Date:	Tuesday 18 June 1940
Time:	01:00 LT
Type:	Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk V
Owner/operator:	58 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N1463
MSN:	GE-L
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 5
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Lek river, Beusichemsedijk, Culemborg, Gelderland -   Netherlands
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire
Destination airport:	RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire

Narrative:
Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V N1463 (GE-L) 58 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over Germany. Two of the five crew were killed, the other three were captured, and taken as PoWs. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/937): "Whitley N1463, crashed at Culemborg, The Netherlands, 17-18 June 1940. Sergeant G J Ford and Sergeant E Jones-Roberts: report of deaths. Sergeant A E Furze, Sergeant F S Staley and Sergeant H P Maguire: prisoners of war".

Airborne at 21:40 on 17 June 1940 from RAF Linton-on-Ouse, North Yorkshire. One of 29 Whitleys (10 Sqn (3 aircraft), 51 Sqn (7 a/c), 58 Sqn (10 a/c) and 77 Sqn. (9 a/c)) tasked to attack an oil plant at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Crashed, due to engine failure, at midnight, on land identified at the Schalkwijkse Heul, alongside the Beusichemsedijk on the S bank of the River Lek at Beusichem (Gelderland), Netherlands. As stated above, two of the crew were killed, and three survived to be captured and taken as PoWs.

Crew of Whitley N1463:
Flight Sergeant (Pilot) Gordon James Ford, RAF 562682, age 28, killed in action 18/06/1940, buried at Culemborg General Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
Sgt H.P. Maguire; survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW Camps L1/L6, as PoW No.61
Sergeant (Observer) Eric Jones-Roberts, RAF 580580, age 28, killed in action 18/06/1940, buried at Culemborg General Cemetery, Gelderland, Netherlands
Sgt A.E. Furze; survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW Camps L1/L6/357, as PoW No.56
Sgt F.S. Staley; survived, captured, taken as PoW. Interned in PoW Camps L1/L6/357, as PoW No.54

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft N1000-N9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1977)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/937: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502569
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2647877/ford,-gordon-james/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2647878/jones-roberts,-eric/
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/58_squadron.html#171806
6. http://www.llangollenmuseum.org.uk/Memorials/LlangollenWW2/EricRoberts/Photographs.htm
7. https://www.facebook.com/108070852546668/photos/armstrong-whitworth-whitley-mark-v-n1463-ge-l-of-no-58-squadron-raf-takes-off-on/488547584498991/
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beusichem

Aircrew Remembered research

Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mark V, N1463 'GE-L', of No. 58 Squadron RAF, takes off on a night sortie from Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire. This aircraft later went missing during a bombing sortie to Gelsenkirchen, Germany, on 17/18 June 1940.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
17-Dec-2008 11:45	ASN archive	Added
28-Jul-2016 07:44	pietrzak	Updated [Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Photo, ]
15-Jun-2019 19:57	TigerTimon	Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative]
17-Jun-2019 09:48	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
29-Sep-2019 19:39	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]
02-Oct-2019 09:22	stehlik49	Updated [Operator]
17-Jun-2022 01:21	Ron Averes	Updated [Location]