Date:	Sunday 12 May 1940
Time:	17:00 LT
Type:	Fairey Battle Mk I
Owner/operator:	218 Sqn RAF
Registration:	P2183
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Donchery, 7 km WSW of Sedan, Ardennes -   France
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Aubérive-sur-Suippes, France
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Fairey Battle P2183 (HA-Y) 218 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost on combat operations. One of the three crew was killed, the other two survived, evaded capture, and returned to their unit. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/290): "Battle P2183 failed to return from an operational flight over France, 12 May 1940. Sergeant W H Harris, Leading Aircraftman H B Jones missing, later reported safe and returned to unit. Pilot Officer F S Bazalgette - report of death".

Crew of Battle P2183:
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Frederick Sidney Bazalgette, RAF 70790, aged 22, killed in action 12/05/1940; survived initial crash impact, but died of wounds inflicted, buried at Nouvion-sur-Meuse Communal Cemetery, France
Sgt W.H.Harris (Observer) - survived, evaded capture, returned safely to his unit
LAC H.B.Jones (Wirless Op./Air Gunner) - survived, evaded capture, returned safely to his unit

The AASF's Battles carried out an operation during the afternoon when 15 aircraft (from 218 and 103 Squadrons) attacked German troops near Bouillon. Six aircraft failed to return. During the day, the Battles had suffered an amazing loss rate of 62% (almost two out of three).

P2183 was airborne from Auberive-sur-Suippes at 16:30 hrs. A successful crash landing was made close to the village of Donchery, which was at the time still unoccupied by the Germans. P/O Bazalgette was severely injured the arm, it is not known if his injury was caused by the subsequent crash landing or by the ground fire. His two crew, Sergeant Harris (Observer) and Leading aircraftsman Jones made every effort to save their brave pilot, between them they carried their grievously wounded pilot towards the front line, sadly 22-year-old Frederick Bazalgette RAF succumbed to his wounds on the night of May 12th.

Frederick Bazalgette is believed to have been initially buried in a make-shift grave between the River Meuse and the railway depot of Nouvion-sur-Meuse. In 1941 his grave was found and identified, on his hand he still wore a ring with his initials, also found in the grave was a bottle with his name engraved. The body was subsequently buried in the local cemetery at Nouvion-sur-Meuse.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. The Battle File (Sidney Shail, Air Britain, 1997)
3. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/290: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14142139
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689718/bazalgette,-frederick-sidney/
5. http://aircrewremembered.com/morton-edger-elliot.html
6. https://218squadron.wordpress.com/pilot-officer-frederick-sidney-bazalgette-70790-raf/
7. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/218_squadron.html
8. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/raf-losses-may-1940-an-update.16940/page-3#post-195009
9. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=939

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Feb-2011 14:18	ThW	Added
28-Jun-2019 21:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Country, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
28-Jun-2019 21:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative]
30-Jun-2019 10:23	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
30-Jun-2022 05:01	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]