Date:	Tuesday 23 April 1940
Time:	night
Type:	Armstrong Whitworth Whitley B Mk IV
Owner/operator:	51 Sqn RAF
Registration:	K9043
MSN:	AWA.1496
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 5 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Aircraft missing
Location:	Crashed into the sea near Aalborg -   Denmark
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Dishforth, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Whitley K9043 was built to contract 522438/36 by Armstrong Whitworth Ltd at Baginton and was delivered to 6 MU at Brize Norton on 11th July 1939 and then placed into long term storage. It was issued to 51 Squadron based at Dishforth on 21st November 1939 as "MH-G"

On the night of 19th/20th March 1940 the crew of this 51 Squadron aircraft were tasked with an operational flight to bomb the seaplane bases at Hornum, the left base of Dishforth just after 23.00 hrs. This aircraft was attacked by an Arado floatplane but they were able to evade the attack and the aircraft did not sustain any damage. On the bombing run the aircraft was then hit by flak which injured the rear gunner in the leg. The pilot made a return to Dishforth and landed safely at 03.25 hrs.

Following this flak damage Cat M/FB was recorded. It was soon repaired on site and returned to the unit. The aircraft left RAF Dishforth at 21:50 LT on a bombing mission over the airfield of Aalborg, Denmark on the night of 22nd/23rd April 1940. En route, the aircraft disappeared into the North Sea. All five crew were lost; No trace was found or the aircraft or the crew.
Hit by Res Flak Abt 603, 1/Res Flak Abt 267 and 3/res Flak Abt 11. Crashed into the sea neat Aalborg at 02:30.
Crew
Pilot: 39430 Fg Off James Ronald Birch - Runnymede Memorial Panel 12.
2nd Pilot: 565482 Sgt Lionel Arthur Compton - Runnymede Memorial Panel 12.
Observer: 528709 Sgt Harrison Jackson - Runnymede Memorial Panel 15.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 522777 Cpl James Cheyne McIntyre - Runnymede Memorial Panel 22.
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner: 627971 AC1 Nairn Alexander Young - Runnymede Memorial Panel 26.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft K1000-K9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1976 p 75)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/103: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141925
3. http://www.yorkshire-aircraft.co.uk/aircraft/yorkshire/york40/k9043.html
4. https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-armstrong-whitworth-aw38-whitley-iv-north-sea-5-killed-0
5. https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/whitley/25574-K90431940-04-23.html
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1529818/birch,-james-ronald/
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1084800/compton,-lionel-arthur/
8. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1800997/jackson,-harrison/
9. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1079433/mcintyre,-james-cheyne/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1532285/young,-nairn-alexander/
11. Nachtjagd Combat Archives The Early Years Part 1 - Theo Boiten

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
06-Jun-2019 20:47	Dr. John Smith	Added
08-Jun-2019 10:42	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
05-Jun-2022 13:55	Anon.	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative]