Date:	Monday 18 December 1939
Time:
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk Ia
Owner/operator:	9 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N2983
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 5
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	North Sea, off Cromer, Norfolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Honington, Suffolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
While performing a reconnaissance flight off the German coast, the bomber was attacked by the pilot of a German fighter. The crew was able to leave the combat area and attempted to return to his base in Suffolk. While approaching the British coast, the crew was forced to ditch the aircraft. The crew of a vessel christened 'Erillas' was quickly on the scene and was able to evacuate four injured occupants while the fifth was killed.

Crew:-
Pilot : Sergeant John Ramshaw RAF
2nd Pilot : Sergeant Robert Hewitt RAF 521236 [Injured]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Leading Aircraftman D Conolly RAF
Front Gunner : Aircraftman 1st Class Charlie R Driver DFM RAF
Rear Gunner : Leading Aircraftman Walter Lilley RAF 538024 [Killed]

LILLEY is commemorated at Runnymede Memorial panel 2.

12 out of 22 Wellingtons shot down on this mission.

1. Air Britain: RAF Aircraft L1000 - N9999, published 1991
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/62: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14142179
3. http://aircrewremembered.com/ramshaw-john.html
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-vickers-408-wellington-ia-north-sea-1-killed
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1078715/lilley,-walter/
6. http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=32078
7. https://www.heligoland39.org/
8. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
9. CWGC

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Jan-2012 10:49	Uli Elch	Added
28-Apr-2018 23:27	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
10-Nov-2018 22:20	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
04-Jun-2019 20:35	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, ]
11-May-2023 11:11	Nepa	Updated
14-Jul-2024 06:53	Rob Davis	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
12-Jul-2025 08:06	MMR	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]