ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229466
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| Date: | Saturday 15 June 1940 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: |  Vickers Wellington Mk 1a |
| Owner/operator: | 38 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | N2953 |
| MSN: | HD-R |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 6 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Verdun, Meuse, Grand Est, North Eastern France -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Marham, Norfolk |
| RAF Marham, Norfolk |
Vickers Wellington Mk.Ia N2953 (HD-R) 38 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over France. Of the six crew, two were posted as "missing believed killed", one was injured, and the other three survived to be taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/909): "Wellington N2953 crashed near Verdun, France, 14-15 June 1940. Sergeant L A Morris and Sergeant R J Baghurst: reports of deaths. Sergeant J D Foulser: prisoner of war; Sergeant W Stevens, Sergeant N Packer and Pilot Officer J E A Foster: uninjured
Airborne at 22:24 on 14 June 1940 from RAF Marham, Norfolk. Target: Leverkussen, Germany. Crashed near Verdun, France, in the early hours of 15 June 1940 due to unknown factors - possibly brought down by Flak/AAA. As stated above two crew were missing, believed killed, one was injured, and three survived to be captured and taken as PoWs.
Crew of Wellington N2953:
Sergeant Lionel Austin Morris, RAFVR 741203, age 28, posted 14/06/1940, as missing, believed killed in action
Sgt W.Stevens: survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW camp Camps L1/L6/L4, PoW No.55.
Sgt N.Packer: survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW camp L1/L6/357, PoW No. 51
Sgt J.D.Foulser: survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW camp L1/L6/357, PoW No.69
Sergeant Reginald James Baghurst, RAF 640031, age 21, posted 14/06/1940, as missing, believed killed in action
Pilot Officer J.E.A.Foster; Injured, detained in hosptial
Sgt Morris and Sgt Baghurst have no known graves and both are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Pilot Officer J.E.A.Foster was confined in Hospital due to injuries sustained. No PoW Number issued.
The reported crash location of Verdun is a small city in the Meuse department in Grand Est in northeastern France, at approximate Coordinates: 49°09′43″N 5°23′15″E.
Foster (later promoted to Squadron Leader) was a serial escaper, making seven attempts and being recaptured each time. He was eventually repatriated in 1944 after feigning insanity. Imperial War Museums have part of a small illicit still that he used to brew alcohol on occasions in their collection. See source 8 below.
Born on 11 May 1903, post-war he married and ran a travel agency. He published his autobiography in 1992 and died at his home on 26 March 2006. See source 9 for his obituary.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1977)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/909): https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502611
3. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=8213
4. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/38_squadron.html#141506
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1077219/morris,-lional-austin/
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1083143/baghurst,-reginald-james/
7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdun
8. https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30088847
9. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2006/may/11/guardianobituaries.secondworldwar
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Sep-2019 23:06 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 29-Sep-2019 08:30 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
| 01-Nov-2022 15:16 | Richard | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
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