ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 229835
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| Date: | Monday 8 July 1940 |
| Time: | 15:45 |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 79 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P3461 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Green Lane, Temple Ewell, near Dover, Kent, England -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Hawkinge, Folkestone, Kent |
| RAF Hawkinge, Kent |
Hawker Hurricane P3461: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from air combat patrol over the English Channel off Kent. Pilot killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/1043): "Hurricane P3461 in air operations, 8 July 1940. Flying Officer E W Mitchell: report of death".
At 3.15 pm on 8 July 1940, Pilot Officer ‘Dimsie’ Stones found himself leading the Squadron because his section was sent off first from RAF Hawkinge, Folkestone, Kent, followed five minutes later by the rest of the squadron (at this time the squadron was depleted to a total of nine aircraft), which was scrambled to intercept an incoming raid in the Dover area. The Squadron searched fruitlessly for an hour before being ordered to return to base, land and refuel. ‘Dimsie’ Stones later wrote; ‘ it was one of those days when we had a solid layer of cloud at about 8,000 feet and on turning back to Hawkinge, some 109’s must have come through that overcast and picked off Woody and P/O E W "Tubby" Mitchell, who were at the rear of our formation. The rest of us saw nothing.’
Flying Officer Edward Mitchell’s Hurricane, Serial No. P3461, crashed at Green Lane, Temple Ewell, near Dover. The crater burned for well over an hour and no positive identification could be made of Flying Officer ‘Tubby’ Mitchell’s mortal remains until armourers had checked the serial numbers from his browning machine-guns.
Flying Officer ‘Tubby’ Mitchell possibly fell to the guns of Oberleutnant Josef Fözö of the 4th Staffel of Jagdgeschwader 51 who claimed the destruction of a ‘Spitfire’ north of Dover at 3.45pm. Three other airmen of Jagdgeschwader 51 claimed RAF aircraft as being shot down during the correct time frame. Leutnant Herman Staiger and Leutnant Kurt Bildau of the 7th Staffel claimed ‘Spitfires’ north-west of Cap Gris Nez at 3.35pm. Oberleutnant Arnold Lignitz of the 9th Staffel claimed a Hurricane in the same area at the same time.
Flying Officer Edward W. Mitchell was twenty-five years old and his remains were buried with full military honours in the Hawkinge Cemetery on the 12th July 1940, alongside his companion, Pilot Officer John E. R. Woods.
His wife, Carmen, had given birth to their only child, a boy, Anthony William, on 23rd June 1940, and it is believed that Flying Officer Mitchell only saw his son on one occasion when he flew to Northolt to visit the nursing home at Stoke Poges, Bucks, before he was killed.
(His son Anthony William Mitchell entered the RAF and was subsequently posted to fly Victor bombers with No.10 squadron. Whilst on a ‘lone ranger’ operation from RAF Cottesmore to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus on 16th June 1962 the aircraft, XA929, failed to take-off and crashed with the loss of all crew. Flying Officer A W Mitchell, aged twenty-one, ejected but at ground level the parachute failed to open in time and he died from multiple injuries).
Crew of Hurricane P3461:
F/O (37820) Edward William Mitchell (Pilot) RAF - killed in action 08/07/1940,
buried at Hawkinge Cemetery, Folkestone, Kent.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 20)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1043: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502909
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2361198/mitchell,-edward-william/
4. https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/hurricane/106439-4156567.html
5. https://www.worldnavalships.com/directory/airframeprofile.php?FrameID=24174
6. https://www.facebook.com/126834467471736/posts/8th-july-1940at-200pm-on-monday-8th-july-flying-officer-william-bill-h-c-warner-/483200205168492/
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/database/wardead/details.php?qnum=94511
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Oct-2019 18:13 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 10-Oct-2019 16:36 | juza7 | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator] |
| 29-Apr-2023 15:25 | Nepa | Updated [[Aircraft type, Operator]] |
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