Looking for Photos & Eye-Witness accounts of wipe out of Fairey Battle Recon Formation over Western Front on 30.09.39

[Martin Gleeson]

Hallo Paul,

And the last one is indeed AC1 Dewi Edmund Jones 987879.

He appears in the 150 Squadron Appendices in reports concerning the 30 September 1939 engagement as AC1 D.E. Jones 987879.

Checking this number in Air 78-87 ( part 5 of 9, page 62 ) we find Dewi Edmund Jones.

Regards,

Martin.

[paulmcmillan]

Martin

Great ! Last one identified! BTW if you google "Dewi Edmund jones " you can find. Photo of him on ancestry.various News reports of the incident vary in detail but confirm he was a Welshman ! He was killed later in the war

[Larry Hickey]

Paul,

Do any of the "news reports" add any detail to what we already know?

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[paulmcmillan]

Larry

Jones story is basically the same on all accounts (though he is never identified) it is just some say a bit different than others

such as he is identified as Welsh in one or so but not all

Paul

[hanshauprich]

There is an picture from the funeral from Saunders & Springett at Dudweiler.
Photo was sent via Red Cross Swiss to their familiy.

[Larry Hickey]

Hans,

Do you have a copy of this photo that you could supply? Springett is supposed to have been captured. Did he die soon afterwards in captivity? Do you know anything further about this. Are any photos known in Germany of the crash site for the Battle that was shot down on German territory, and where is specifically crashed? I would have expected that photos of this might have appeared in the German press at the time, and certainly there was likely some information published about the crash and the capture (?) of one of the British airmen.

Thanx for helping.

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE project Coordinator

[paulmcmillan]

Springett was not killed he was definately POW he is mentioned in Footprints on the Sands of Time: RAF Bomber Command Prisoners of War in Germany 1939-45

Paul

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

Hans and Paul, here is what we carry on this one in the EoE Luft Loss DB:

"30 Sept 1939: Battle K9484. Shot down by Bf109s of 2./JG53 south-west of Saarbrucken during photo-reconnaissance sortie. (Pilot) Pilot Officer John Richard Saunders and (AG) AC1 Donald Leighton Thomas both killed, (Obs) Sergeant G. J. Springett baled out and captured. Aircraft a write-off."

Since Paul confirms that Springett was a POW, the photo of the funeral that Hans Halprich refers to must be that of Saunders, the pilot, and Donald Thomas.

Hans, do you have a copy of the photo to which you refer, showing the funeral of these airman, or have any other information that would help us document and illustrate this incident?

Does anyone else know of a source for Springett's experiences in this incident have been recorded? Perhaps someone has interviewed him, or something was published in some local newspaper after his release?

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE Project Coordinator

[Horst Weber]

Originally Posted by Larry Hickey

Hans,

... Are any photos known in Germany of the crash site for the Battle that was shot down on German territory, and where is specifically crashed? I would have expected that photos of this might have appeared in the German press at the time, and certainly there was likely some information published about the crash and the capture (?) of one of the British airmen.

Thanx for helping.

Regards,

Larry Hickey
EoE project Coordinator

Good morning Larry !

You can find this Dudweiler funeral photo along with more details on the website: http://www.flugzeugabstuerze.saarlan...arbrucken.html

For further information, please contact me by PN.

Best wishes !

Horst Weber

[Larry Hickey]

Horst,

Thanx for contacting me. I can't get this website to load.

I have sent you a PM with my personal email address, so looking further to contact with you.

Regards,

Larry