Date:	Thursday 5 December 1940
Time:
Type:	Vickers Wellington Mk Ic
Owner/operator:	99 Sqn RAF
Registration:	T2501
MSN:	LN-F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Minor
Location:	Virty-en-Artois -   France
Phase:	Unknown
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Newmarket, Suffolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Plane was damaged by light AA and the crew became dis-oriantated. They thought they were over England because airfield lights came up. In fact it was a German field located at Virty-en-Artois in France. The Germans on the other side tought it was a German plane that landed. Before the crew could take off again or disable the aircraft they were surrounded and taken in captivity.

Crew:
70699 F/O Frank Harvey VIVIAN - PoW
749722 Sgt R.E. BUSH - PoW
42486 P/O Hardie Grosvenor DE FOREST - PoW
745360 Sgt John GAGE - PoW (*)
79239 P/O John Ray HOPPE - PoW
905898 Sgt Cyril Henry Charles WRIGHT - PoW

(*) Sgt John GAGE died 19-04-1945 and is buried at Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany.

1.Bomber Command Losses (1939-1940) WR Chorley, page 136
2.AIR81/4451
3.https://aircrewremembered.com/vivian-frank.html
4.https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/uk/raf/wellington/german-wellington-t2501-ln-f-dec40/
5.https://www.destinationsjourney.com/historical-military-photographs/vickers-wellington-bombers-captured-by-germany/
6.https://caspir.warplane.com/personnel/unit-search/p/600022997
7.CWGC

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
24-Aug-2025 17:17	MMR	Added