[Peter Cornwell]

Hello Alex,

Thanks for the clarification. To address the points you have raised:

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 ?

It is not recorded exactly how PEACOCK got back to Merville after he came down somewhere ‘east of Lille’ a distance of a little under 20 miles. He either commandeered transport, or telephoned the squadron to send a car to collect him – who knows? Clearly he was back in time to lead the mid-afternoon sortie next day on which he was lost.

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.

Good theory - this is plausible. Unfortunately I doubt that we will never know for sure.

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 ?

You invite my thoughts, so to paraphrase Dowding - Gosh ! This is speculative in the extreme & a shade too fanciful for me I’m afraid. As you accept, P2437 was a Miles Magister.

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 ?

I’m sorry but I have no idea. Under normal circumstances it would have been passed to an RSU soon after the damage had been assessed as requiring repair ‘off-unit’ and, once airworthy, re-allocated though not necessarily to its original squadron.

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.

Sorry but 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 which No.79 Squadron vacated on May 20, 1940.