Date:	Sunday 12 May 1940
Time:	17:00 LT
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	103 Sqn RAF
Registration:	L5512
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	NW of Haracourt, 9 km SSE of Sedan, Ardennes -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Betheniville, France
Destination airport:	Betheniville, France

Narrative:
Fairey Battle Mk.1 L5512 (PM-Q) 103 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost on combat operations. Both crew lost. According to the the official Air Ministry file on the incident (File AIR 81/298): "Battle K5512 failed to return from an operational flight, 12 May 1940. Aircraftman 1st Class H B Sewell and Flying Officer G B Morgan-Dean: report of deaths".

Crew of Battle L5512:
Flying Officer (Pilot) George Barry Morgan-Dean, RAF 40131, age 23, killed in action (died of injuries sustained) 12/05/1940.
Aircraftman 1st Class (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) Horace B. Sewell, RAF 531362, age 21, killed in action 12/05/1940

Badly damaged by light flak during low level attack on German columns near Bouillon, Belgium. Force landed on the high ground north west of Haracourt in France on return to Betheniville. When help arrived they found Horace Sewell already dead and Barry Morgan-Dean mortally wounded. He died before he could be treated. Both crew fatalities were buried at Haraucourt Churchyard, Ardennes, France.

At 16:30 three Battles (including L5512 and P2193) took off to bomb a mechanised column near Bouillon. For this operation and other day operations that followed the 103 Squadron Battles usually flew with only a pilot and air gunner, the pilot undertaking the navigational duties and dropping the bombs. The column was sighted just over a mile South of Bouillon and Pilot Officer V A Cunningham made a shallow dive attack from 3000 feet to 1000 feet during which his Battle was subjected to small arms and machine gun fire. He was unable to observe the effects of his bombing but managed to make a quick escape and return to Betheniville. The Battles of Flying Officer G B Morgan-Dean (in L5512) and Pilot Officer E E Morton (in P2193) were both shot down by ground fire with no survivors. Battle L5512 was airborne at 16:30 from Bethenville. Hit by Flak in the target area and crashed near Haracourt (Ardennes), 9 km SSE of Sedan, France.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J .Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997)
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/298; https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14142147
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689679/morgan-dean,-george-barry/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689680/sewell,-horace-basil/
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/103_squadron.html
7. https://www.northlincsweb.net/103Sqn/html/103_squadron_-_op_bouillon_area_-_12-05-40_-_f-o_morgan-dean.html
8. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=24901
9. https://www.hangarflying.eu/erfgoedsites/graven-van-bemanningsleden-davies-flisher-horner-ross-morton-van-fairey-battle-k9353-en-l5512/
10. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=184

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Feb-2011 13:50	ThW	Added
03-Feb-2011 13:02	ThW	Updated [Total fatalities, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
03-Feb-2011 13:04	ThW	Updated [Narrative]
29-Jun-2019 00:50	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Date, Time, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Country, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
29-Jun-2019 01:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
30-Jun-2019 10:24	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
30-Jun-2022 05:02	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]