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Belgium
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West Flanders

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Ostend: 6 killed

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
R3220
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Honington - Honington
Location:
Ostend
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Honington in the evening of December 7 on an operation to Düsseldorf. It crashed in unknown circumstances in Stene near Ostend Airport. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/Lt Desmond Geoffrey Stanley,
Sgt Robert Coates Parker,
Sgt John James Coulsham Nanson,
Sgt Anthony Arthur Rogers,
Sgt Joseph Alan Grocott,
Sgt William Humphrey Pontin.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I off Ostend: 4 killed

Date & Time: Dec 7, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden
Operator:
Registration:
X3050
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Scampton – Scampton
Location:
Ostend
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Scampton to attack aerodromes. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed into the sea off Ostend. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
Sgt Stuart Gordon Greeves,
Sgt Leslie Young,
Sgt Edward Francis Parish,
Sgt Malcolm Haydn Davies.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Ostend: 6 killed

Date & Time: Sep 21, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
T2463
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Mildenhall - Mildenhall
Location:
Ostend
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Mildenhall at 2115 on September 20 on operation 'Invasion Ports'. Over Ostend, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed, killing all six crew members.
Crew:
P/O Michael Ryves Braun, pilot,
Sgt Alfred Joseph Green, pilot,
Sgt Lindsay Douglas Anderson, observer,
Sgt Joseph Edward McCormick, observer,
Sgt Norman MacDonald, wireless operator,
Sgt Lewis Alan White, wireless operator.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Ostend: 6 killed

Date & Time: Sep 12, 1940 at 0220 LT
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
L7808
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Marham - Marham
Location:
Ostend
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Marham in the evening of September 11 on an operation to Ostend. Approaching the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed near the central railway station. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Richard Guy Allen, pilot,
P/O Charles Theodore Dufton, pilot,
Sgt Eric James, observer,
Sgt James Ward Johnstone, wireless operator,
Sgt Charles Ernest Matthews, wireless operator,
Sgt Frederick Walter Noakes, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden I off Ostend: 4 killed

Date & Time: Sep 11, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Handley Page H.P.52 Hampden
Operator:
Registration:
L4097
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Lindholme - Lindholme
Location:
Ostend
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
4
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Lindholme at 1956LT on an operation to Ostend. Approaching the target, it was shot down by enemy fire and crashed into the sea off Ostend. All four crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/L Robert James Reed,
P/O Peter William Roylance,
Sgt Reginald Halls,
Sgt William Aubrey Johnson.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV off Le Coq-sur-Mer: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 18, 1940 at 1400 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
R3661
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Lake, Sea, Ocean, River
Schedule:
Detling - Detling
Location:
Le Coq-sur-Mer (De Haan)
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Detling on a mission over Vlissingen. Approaching the Belgian coast, it was shot down by the pilot of a Me.109 and crashed into the sea off Le Coq-sur-Mer (De Haan). All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O John Edward Mahony, pilot,
Sgt Denys Arthur Keetley, observer,
Sgt. George Edward Exton, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Bristol 142 Blenheim IV near Bruges: 3 killed

Date & Time: Jul 7, 1940 at 1807 LT
Type of aircraft:
Bristol 142 Blenheim
Operator:
Registration:
R3896
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Survey / Patrol / Reconnaissance
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Wyton - Wyton
Location:
Bruges
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Wyton on a reconnaissance mission over Ghent. It was shot down by a Me.109 and crashed near Bruges. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
P/O Hugh Christopher Morris Bamber, pilot,
Sgt John Holdsworth, observer,
Sgt George Reid, wireless operator and air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by a German fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Veurne: 6 killed

Date & Time: May 31, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
R3162
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Marham - Marham
Location:
Veurne
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
6
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
6
Circumstances:
Sho0t down by enemy fire and crashed in Veurne, some 20 km east from Dunkirk. All six crew members were killed.
Crew:
F/O Vivian Allen William Rosewarne, pilot,
P/O Roy Baynes, pilot,
Sgt John Knight, observer,
Sgt Dennis Douglas George Spencer, wireless operator and air gunner,
AC2 James C. Adams, wireless operator and air gunner,
Sgt John Dolan, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by enemy fire.

Crash of a Heinkel He.111P7 in Steenkerke: 11 killed

Date & Time: May 27, 1940 at 1010 LT
Type of aircraft:
Heinkel He.111
Operator:
Registration:
9K+??
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
No
Site:
City
Location:
Steenkerke
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
The airplane was shot down by the pilot of an RAF Defiant from the 264th Squadron and crashed on a farm owned by Mr. Bulcke Lodijk and located in Steenkerke. All five crew members were killed as well as six Belgian soldiers in the farm.
Crew:
Gefr Alfred Kassegger,
Gefr Paul Bartelt,
Lt Rudolf Gild,
Fw Alfred Göttlicher,
Uffz Heinz Kannewurf.
Probable cause:
Shot down by an RAF fighter.

Crash of a Vickers 416 Wellington IC in Ostend: 3 killed

Date & Time: May 26, 1940
Type of aircraft:
Vickers 416 Wellington IC
Operator:
Registration:
L7793
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Bombing
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Airport (less than 10 km from airport)
Schedule:
Feltwell - Feltwell
Location:
Ostend
West Flanders
Country:
Belgium
Region:
Europe
Crew on board:
5
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
The crew was performing a bombing mission over Courtrai and Brussels when he was forced to make an emergency landing. The aircraft crash landed in an open field near Ostend Airport and was damaged beyond repair. Three crew members were killed and two others became PoW.
Crew (37th Squadron):
P/O John Stewart Cameron, †
S/L Arthur Roger Glencross, †
Sgt Raymond Cranmer Parkhouse, †
LAC Dear,
AC1 Stanhope.
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