Seeking info on where Blenheim IV P4903 crashed on 17 May 1940

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

We have this entry in our British loss DB:

"17 May 1940 RAF Bomber Command 82 SQUADRON, WATTON Blenheim IV P4903. Shot down by Bf109s of 1./JG3 en-route to attack enemy armoured columns at Gembloux, Belgium, at 6.30 a.m. Sergeant L. H. Wrightson, Sergeant S. J. Beaumont, and AC1 K. A. Thomas all later returned. Aircraft UX*U a write-off."

Does anyone have the actual location where this a/c crashed?

[andy bird]

"P4852 aircraft crashed at Pancy-Courtecon, another possibly P4803 6 miles south of Presles-et-Thierny."

Sgt Rob Wyness (P4852): “I saw other's floating down near the ground and saw them land, (Wrightson, Beaumont, and Thomas) but could not see who they were before I landed myself. On my way down a single-engine fighter approached from behind and fire a volley of rounds at me and the others, which thankfully missed.

Parachutes landed near a copse at Pancy-Courtecon

Les Wrightson and Stan Beaumont with Ken Tomas had not had an easy time. Their pilot Les, had been badly hurt in his parachute landing and the other two had to carry him. Evading capture they sort refuge with a column of refugees, caught a train to Paris and continued on to Nantes, on the Biscay coast, were a French fishing boat Captain sailed them back to a Cornish fishing port.

Sgt. Beaumont: 'The pilot was badly hurt and had to be carried through some dangerous areas before they joined refugees fleeing the German advance. They were hidden in the crowd and the French underground got them to Nantes, France where they were taken back to England in a French fishing boat to Cornwall.'

Flt/Sgt Leslie Howard Wrightson, husband of Mary Yvonne nee Morris (Married 1938 Elham, Kent), killed with 82 Squadron, 21 May 1941 flying from Malta.

Blenheim IV Z6165 Delivery Flight

Took off Portreath for Malta but crashed into the Mediterranean 12km N of Gouraya, Algeria.

(Graham Warner Papers)

Andy Bird

[Peter Cornwell]

Many thanks Andy.