Date:	Thursday 11 July 1940
Time:	day
Type:	Bristol Blenheim Mk IV
Owner/operator:	82 (United Provinces) Sqn RAF
Registration:	R3690
MSN:	UX-A
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Clairmarais aerodrome, Clairmarais, Pas-de-Calais, near St. Omer -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Watton, Norfolk
Destination airport:	RAF Watton, Norfolk

Narrative:
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV R3690 (UX-A) 82 (United Provinces) Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over France. All three crew survived, and were taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/1076): "Blenheim R3690, force landed near St Omer, France on 11 July 1940. Pilot Officer J H T Palmer, Sergeant K Howard and Sergeant K W J Farley: prisoners of war".

Airborne from RAF Watton, Norfolk, tasked with bombing enemy airfields, and Clairmarais aerodrome at Clairmarais, Pas-de-Calais, near St. Omer, France in particular. Shot down near the target area by Bf 109s pilot by Oblt Stailer and Underoffizier Hubel of III/JG 51. Blenheim R3690 force landed, and all three crew survived, only to be taken as PoWs.

Crew of Blenheim R3690:
Pilot Officer John Harold Tearl Palmer (Pilot) RAF 42020 - survived, captured, became PoW, but died in captivity 06/12/1942 (see below)
Sergeant K Howard (Observer) RAF 746755 - survived, captured, became PoW. Interned in PoW Camp 357 as PoW No. 220
Sergeant K W J Farley (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) - survived, captured, became PoW. Interned in PoW Camps Stalag Luft I, Stalag Luft VI, and PoW Camp 357 as PoW No. 213

Pilot Officer John Harold Tearl Palmer Injured, and died in 1942 while in captivity. According to a brief biography of the pilot (see link #4):

"... on 11/7/1940 he was serving in 82 Squadron. He took off from RAF Watton in Blenheim IV R3690, heading for targets in Bordeaux. During the sortie the aircraft crashed. Though badly burned and suffering concussion and shock, his first thoughts are stated to have been for the welfare of his crew (Sergeants K. Howard and K.W.J. Farley), who later testified to his “outstanding bravery and fearlessness”.

He was treated in Edith Cavell Hospital, Belgium before transferring to a Prisoner of War camp in Germany. While imprisoned he was promoted to Flying Officer from 6/11/1940 (published London Gazette 14/2/1941), and later to Flight Lieutenant from 6/11/1941 (published 20/1/1942).

John remained imprisoned until his death in a German PoW camp hospital on 6/12/1942. He was buried in grave 8.E.37 at the 1939-1945 Berlin War Cemetery in Germany."

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain,1980 p 23)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1076: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502809
3. The Other Few: The Contribution Made by Bomber and Coastal Aircrew to the Battle of Britain (p 31) By Larry Donnelly
4. https://www.kings.peterborough.sch.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=248&type=pdf
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2760565/palmer,-john-harold-tearl/
6. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=6237

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

21 October 1941

V5634

82 Sqn RAF

3

North Sea off Katwijk, Zuid-Holland

w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
12-Oct-2019 22:04	Dr. John Smith	Added
15-Oct-2019 07:29	juza7	Updated [Operator]