ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 53880
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| Date: | 16-JUL-1940 |
| Time: | 07:30 |
| Type: |  Bristol Blenheim Mk IV |
| Owner/operator: | 18 Squadron Royal Air Force (18 Sqn RAF) |
| Registration: | P6933 |
| MSN: | WV-G |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | North Sea, off Schelde, Zeeland -
 Netherlands
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | RAF West Raynham, Norfolk |
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IV P6933 (WV-G) 18 Squadron, RAF: Written off (destroyed) when lost (Failed To Return) from combat operations over the Netherlands. All three crew killed. According to the official Air Ministry file into the incident (File AIR 81/1126): "Blenheim P6933 failed to return from air operations, 16 July 1940. Sergeant A St J Bunker, Sergeant P R Harris and Sergeant J F Hatch: report of deaths".
Mission - Vlissingen. Shot down into the sea off Schelde, 10 km northwest of Vlissingen, Zeeland, Netherlands, during attack on barges by fighter pilot Feldwebel Georg Kiening of the 6./JG 54, who was flying a Bf 109E from (presumably) Vlissingen airfield. No survivors among the three crew
Crew:
Sgt Anthony St John Bunker (Pilot) RAFVR 745279, aged 20 - killed in action 16/07/1940
Sgt Peter Raymond Harris (Observer) RAF 581152 - killed in action 16/07/1940
Sgt John Frederick Hatch (Wireless Op./Air Gunner) aged 25, RAFVR 903079 - killed
The pilot (Sgt Anthony Barker) was buried at Cement House Cemetery, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. The other two crew fatalities were buried at Flushing (Vlissingen) Northern Cemetery, Zeeland, Netherlands.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft P1000-P9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/1126: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14502938
3. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2252716/bunker,-anthony-st.-john/
4. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2634765/harris,-peter-raymond/
5. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2634769/hatch,-john-frederick./
6. https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T0750&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
7. http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/showthread.php?7364-18-Squadron-Peter-Raymond-Harris
8. http://www.belgians-remember-them.eu/crash-wvl-zz11.php
9. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/hello-everybody-info-of-a-lot-of-soldiers-please.76553/#post-822915
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheldt
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlissingen
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Dec-2008 11:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 06-Mar-2011 05:16 | angels one five | Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Jan-2012 03:36 | Uli Elch | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 23-Jan-2012 03:31 | Nepa | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source] |
| 03-Jun-2013 07:36 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Narrative] |
| 06-Aug-2013 19:02 | JINX | Updated [Operator, Location] |
| 15-Dec-2014 15:08 | Jixon | Updated [Operator, Departure airport] |
| 13-Jul-2019 13:40 | TigerTimon | Updated [Cn, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Oct-2019 13:57 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Oct-2019 22:23 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 11-Jun-2022 00:16 | Ron Averes | Updated [Location] |
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