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| Date: | Sunday 6 October 1940 |
| Time: | night |
| Type: | Handley Page Hampden Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 50 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P4417 |
| MSN: | VN-F |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Aircraft missing |
| Location: | Target: Marshalling Yard, Cologne (Köln), North Rhine-Westphalia -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Lindholme, North Yorkshire |
| RAF Lindholme, North Yorkshire |
Handley Page Hampden Mk.I P4417 (VN-F) of 50 Squadron, RAF Lindholme: Failed to return from combat operations (attacking Marshalling Yards, at Cologne (Koln) North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, on the night of 5-6/10/1940. Aircraft and all four crew lost. According to the following entry from the 50 Squadron Diary (ORB - Air Ministry Form 540):
"5/6 October 1940 -
BOMBING, HAMM, AMSTERDAM, SOEST, OSNABRUCK & COLOGNE
Eight aircraft were tonight detailed to attack a number of targets. Two attacked marshalling yards at Hamm; two attacked marshalling yards at Soest; one attacked railway junctions at Osnabruck; one aircraft attacked the FOKKER aircraft factory at Amsterdam and two further aircraft (L4149 and P4417) attacked marshalling yards at Cologne (Köln)
P4417 failed to return and nothing further was heard from this crew after take-off. Crew were:
43020 Pilot Officer Andrew Stenhouse BOAK RAF, Aged 28 - Runnymede Memorial panel 7
742131 Sgt. Francis John BROOKER RAFVR, Aged 27 - Runnymede Memorial panel 12
817236 Sgt. James Douglas MARSHALL RAFAUX Aged 29 - Runnymede Memorial panel 17
505501 Sgt. Charles Harold WISE RAF aged 32 - Runnymede Memorial panel 21
All four presumed killed in action. No trace was ever found of this aircraft, which is presumed to have been destroyed by Flak/AAA over the target or on the way back.
Date of death as stated by CWGC is 05 October 1940.
Sources:
1. http://www.no-50-and-no-61-squadrons-association.co.uk/app/download/5802508903/50+SQUADRON+ORB+1939+1943+Revision+1.pdf
2. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1529998/boak,-andrew-stenhouse/
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1530510/brooker,-francis-john/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1079996/marshall,-james-douglas/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1531926/wise,-charles-harold/
6. https://www.backtonormandy.org/the-history/air-force-operations/airplanes-allies-and-axis-lost/hampden/25714-P44171940-10-06.html
7. Bomber Command Losses (1939-1940) WR Chorley, page 116
8. AIR81/3636
9. Henk Welting's database (rafcommands.com)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Jul-2018 23:35 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 12-Nov-2018 19:04 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator, ] |
| 16-Aug-2025 16:28 | MMR | Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
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