[Peter Cornwell]

The main difficulty here is that the No.79 Squadron ORB provides no take-off & landing details for the entire period in question so information on aircraft serials has to be ‘reverse-engineered’ using alternative contemporary sources. One such being the excellent Air Britain series of aircraft serials by Halley, an invaluable source that I have consulted with confidence over the years. So why then did I chose to ignore it with regard the fate of P3203 when compiling the losses for BoBT&N ?

My own examination of the aircraft serial cards held by AHB showed P3203 as ‘struck off’ by No.79 Squadron on 30.9.40 but with a query attached to the entry, an identical entry also being made in respect of P2769. It seemed likely that both losses occurred during an engagement around 6.30pm the previous evening when No.79 Squadron lost three aircraft over the Irish Sea. However, the serial cards (confirmed by Halley) also showed P5177 & P5178 both lost on 29.9.40, the latter having forced-landed in Ireland. So we have four candidates for the three aircraft known to have been lost.

In April 1998 AHB confirmed in a letter to Martin Gleeson that the No.79 squadron losses on 29.9.40 were as follows:
P5178 flown by P/O Mayhew forced-landed in Ireland
P5177 flown by P/O Nelson-Edwards lost, pilot rescued
P2719 flown by F/O Peters missing believed killed

However, according to Halley, P2719 was lost on 28.8.40 so I suspect this serial is a simple transcription error and should read P2769 as already mentioned above.

Which brings us to P3203. According to my notes, when the Wealden Aviation Archaeological Group investigated the 30.8.40 crash of the Hurricane down at Lodge Farm, South Holmwood, they provided serial P3203 as the aircraft concerned. From their enquiries I was told that it had been Morris’s regular aircraft for two months but I was also given the impression that something had been recovered to confirm this identity. This was subsequently denied by the (then) Tangmere Museum in another letter to Martin Gleeson in January 1998.

Unfortunately, ‘Neddy’ Nelson-Edwards had been unable to shed any further light on this dilemma when I contacted him back in the ‘80s. Nor others who have been contacted over the years. As of now, I stand by what I have published on the matter but would be very grateful to hear from anyone who can finally resolve this question beyond any further doubt.

‘Words are our only weapons against the lies of history.’