ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 228594
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| Date: | Thursday 16 May 1940 |
| Time: | 10:00 LT |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 18 Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | L9187 |
| MSN: | WV-W |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Bellevue Farm, between Gouy and Beaurevoir, Aisne -
 France
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Meharicourt, France |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV L9187 (WV-W) 18 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (failed to return) from combat operations on 16 May 1940. Of the three crew, one was killed, one was injured, and one was uninjured. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/677): "Blenheim Mark 4 crashed at Ardissat, near Crevecoeur-sur-l'Escaut, 16 May 1940. Leading Aircraftman H G James, Sergeant D Borthwick and Flying Officer A J Stuart: report of deaths"
Airborne from Meharicourt, France, as one of five Blenheims of 18 Squadron, tasked with bombing advancing enemy armoured columns on Le Cateau-Cambrai road. Two Blenheims Failed To Return (L9254 and L9187), one of these crash-landing in Allied territory after being attacked by enemy aircraft in target area. Blenheim L9187 force landed at Bellevue Farm, between Gouy and Beaurevoir, Aisne, after being damaged by Bf-109s near Sedan, Ardennes.
Crew of Blenheim L9187:
Pilot Officer James Roger Whelan (pilot, RAF 40330) - injured in crash landing
Sergeant (Observer) Thomas John Mongey, RAF 581237, killed in action 16/05/1940, buried at Prospect Hill Cemetery, Gouy, Aisne, France
LAC Brown (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) - uninjured
Note that 18 Squadron also lost Blenheim L9254, which was damaged by 109's near Sedan, Ardennes, France on the same day, with the loss of all three crew. The official Air Ministry file AIR 81/667 lists the loss of Blenheim as "L9254", but names the crew injuries and fatalities as the crew of Blenheim L9187 (and Air Ministry File AIR 81/677 lists vice-versa). The explanation for the mix up in official records seems to be that both aircraft crashed at locations very close together [The two locations are some 23.4 km apart] at around the same time on the same day.
The reported crash location of Gouy (also known as Gouy-en-Arrouaise) is a commune in the Aisne department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France at approximate Coordinates: 50°00′09″N 3°15′20″E
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 60)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/677: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502341
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2689579/mongey,-thomas-john/
4. http://francecrashes39-45.net/page_fiche_av.php?id=5449
5. http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/18_squadron.html#1605
6. http://www.rafcommands.com/archive/05288.php
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?12734-Sgt-Thomas-Mongey-amp-Blenheim-L9187-Crash-Site
8. https://internationalbcc.co.uk/losses/219712/
9. https://www.ancientfaces.com/person/thomas-john-mongey-death-1940/164569512
10. http://www.warcemetery.eu/pagina158.html
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 25 May 1941 | L8864 | 18 Sqn RAF | 2 | the sea 30 metres from the beach near Groyne, sea off Thyborøn. |  |
w/o |
| 16 July 1941 | Z7496 | 18 Sqn RAF | 3 | Rotterdamseweg, Delft, Zuid-Holland |  |
w/o |
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Aug-2019 19:04 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 29-Aug-2019 19:07 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 29-Aug-2019 19:08 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 30-Aug-2019 12:57 | stehlik49 | Updated [Operator] |
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