Date:	Wednesday 29 May 1940
Time:
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire Ia
Owner/operator:	610 (County of Chester) Sqn RAF
Registration:	N3289
MSN:	501
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Dunkerque, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent
Destination airport:

Narrative:
N3289: Spitfire Mk.Ia (c/no. 501). First Flown 15-1-40. Delivered to the RAF at 27 MU 19-1-40. Issued to 610 (County of Chester) Squadron 14-5-40 as "DW-K". Written off (presumed destroyed) when Failed To Return from combat operation 29-5-40; pilot killed. Total Flying Hours 24.50.

According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/672): "Spitfire N3289 lost in air operations over Dunkirk, France, 29 May 1940. Flying Officer J K Wilson: missing presumed dead"

Airborne from RAF Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent for a combat air patrol over the Dunkirk area. Shot down by a Bf-109, one of three 610 (County of Chester) Squadron shot down in this engagement on this day.

Crew of Spitfire N3289:
Flying Officer John Kerr Wilson, RAF (AAF) 90338, age 32, posted 29/05/1940, as missing presumed dead.

As no trace of Spitfire N3289 or the pilot was ever found, he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Note that is a well known public domain picture of two 610 (County of Chester) Squadron Spitfires - the caption of which states that the one nearest the camera is N3289/DW-K. However, the photograph is dated July 24 1940 - three months after N3289 was lost over Dunkirk! It is possible that the "DW-K" in the photograph is the replacement Spitfire, X4102 which was shot down on August 24 1940.

A full size replica of Spitfire N3289 as "DW-K" in 610 (County of Chester) Squadron markings is now on show at the Kent Battle of Britain Museum, at RAF Hawkinge, Folkestone, Kent.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 19)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/672: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502255
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1531837/wilson,-john-kerr/
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/610_squadron.html#2905
5. https://forum.keypublishing.com/forum/historic-aviation/73542-spitfire-dw-k

Spitfires of 610 (County of Chester) Squadron, RAF 1940: N3289/DW-K is nearest the camera

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Aug-2019 16:43	Dr. John Smith	Added
29-Aug-2019 16:47	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Embed code, Narrative]
30-Aug-2019 12:57	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]