Date:	Friday 30 August 1940
Time:	23:24
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk IC
Owner/operator:	214 Sqn RAF
Registration:	T2559
MSN:	BU-
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 6 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Halle, Gelderland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Stradishall
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Operation - Berlin.
Over the Netherlands, shot down by night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Werner Streib of the 2./NJG 1, who was flying a Bf 110 from Anholt airfield, Germany. This was the first ground-radar tracked victim at night.

Crew:-
Pilot : Flying Officer Lionel Montague Craigie-Halkett RAF 39066 [Killed]
2nd Pilot : Pilot Officer Wilfred Bertram Stuart Cunynghame RAF 41560 : Commission Gazetted Tuesday 10 October, 1939) [Killed]
Observer : Sergeant George Henry Bainbridge RAF 581078 [Killed]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Sydney John Haldane RAF 551723 [Killed]
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Arthur Burnham Puzey RAFVR 755485 [Killed]
Rear Gunner : Sergeant George Edward Merryweather RAF 547673 [Killed]

The deceased are all buried at the Zelhem (Halle) Protestant Cemetery, Netherlands (51.992253 / 6.424672)

Claimed by Oblt Werner Streib 2./NJG1 - near Halle (Gelderland) 9km ENE Doetinchem at 23:24

Flying Officer Craigie-Halket was born in the Falkland Islands. Please see link 4. below for more information.

The UK National Archives has a casualty report for this incident (file reference Air 81/2908) to view at the Archives. Please note that this report identifies the aircraft as P2559 and not T2559. This is almost certainly an error as the RAF serial P2559 appears to have been assigned to a Hawker Hurricane fighter.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is undertaking a project to photograph the headstones of the dead within its care.

Flying Officer Lionel Montague Craigie-Halkett details can be found at source 5. below.

1. Nachtjagd Combat Archive The Early Years part one
2. http://www.crashmuseum.nl/fotos.html
3. Bomber Command Losses of the Second World war 1940 W R Chorley.
4. Nachtjagd War Diaries Volume 1 Dr Theo E W Boiten.
5. https://www.falklandsbiographies.org/biographies/craigie_halkett_lionel_montague
6. https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2648394/lionel-montague-craigie-halkett/
7. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
13-Oct-2014 22:49	gerard57	Updated [Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Source, Narrative, ]
19-Oct-2014 07:05	INV	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, ]
18-Sep-2017 20:13	Red Dragon	Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
23-Dec-2017 16:26	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Destination airport, ]
04-Oct-2018 14:02	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
31-Jul-2019 06:44	TigerTimon	Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative, ]
30-Nov-2024 07:53	Rob Davis	Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative, ]