Date:	Tuesday 28 May 1940
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Ia
Owner/operator:	19 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N3237
MSN:	461
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	English Channel, off Sangatte, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hornchurch, Essex
Destination airport:

Narrative:
N3237: Spitfire Mk.Ia (c/no. 461). First Flown 13-12-39. Delivered to the RAF at 24 MU 21-12-39. First issued to 19 Squadron 6-4-40. Missing from sweep presumed, shot down by Bf109s near Calais 27-5-40. Pilot killed. Total Flying Hours 41.00.

According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/612): "Spitfire N3237 crashed into the sea at Sangatte, France, 28 May 1940. Pilot Officer P V Watson: report of death"

On May 28 1940, 19 Squadron lost 4 aircraft for the destruction of 13 enemy aircraft at the evacuation at Dunkirk. Of the four aircraft lost, two pilots were killed, and two survived but were wounded. P/O Peter V Watson, was shot down and baled out 28th May 1940 near Dunkirk. His body was found by civilian population at the foot of cliffs in Sangatte 10th June 1940, fifteen days later.

Crew of Spitfire N3237:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Peter Vincent Watson, RAF 41637, age 20, killed in action 28/05/1940, buried at Calais Canadian War Cemetery, Leubringhen, Pas de Calais, France

Query date of crash. Squadron Record of Events logs has this aircraft and this pilot crashing on 26 May 1940??

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 20)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/612: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502304
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2214547/watson,-peter-vincent/
4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p003.html
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/19_squadron.html#2805
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=5563
7. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-15#post-201331
8. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2018/13-april/features/features/diary-of-an-raf-station-chaplain-during-the-battle-of-britain
9. http://allspitfirepilots.org/pilots/2094
10. National Archives Kew Squardon Record of Events Doc AIR27/252/17 page 14

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
21-Aug-2019 22:29	Dr. John Smith	Added
21-Aug-2019 22:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
22-Aug-2019 08:57	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]