5 7.
http://www.belgians-remember-them.eu/crash-hai-mons1.php Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
03-Aug-2019 23:13 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
03-Aug-2019 23:14 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Narrative] |
04-Aug-2019 11:13 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |