Date:	Wednesday 29 May 1940
Time:	17:30 LT
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk 1
Owner/operator:	229 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P2876
MSN:	RE-T
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 P2876 (RE-T) 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 81/692): "Hurricane P2876 failed to return from air operations over Dunkirk, France, 29 May 1940. Sergeant J C Harrison: 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 P2876 was lost, and the pilot was killed

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 P2876:
Sergeant (Pilot) James C. Harrison, RAF 519293, 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 Sgt J C Harrison 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 14)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/692: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502356
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/2073804/harrison,-james-charles/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Aug-2019 23:32	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Aug-2019 23:34	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source]
31-Aug-2019 06:35	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]