Date:	Wednesday 29 May 1940
Time:	17:30 LT
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk 1
Owner/operator:	229 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P3489
MSN:	RE-J
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	English Channel, off Dunkirk, Pas de Calais -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Merville, Lille, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P3489 (RE-J) 229 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat air patrol on 29 May 1940. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/686): "Hurricane P3489 lost in air operations over Dunkirk, France, 29 May 1940. Flight Lieutenant F N Clouston: report of death"

Airborne from Merville, Lille, France for a combat air patrol over the Dunkirk area; May 29 1940 was a bad day for 229 Squadron, as they lost five Hurricanes (and three pilots) in one day during air to air combat with Bf-109s over Dunkirk. Hurricane P3489 was lost, and the pilot was killed.

Flight Lieutenant Falcon N. Clouston was leading his Hurricane squadron [229 Squadron] over the battle area when they encountered a swarm of Messerschmitts and a series of dogfights developed. Clouston saw a cloud of smoke and steam pour from the side of the first machine he attacked. The second dived into the edge of a small wood. It is presumed that he was shot down by a Bf-109, and crashed into the English Channel.

229 Squadron Hurricanes lost 29/5/40:
N2473 - F/O W G New RAF (survived, injured)
N2521 - P/O Anthony Stuart Linney RAF (survived, injured)
P2636 - Flight Lieutenant Patrick E.S.F.M. Browne, RAF (killed)
P3489 - Flight Lieutenant Falcon N. Clouston, RAF (killed)
P2876 - Sergeant (Pilot) James C. Harrison, RAF (killed)

Crew of Hurricane P3489:
Flight Lieutenant (Pilot) Falcon Nelson Clouston, RAF 40990 (New Zealander), age 27, killed in action 29/05/1940, buried at Sage War Cemetery, Großenkneten, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany

Many Dunkirk victims were washed ashore on the Frisian isles, in the North of the Netherlands and Germany. Those that washed ashore in Germany were mostly buried at Sage War Cemetery, at Niedersachsen, Germany. This may explain why Flight Lt Clouston was buried at the Sage War Cemetery - it was close to where his body was washed ashore.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977 p 15)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/686: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502350
3. Men of The Battle of Britain: A Biographical Dictionary of The Few By Kenneth G. Wynn
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/229_squadron.html#2905
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2073629/clouston,-falcon-nelson/
6. https://billiongraves.com/grave/FN-Clouston/14983553
7. http://rnzaf.proboards.com/thread/12915/clouston-raf
8. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C22235
9. https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/falcon-nelson-clouston

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Aug-2019 21:41	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Aug-2019 21:42	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
30-Aug-2019 21:57	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
31-Aug-2019 06:34	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
31-Aug-2019 23:55	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]