Date:	Wednesday 6 September 1939
Time:	06:45
Type:	Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Owner/operator:	56 (Punjab) Sqn RAF
Registration:	L1985
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Manor Farm, Hintlesham, Babergh, Suffolk, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF North Weald, Essex
Destination airport:	RAF North Weald

Narrative:
In a tragic incident that entered the folklore of the wartime RAF as "The Battle of Barking Creek" two Hurricanes of No.56 Sqn were shot down on September 6, 1939 in error by Spitfires of No.74 Sqn. The commander of 74 Sqn Adolph MALAN saw in front of him machines of both young pilots, and because he was firmly convinced that they were German Messerschmitt 109s, issued the order to attack. His pilots Vincent BYRNY and John FREEBORN, obeyed and opened fire.

One of the Hurricane pilots (P/O ROSE in Hurricane L1980) survived uninjured, but the pilot of L1985 was struck in the back of the head by a bullet and probably died instantly. At this early stage of the war RAF fighter planes were not fitted with head armour. The Hurricane spiralled down and crashed at Manor Farm, Hintlesham, Suffolk, about 5 miles from Ipswich.

The alert which caused two squadrons of Hurricanes and three of Spitfires to be "scrambled" turned out to be a false alarm. P/O Montague Leslie HULTON-HARROP was the first RAF fighter pilot to die in World War Two. R.I.P.

1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J. Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 14)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/5: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141984
3. http://northwealdairfieldhistory.org/content/battle-barking-creek/
4. http://www.rcawsey.co.uk/Acc1939a.htm
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Barking_Creek
6. https://www.denik.cz/ze_sveta/prvni-leteckou-bitvu-nad-anglii-svedli-britove-sami-mezi-sebou-20190904
7. https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2426950
7. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/70/a5781170.shtml
8. http://blitzwalkers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/the-battle-of-barking-creek.html
9. http://www.rbl-epping.org.uk/Royal_British_Legion,_Epping_%26_District/BARKING_CREEK.html
10. https://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/2011/09/06/the-battle-of-barking-creek/

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
29-Apr-2010 16:14	angels one five	Added
29-Apr-2010 16:48	angels one five	Updated [Narrative, ]
29-Apr-2010 16:56	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Narrative, ]
18-Jun-2010 19:25	angels one five	Updated [Narrative, ]
26-Nov-2010 07:11	Anon.	Updated [Registration, Source, ]
03-Jan-2012 06:31	Uli Elch	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
03-Jan-2012 13:40	Nepa	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Source, ]
10-Jan-2012 15:54	angels one five	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Source, ]
12-Jan-2012 13:32	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Source, ]
22-Jan-2012 19:37	angels one five	Updated
26-Feb-2013 20:28	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ]
04-Apr-2013 13:44	Nepa	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, ]
27-May-2013 05:20	Nepa	Updated [Operator, ]
04-Aug-2013 07:06	JINX	Updated [Operator, ]
14-Oct-2013 16:32	JINX	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Departure airport, ]
08-Nov-2013 23:20	angels one five	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Total fatalities, Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
09-Nov-2013 23:21	angels one five	Updated [Narrative, ]
01-Apr-2015 19:07	Jixn	Updated [Operator, ]
19-Apr-2015 22:35	angels one five	Updated [Operator, Narrative, ]
09-May-2015 11:07	Angel dot comma	Updated [Time, Operator, ]
06-Jan-2016 15:10	JINX	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, ]
07-Jan-2016 20:23	Django	Updated [Time, Operator, ]
11-Jan-2018 09:47	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Aircraft type, ]
20-Apr-2018 19:32	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
01-Jun-2019 16:23	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative, ]
25-Jul-2019 13:40	Nepa	Updated [Operator, Operator, ]
08-Sep-2019 08:54	Nepa	Updated [Location, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Operator, ]
13-Apr-2022 00:28	angels one five	Updated [Location, Narrative, ]
18-Nov-2022 21:41	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Location, Source, Narrative, Category, ]
12-Apr-2024 09:59	Nepa	Updated [Location, Operator, ]