[Alex Smart]

Hello Peter,

P2537 was NOT the aircraft flown by APPLETON on May 14, 1940. A photograph exists showing it coded NV*K & abandoned fairly intact (though partially stripped) presumably at Merville

Well you certainly seem to be destroying the information that is given in "Twelve Days in May" by Brian Cull and Bruce Lander with Heinrich Weiss, as well as that given also in Fighter Command Losses volume 1 by Norman R. Franks which is also in the Revised and updated volume recently published.

They have P2537 as the a/c that P/O. L.L. Appleton was killed in and also that it crashed on the 14th May 1940 Shot down in combat by return fire from a Ju88 near Renaix( FCL vol 1 and revised version) while "12 Days in May" has P2537 as the a/c that P/O.L.L.Appleton was killed in Shot down (beleived by return fire from an He111 of II/LG1 or by Bf110 of ZG1 and that it crashed East of Renaix.

You say that they are wrong and that there is photographic proof of the a/c being elsewhere ?

As I personally do not know how far Renaix is from Merville is it not possible that between the 14th and 20th the a/c could have been removed to Merville ?

Please if possible could you put the photo up on this forum for us to see, thank you.

This all leaves us with yet more Question's now as we have now to assertain which aircraft P/O.Appleton was flying when he met his death, besides those mentioned in earlier replies here.

So to start with may I ask you what your information is based on and where is it from ?

Thanks
Alex