Accident Handley Page Hampden Mk I P4370,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 53798
 
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Date:Tuesday 3 September 1940
Time:00:45 LT
Type:Handley Page Hampden Mk I
Owner/operator:144 Sqn RAF
Registration: P4370
MSN: PL-L
Fatalities:Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:between Nuth and Wijnandsrade/Laar, Limburg -   Netherlands
Phase: Combat
Nature:Military
Departure airport:RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire
Destination airport:RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire
Narrative:
Handley Page Hampden Mk.I P4370 (PL-L) of 144 Squadron, RAF. Lost on combat operations on night of 2-3/9/1940. Took off from RAF Hemswell at 21.52 hours for an operation to Ludwigshafen am Rhein in Germany. Crashed at 00:45 hours on the morning of 3/9/1940 after being coned by searchlights & attacked by night fighter pilot Feldwebel Paul Gildner of the 3./NJG 1, who was probably flying a Bf 109.
Aircraft came down between Nuth and Wijnandsrade/Laar, Limburg, Netherlands. Two of the crew of four were killed, the other two survived to be taken PoW:

Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Richard Sydney Albion Churchill RAF 41225 [PoW]
2nd Pilot : Pilot Officer Ian Clark Kirk RAF 42714 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 03 October, 1939) [PoW]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Albert Eric Walker RAF 615619 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant Anthony Charles Henry Edmeads RAFVR 751841 [Killed]

P/O Churchill participated in the Great Escape, and survived.

The two crew fatalities were buried at Maastricht General Cemetary

Sources:

1. Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part one
2. https://studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/02-03-09-1940-sglo-t0811-handley-page-hampden-mk-i-p4370-pl-l/
3. Archived from Lost Bombers site: http://archive.is/tjMM3
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2962032/walker,-albert-eric/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2962004/edmeads,-anthony-charles-henry/
6. https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/hampden/21675-P43701940-09-03.html
7. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

History of this aircraft

Other occurrences involving this aircraft
26 May 1940 L4172 144 Sqn RAF 3 Sechtem, Bornheim, Nordrhein-Westfalen w/o

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
17-Dec-2008 11:45 ASN archive Added
01-Jul-2018 00:06 Dr. John Smith Updated [Time, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
17-Oct-2018 05:35 Nepa Updated [Operator, Operator]
27-Apr-2020 13:47 TigerTimon Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative]
13-Mar-2024 13:26 Rob Davis Updated [Source, Narrative]
13-Mar-2024 13:27 Rob Davis Updated [Narrative]

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