ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228519
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| Date: | Wednesday 29 May 1940 |
| Time: | day |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 59 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | R3664 |
| MSN: | TR-K |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | 15 miles South of Dunkerque, Pas de Calais -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF Andover, Hampshire |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV R3664 (TR-K) 59 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from a combat operation on 29 May 1940. Two of the three crew were killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/649): "Blenheim R3664 crashed in the Dunkirk area, France, 29 May 1940. Sergeant T W McDonagh and Sergeant J A C Finlayson - missing presumed dead. Pilot Officer J F H Peters - missing, later reported safe"
Airborne from RAF Andover, Hampshire: Failed to return from reconnaissance sortie, shot down by flak approximately 15 miles (20 km) south of Dunkirk, Pas de Calais. All three crew bailed out by parachute; however, as stated above, two crew killed, one survived to return by England via Dunkirk.
Crew of Blenheim R3664:
Sergeant Thomas Wilfred McDonagh, RAF 581348, posted 29/05/1940, missing presumed dead
Sergeant Joseph Anthony Calamaro Finlayson, RAF 619739, age 21, posted 29/05/1940, as missing presumed dead
Pilot Officer J F H Peters (pilot) bailed out, survived injured, returned to England
As no trace was ever found of Sgt T W McDonagh and Sgt J A C Finlayson, they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Pilot Officer J F H Peters was strafed during his parachute descent, which damaged his parachute, and caused him to be injured in a "hard landing". He recovered enough to make his way to Dunkirk, from where he was evacuated the next day (May 30 1940) on board HMS Pangbourne.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft R1000-R9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1980 p 23)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File Air 81/649: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502232
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1079239/mcdonagh,-thomas-wilfred/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1270031/finlayson,-joseph-anthony-calamaro/
5. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=7515
6. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/59_squadron.html#2905
7. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/59-squadron-honour-roll-update.11617/page-2#post-129691
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 2 August 1940 | N3587 | 59 Sqn RAF | 3 | Le Havre | |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Aug-2019 00:35 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 26-Aug-2019 00:36 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 26-Aug-2019 00:39 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 27-Aug-2019 06:41 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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