Pas-de-Calais | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The airplane departed RAF Middleton St George at 2310LT on July 29 on an operation to Saarbrücken. While returning to base the following night and flying off the Belgian coast, it was badly damaged by a German fighter. The pilot was eventually forced to ditch the airplane into the sea off Calais. All seven crew members were picked up 14 hours later by an air sea rescue.
Crew:
F/Sgt Charles George Dennis, pilot,
Sgt Griffiths, flight engineer,
Sgt P. P. Smith, navigator,
Sgt Newman, bomb aimer,
Sgt Keikibelt, wireless operator,
Sgt R. Grey, air gunner,
F/Sgt W. Dewhurst, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 417 Wellington III in Pihen-lès-Guînes: 5 killed

Date & Time: Jul 30, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 417 Wellington III

Operator:

Registration:

BJ881

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Snaith - Snaith

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Snaith at 2340LT on July 29 on an operation to Saarbrücken. Over north of France, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed in Pihen-lès-Guînes. All five crew members were killed.
Crew:
S/L Lionel Rees Cohen, pilot,
P/O Herbert John Ivory, observer,
Sgt Alfred James, wireless operator,
Sgt Joseph Frank Whittaker, air gunner,
Sgt Desmond Albert York, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a enemy fire.

Crash of a Douglas DB-7B Boston III off Boulogne-sur-Mer: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 12, 1942

Type of aircraft:

Douglas A-20 Havoc/DB-7 Boston

Operator:

Registration:

W8355

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Yes

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Great Massingham - Great Massingham

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Great Massingham at 1221LT on an operation to Hazebrouck. Approaching the French coast, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Boulogne-sur-Mer. Three crew members were killed and a fourth became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Alan Sydney Hatton, pilot,
F/Sgt Jack Francis Connolly, observer,
Sgt Colin Frank Docherty, wireless operator,
Sgt Thomas Joseph Delaney, air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of an Avro 679 Manchester IA off Boulogne-sur-Mer: 7 killed

Date & Time: Dec 8, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Avro 679 Manchester

Operator:

Registration:

L7494

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Woolfox Lodge - Woolfox Lodge

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Woolfox Lodge at 1742LT on an operation to Boulogne-sur-Mer, with 19 other similar aircrafts. While approaching the French coast, the bomber exploded and crashed into the sea few miles offshore. All seven crew members were killed.
Crew (61st Squadron):
S/L John Lawrence Riley, pilot,
Sgt Cyril Leslie Wells, copilot,
F/Sgt John Wilson, radio navigator,
P/O Reginald Adcock, flight engineer,
Sgt James Crawford, air gunner,
Sgt James Benjamin Leight, air gunner,
Sgt John Victor Randall, air bomber.

Crash of a Vickers 424 Wellington IV near Béthune

Date & Time: Nov 8, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 424 Wellington IV

Operator:

Registration:

Z1271

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Hemswell - Hemswell

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Hemswell at 1843LT on November 7 an operation to Mannheim. While returning to base, the crew encountered icing conditions and the airplane crash landed in an open field located in the region of Béthune. All six crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Gustaw Chrzanowski,
Sgt Piotr Meiczsyław Nowakowski,
P/O Wladysław Radwanski,
F/O Mieczysław Aleksander Taras,
Sgt Henryk Kudelko,
Sgt Bolesław Stanisław Iwanowicz.

Probable cause:

Icing.

Crash of an Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley V in Pihen-lès-Guînes: 1 killed

Date & Time: Oct 24, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Armstrong Whitworth AW.38 Whitley

Operator:

Registration:

Z6874

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Dishforth - Dishforth

MSN:

2215

YOM:

1941

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Dishforth at 1737LT on an operation to Frankfurt. For unknown reasons, it crashed near Pihen-lès-Guînes. A crew was killed, three became PoW and a fifth evaded.
Crew:
Sgt Clarence Edmund Wheeler, wireless operator, †
Sgt James Perrin Magwood,
Sgt Douglas George Pinney,
Sgt George Millane Porrett,
Sgt H. R. Wilson.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Arques: 3 killed

Date & Time: Oct 13, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

Z7273

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Oulton - Oulton

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Oulton at 1215LT on an anti-shipping operation (Circus 108A mission) in Arques. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by a Me.109 and crashed. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Richard John Chamberlain, pilot,
Sgt Fredrick Lancelot Charlie Jewell, observer,
Sgt Donald Beale, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Le Touquet: 3 killed

Date & Time: Sep 17, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

V6086

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Bodney - Bodney

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Bodney at 1304LT to attack a power station and chemical complex at Mazingarbe. Passing over Le Touquet, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
Sgt Douglas Arthur Bartrip,
P/O Courteney John Harper,
P/O John Bridges Patterson.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Mazingarbe: 2 killed

Date & Time: Sep 4, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

Z7296

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Norwich - Norwich

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Horsham St Faith to bomb a chemical factory in Mazingarbe. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by a Me.109 and crashed. Two crew members were killed and the pilot became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Denis Gordon Adams, pilot,
Sgt Frank Woodcock, observer, †
Sgt Michael Koransky, wireless operator. †

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 406 Wellington II off Boulogne-sur-Mer: 6 killed

Date & Time: Aug 31, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Vickers 406 Wellington II

Operator:

Registration:

W5577

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Binbrook - Binbrook

Location:

Country:

Region:

Crew on board:

Crew fatalities:

Pax on board:

Pax fatalities:

Other fatalities:

Total fatalities:

Circumstances:

The airplane departed RAF Binbrook at 2115LT on August 30 on an operation to Boulogne-sur-Mer. Approaching the target area, it crashed into the sea, killing the entire crew.
Crew:
P/O Rustom Nariman Dastur, pilot,
Sgt William Brown Clark, observer,
Sgt Ronald Benjamin Russell, air gunner,
P/O Chander Parkash Khosla,
Sgt Paul James Lewis,
Sgt James Fitzgerald Wolff.

Subscribe to Pas-de-Calais