Accident Bristol Blenheim Mk I L1246, Wednesday 15 November 1939
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Date:Wednesday 15 November 1939
Time:16:15
Type:Silhouette image of generic BLEN model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Bristol Blenheim Mk I
Owner/operator:57 Sqn RAF
Registration: L1246
MSN:
Fatalities:Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:0
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Location:River Seine, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, Seine-et-Oise (now Val de Marne -   France
Phase: Initial climb
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Orly, Paris
Destination airport:
Narrative:
On 30 October 1939 the Blenheim I L1246 of 57 Sqn RAF, flown by Sgt Stanley Farmer and his crew, was attacked by Bf 109s during a reconnaissance sortie but managed to escape and return to Orly airfield near Paris. The undercarriage failed during landing and the aircraft was damaged and left here for repairs. The crew was unhurt.
On 15 November 1939 the repaired Blenheim took off at 16:15 hrs for Orly for a ferry flight. It was again flown by Sgt Farmer. But some minutes later an engine cut and the bomber crashed into River Seine at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges with no survivors.
Crew:
Sgt Stanley John FARMER (563653) pilot RAF killed
F/Sgt Frederick Samuel Bowden (362800) Obs RAF : killed
LAC Ivor Robert William Partlow (545847) WOp/AG RAF : killed

Sources:

1. "Royal Air Force Bomber Command Losses of the Second World War, vol 1: Aircraft and Crew lost during 1939-1940", by W R Chorley. ISBN 0-904597-85-7
2. "The Bristol Blenheim: A Complete History", by Graham Warner. ISBN 0-85979-101-7
3. "Batailles Aériennes n° 71: la RAF en France (4e partie). Les Bristol Blenheim en France" (by Jean-Louis Roba and Michel Ledet. French magazine. Winter 2015)
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1661: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C16359464
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=1843
6. http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk/pages/rememb/ROH/6.htm
7. http://www.oldhaltonians.co.uk/pages/rememb/ROH/20.htm
8. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
9. http://www.maplandia.com/france/ile-de-france/val-de-marne/creteil/villeneuve-saint-georges/
10. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2234642/farmer,-stanley-john/
11. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2234629/bowden,-frederick-samuel/
12. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2234659/partlow,-ivor-robert-william/
13. https://www.aeroport-paris-orly.com/accidents-1909-1959?lightbox=dataItem-jrd70k9z
14. https://www.avions-bateaux.com/uploads/attachment/produit//produit_2377_9e33a184c4de02dd3bb500ecb7944ee8.pdf (French text P 14-15)

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
24-Oct-2013 08:12 JINX Added
15-Nov-2013 14:50 Nepa Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, ]
25-Nov-2013 21:12 JINX Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, ]
18-Dec-2013 18:08 Nepa Updated [Operator, ]
15-Dec-2014 10:58 Jixon Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Narrative, ]
22-Jan-2018 10:50 Laurent Rizzotti Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
22-Jan-2018 11:41 Laurent Rizzotti Updated [Narrative, ]
06-Oct-2018 15:27 Nepa Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
25-Jun-2019 00:03 Dr. John Smith Updated [Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
25-Jun-2019 00:19 Dr. John Smith Updated [Source, ]
17-Jul-2024 17:42 Nepa Updated [Narrative, Operator, ]

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