Date:	Thursday 30 May 1940
Time:	night
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	88 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P2313
MSN:	RH-Y
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Les Grandes Chapelles airfield, 17 km NE of Troyes, Aube -   France
Phase:	Take off
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Les Grandes Chapelles airfield, Aube, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.I P2313 (RH-Y) 88 Squadron RAF: Written off (destroyed) on combat operations on the night of 29-30 May 1940. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/681): "Battle P2313 crashed at Les Grandes-Chapelles, France, 30 May 1940. Sergeant E W J Chapman, Aircraftman 1st Class C A Edwards and Flying Officer H G Evitt: report of deaths"

According to unofficial reports, Fairey Battle P2313 exploded shortly after take off from Les Grandes Chapelles airfield, 17 km NE of Troyes, Aube, when tasked with a night bombing raid on the night of 29-30 May 1940. Target was enemy troop columns in the area of Givet. Aircraft destroyed, possibly due to the bomb load on board exploding prematurely. There were no survivors.

Note that unofficial sources differ as to whether Battle P2313 crashed and then exploded, or exploded and then crashed. The bomb load definitely exploded, but it is not clear if this happened in flight or after impact with the ground.

Crew of Battle P2313:
Flying Officer (Pilot) Henry George Evitt, RAF 40216, age 26, killed in action 29/05/1940
Sergeant (Observer) Ernest Walter James Chapman, RAF 580408, age 23, killed in action 29/05/40
Aircraftman 1st Class (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Clement Allan Edwards, RAF 550864, killed in action 29/05/1940

All three crew fatalities were buried at Choloy War Cemetery, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 13
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/681: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502345
3. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997 p 167)
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2319725/evitt,-henry-george/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2319662/chapman,-ernest-walter-james/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2319714/edwards,-clement-allan/
7. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1937
8. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/88_squadron.html#2905
9. http://39-45.auzeau.fr/france/54-meurthe-et-moselle/54-choloy-war-cemetery-19/
10. http://www.romilly-aviation.fr/crashes-1940-1945.htm
11. http://ww2f.com/threads/88-squadron-in-the-battle-of-france-1940.41382/
12. https://www.histavia21.net/HISTAV2/AUBECRASH-1940.htm

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Aug-2019 20:12	Dr. John Smith	Added
31-Aug-2019 06:36	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]