Bristol 142 Blenheim | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

The crew departed RAF Horsham St Faith in Norwich at 1020LT on an operation to Germany. On return, and while crossing the East Anglia coast at 1220LT, the crew failed to give any recognition signals and the Blenheim was promptly engaged by AA fire from naval ships. Shortly afterwards the tail assembly broke away and the bomber dived into a field 250 yards from the police house at Oulton, 2 miles west-northwest of Lowestoft. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Guy Jerrold Menzies, pilot,
Sgt Edwin Jones Bonney, observer,
Sgt Roy Tribick, wireless operator.

Probable cause:

Shot down by British AA fire.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Ras Bir

Date & Time: Jan 16, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L8456

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The crew was forced to make an emergency landing near Ras Bir, east of Obock. There were no casualties.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Bergen aan Zee: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 13, 1941 at 1039 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

T1858

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Oulton - Oulton

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The airplane departed RAF Oulton at 0855LT on a reconnaissance mission to Nordhorn. Approaching the Dutch coast, it was shot down by the pilot of a German fighter and crashed into the sea some 20 km off Bergen aan Zee. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O David Lowther-Clarke,
Sgt Alfred Richard Grindley,
Sgt Norman Oswald Allen.

Probable cause:

Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV into the North Sea: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 11, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

T2163

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

Survivors:

Site:

Lake, Sea, Ocean, River

Schedule:

Bodney - Bodney

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The airplane departed RAF Bodney at 1450LT on an operation to Amsterdam. Lost without trace, maybe it crashed somewhere in the North Sea. All three crew members were killed.
crew:
P/O Alfred Harmon Poulsen,
Sgt James Burton,
Sgt Harold Summers.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Araxos

Date & Time: Jan 10, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L8501

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

Schedule:

Tatoi - Tatoi

Location:

Araxos

Peloponnese / Πελοπόννησος

Country:

Greece

Region:

Europe

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The airplane departed Tatoi AFB at 1035LT on an operation to Këlcyrë. It was attacked by enemy fire and the crew evacuated the area. Later, the airplane ran out of fuel and the pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Araxos. All three crew members escaped uninjured.

Probable cause:

Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IF near Beauvais

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1226

Flight Phase:

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Survivors:

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Schedule:

Ford - Ford

MSN:

8509

YOM:

1938

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The airplane departed RAF Ford on an operation to Beauvais. It is believed that it was shot down by the German Flak while approaching the target area. All three crew members became PoW.
Crew:
Sgt Robert William Jones, pilot,
Sgt George Edward Bessell, observer,
Sgt Reginald Walter Cullen, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Topsham: 1 killed

Date & Time: Jan 9, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1123

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Training

Survivors:

Site:

Plain, Valley

Schedule:

Exeter - Exeter

MSN:

8406

YOM:

1938

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The pilot departed RAF Exeter on a solo training flight. While cruising south of Exeter, the airplane suffered an engine fire, entered a dive and crashed in Topsham. The pilot Sgt Frank Morton was killed.

Probable cause:

Engine fire in flight.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV in Strumpshaw

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1941 at 1825 LT

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

V5375

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Bodney - Bodney

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The airplane departed RAF Bodney at 1506LT on an operation to Rotterdam. It crashed at 1825LT into a field at Strumpshaw, bursting into flames. The pilot was trapped in the burning wreckage and was save from death by the prompt action of local villagers. Prior to the crash, he had just ordered his crew to bail out.
Crew:
Sgt T. H. Cooke,
Sgt A. J. Jackman,
Sgt H. R. Perry.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I near Këlcyrë: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L8536

Flight Phase:

Flight

Flight Type:

Bombing

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While engaged in an operation over Valona (Vlorë), at an altitude of 4,000 feet, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a CR.42 and later crashed near Këlcyrë. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Luke Sylvester Delaney, pilot,
Sgt Vynor Pollard, observer,
Sgt Thomas Alexander McCord, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

shot down by an Italian fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim I in Vlorë

Date & Time: Jan 6, 1941

Type of aircraft:

Bristol 142 Blenheim

Operator:

Registration:

L1487

Flight Phase:

Flight Type:

Survivors:

Site:

MSN:

8770

YOM:

1939

Location:

Vlorë

Country:

Albania

Region:

Europe

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Circumstances:

The bomber was shot down by enemy fire and crashed near Vlorë. All three crew members became PoW.
Crew:
F/O Robert Douglas Bobby Campbell, pilot,
Sgt J. H. Beharrel, observer,
Sgt R. Appleyard, wireless operator and air gunner.

Probable cause:

Shot down by enemy fire.