[Alex Smart]

Hello Peter,

Thank you for the responce.
It was not as a matter of fact, although I do have it, and I now see where the name Heinrich Weiss came from, it was FCL vol 1 and I made a typo error with a 2 instead of a 3.
BUT
I am glad you raised the question on these Hurricane losses because you are correct as even with the 3 in P2437 it is still not a Hurricane serial number.
I got out the books and in "12 Days" P2427 is noted on pages 284 & 297 .
While in FCL vol 1 page 28, P2437 is recorded.
There is NO CORECTION to this in the revised vol 1 recently published on page 29, P2437 is still reported as Burton's Hurricane.
I then looked in L1000 - N9999 and on page 22 for L2141 -213/601-NFT 20.5.1940 in France, is all it has.Nothing of being SoC on the 3rd July 1940.
Then I took a peek in P1000 - R9999 and on page 19 for P2555 all it has is 43/85 - Lost in France 5.40.
For P2427 and P2437 both are recorded on page 18 as Miles Magister's as you rightly reported earlier.
And P3426 on page 30 has only Tangmere - Presumed lost in France 5.40.
I have scanned the pages of both of these books and there is nothing that stands out .

However I would just like to ask firstly if you know how S/L. Peacock got back so fast to his unit as he baled from P2551 the day before. I do not know how far from his base he landed but must have got back pretty quick to be up again the next morning(?) in action ?

And Secondly have you any thoughts as to Burton's Hurricane being P3427 as perhaps at some time the numbers may have been scrambled ? The Air Britain serial book has the same for this a/c as for P3426 except there is no date given.

Or even that P2437 is correct and that it could even be one of the five Hurricanes that were not delivered to the Belgian AF, and that it was an erronious serial that was adopted for this Hurricane ? What are your thoughts on that ?

N2363 is recorded as 43/85-Damaged on landing, 21.4.40 and abandoned 5.40.
Could this be the Hurricane that Sgt. Hampshire was instructed to leave at Metz on the 21st May ?

By the Bye, the website k5083.mistral.co.uk seems to show that in the serial range for P2437 there were 500 a/c ordered from Gloster's. Starting at P2535 which would give us P2537 listed in the Air Britain series as 79 Lost in France 5.40. Could this a/c have gone on to 85 ? No as it was lost with P/O. Appleton KIA on the 14th May 40.

Hope that you can clear this "New" mystery up and let us know the answer.

Thanks Brian for bringing the question up. I think we are all scratching our heads on this now.

Alex