Date:	Monday 4 September 1939
Time:
Type:	Bristol Blenheim Mk IV
Owner/operator:	107 Sqn RAF
Registration:	N6184
MSN:	OM-
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	the coast near Wilhelmshaven harbour. -   Germany
Phase:	Combat
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Wattisham, Suffolk
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Blenheim N6184: Took off at 16:00 hrs for attack warships in Schillig Roads nr Wilhelmshaven. 04/09/1940
Five Blenheims of 107 Sqdn. despatched at 16:00 hrs to attack German warships in Schillig Roads near Wilhelmshaven. Four of them were not heard from again and the other failed to locate the enemy & brought its bombs back. Most of the remaining Blenheims conducted low altitude attacks on the Admiral Scheer and Emden cruisers. At least three bombs fell on the Admiral Scheer cruiser, but did not explode; Emden was damaged and suffered some casualties when a Blenheim crashed on its deck.
Five Blenheims were shot, all or most of them by the AA artillery; 107 Sqdn lost four of its five planes. Blenheim N6184 was shot down by the artillery of the Admiral Hipper
Crew:
F/Lt (34213) William Frank BARTON (Pilot) RAF - killed
F/O (39340) John Frederick ROSS (Obs.) RAF - killed
Cpl (519859) James Leslie RICKETTS (WOp/AG) RAF - killed

BARTON is buried at Sage War Cemetery, Germany.
ROSS and RICKETTS are buried at Becklingen War Cemetery, Germany.

1.Blenheim production list¨
2.ORB 107 Sqdn RAF
3.CWGC
4.Kew: AIR81/1
5.https://przystanekhistoria.pl/pa2/tematy/english-content/75164,Royal-Air-Force-in-September-39.html

Other occurrences involving this aircraft


27 May 1940	L9391	107 Sqn RAF	1	near Éperlecques,Pas-de-Calais		w/o
2 June 1940	N6190	107 Sqn RAF	0	RAF Wattisham, Suffolk, England		w/o
23 June 1940	R3688	107 Sqn RAF	3	Ronde Blesse Rd, Willemsoord, 6km NW of Steenwijk, province Overijssel		w/o
23 June 1940	N3593	107 Sqn RAF	2	Sloten en Riekerpolder, Amsterdam, Noord-Holland		w/o
30 August 1940	N3620	107 Sqn RAF	3	Balgzand nature reserve, Breezand, Noord-Holland		w/o
9 September 1940	T1851	107 Sqn RAF	3	Missing - North Sea		w/o
9 September 1940	T1831	107 Sqn RAF	3	field near the village of Hesdin, Pas de Calais.		w/o
25 September 1940	T1883	107 Sqn RAF	3	Guemps, about 10 km southeast of Calais, Pas-de-Calais.		w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Jul-2025 17:24	MMR	Updated [Cn, Narrative, ]