City

The airplane was engaged in a bombing mission over Waalhaven when it was shot down by Flak and crashed in Oudenrijn, in the suburb of Utrecht. Three crew members were killed and a fourth occupant was injured and became PoW.
Crew:
Oblt H-W. Magnussen, pilot, †
Ofw L. Edmüller, observer,
Uffz G. Richter, radio operator, †
Uffz K. Rocher, air gunner. †

While attacking the airport of Amsterdam-Schiphol at night, the bomber was shot down by the pilot of a Dutch fighter and crashed in a street (Hoofdweg 457) located in Hoofddorp, in the vicinity of the airport. A crew member was killed and three others were injured and became PoW.
Crew:
Gefr F. Strada, †
Oberlt F-K. Rinck,
Oberfw W. Rüther,
Gefr F. Wissing.

The airplane departed RAF Wyton to bomb Ypenburg Airfield. While flying over The Hague, the aircraft was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in the city. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt I. L. Thomas, pilot,
Sgt V. Spurr, Observer,
LAC H. Bridson, wireless operator and air gunner.

In unknown circumstances, the bomber crashed onto a house located Victoria Road in Clacton-on-Sea. The aircraft and the house were destroyed. All four crew members as well as two people leaving in the house, Mr. & Mrs. Frederick and Dorothy Gill were killed.

The crew departed Ota Airbase on a flight to Azinhaga where a cousin of the pilot got married. Flying too low over the city, the airplane impacted the top of the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and crashed. Both occupants were killed.
Crew:
Cpl Fernando Gomes,
Pvt José Maria Campos.

En route from Avord to Istres to transfer the squadron, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to heavy snow falls. All occupants decided to bail out and abandoned the aircraft that dove into the ground and crashed in the district of Paillassier, in the suburb of Valence. There were no casualties. Crew from the 51st Bomb Squad.

While on a training flight over the coast of Hampshire, the float plane collided with the cable of a barrage balloon and crashed in the Bitterne Village, east of Southampton. All four crew members were killed while there were no casualties on the ground.
Crew:
Lt Richard Herriot Mackay Herriot-Hill,
F/O Michael Fortnum,
LAC Michael M’Loughlin,
Louis Moorhead, mechanic.

The pilot took off from Vélizy-Villacoublay Airport almost simultaneously with a French Air Force Lioré 451. While in initial climb, the Simoun that was positioned to the left of the Lioré, collided the Lioré with its right wing. Out of control, the Simoun entered a dive and crashed on a farm adjacent to the Montcel Castle in Jouy-en-Josas. The pilot, sole on board, was killed.
Crew:
Adj/C Georges Marcillac, pilot.

The pilot departed Hendon Airfield on a local solo training flight. After takeoff, while climbing to a height of 1,000 feet, the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into several houses located in the center of Hendon, bursting into flames. The airplane and three houses were destroyed. The pilot was killed while there were no casualties on the ground. The pilot was supposed to complete single engine approaches and landings.
Crew:
P/O John Noel Laughton Isaac.

On 28AUG1939, the aircraft L4217 crashed at Beck Row on take off for practice Bombing and Gunnery Exercise Burned out. First take off attempt was aborted due to lack of power. On second attempt engines cut after point of no return, the aircraft cleared the boundary fence, then port wing struck a barn, then damaged another barn before demolishing the out houses of a pair of cottages and ended up sideways on to a stone wall alongside the main road to Mildenhall town with a wing blocking the road before the final impact Eric and Navigator P/O Hiller braced themselves against the main spar. As A/C stopped first reaction was to exit via astro hatch but this had jammed, training memories then led us to collect escape axe from fuselage mid section and use it to chop off the rear turret cupola. By this time the front of the aircraft was burning furiously & the smoke plus dust from the buildings made it difficult to see very much. When we did reach the tail the turret was already missing from contact with the wall so out we went. We found that and front gunner had escaped via damaged nose and rear gunner had been thrown out into a bed of nettles! The Captain was convinced that there was another crew man aboard looking in we saw what could be a person it turned out to be engine covers and we beat a hasty retreat via the rear end. It was quite a spectacle with petrol tanks and oxygen cylinders exploding plu the rattle of .303 ammunition exploding. We later found out that A/c Hedges a new arrival on squadron had missed the flight though n the detail. Aircraft Captain sustained a broken finger, Front gunner a Cut arm requiring stitches while we all sustained mild abrasions and were stiff for days the rear gunner also had nettle rash! The following day showed the engines lying in pools of now solidified metal. Nothing else remained of the aircraft forward of the centre section. On inspection we realized that navigator and I had climbed out over the back of rear gunners seat 3 times without thinking of lowering it! Cause of the engine problem was a petrol cock which should have been either fully up or fully down depending on whether using 100 octane or lower value fuel. Was not set for 100 octane required for take off thus engines were starved – this in turn caused a blow back which in turn caused the fire I lost my nerve for flying for some time after that.

Thanks to Peter Cannings for his testimony and full report. His cousin F/Lt Eric F. H. Cannings was on board.