603 Squadron Spitfire losses 7 October 1940

[AndyMa]

I am just (belatedly!) reading "The Greatest Squadron of Them All" volume 1, which deals with the history of 603 Squadron up to the end of 1940.
In the intervening 17 years, I am wondering if anything more has come to light about the serials of the aircraft involved in 3 losses:

5 October K9807 (P/O Morton) - Chilham

7 October N3109 (F/O Matthews) - Godmersham, parts recovered post-war

7 October ????? (Sgt Strawson) - into the Thames Estuary

The book notes the confusion between the aircraft involved.
I can't seem to find the serial of Sgt Strawson's aircraft anywhere.
Is it known please?
Thanks,
Andy

[paulmcmillan]

AIR81/3656 Sergeant J M Strawson: injured; shot down, aerial combat, Spitfire N3109, 603 Squadron, 7 October 1940.

http://www.rafcommands.com/database/...=&qmem=&qdate=

[Alex Smart]

http://www.bbm.org.uk/airmen/Strawson.htm

[Alex Smart]

Paul,
What about Matthews, same day same Spitfire ???
Alex

[paulmcmillan]

http://www.rafcommands.com/forum/sho...nd-which-Pilot

[AndyMa]

Gents,
Thanks for the inputs. So it would seem that K9807, K9963 and N3109 were the three aircraft involved.
However, it is still not clear to me which loss was which.
One of the links states:
"Air81/3656 has - Sergeant J M Strawson: injured; shot down, aerial combat, Spitfire N3109, 603 Squadron, 7 October 1940."
We now know that this cannot be correct. N3109 was excavated in Kent, and was the aircraft flown by F/O Matthews. Strawson crashed into the Thames Estuary and was lucky to escape with his life after having difficulty getting out of the aircraft as it sunk.
The obvious answer would be that the pilots' names in two losses on 7 October (K9807 and N3109) were reversed. That said, "The Greatest Squadron of Them All" maintains that Morton was flying K9807 when he was shot down on 5 October.
An interesting conundrum...

[paulmcmillan]

The Air 81 file (RAF Cas File)is an official govt doc and it puts Strawson on N3109 - now I can accept it could be wrong and that Matthews plane was excavated but can we be 100% sure the dig up plane was N3109 are there data plates around which confirm ? It is possible that the information at the time of the dig was wrong

[AndyMa]

That I cannot answer, but given that N3109 was at that time thought to have had a watery grave in the Thames, something must have led the excavators in the direction of that serial. Otherwise, knowing it was Matthews' aircraft, they would have identified it as K9807 (which Air81/3674 incorrectly lists as K9087 of course).
Is there anyone on here from the dig-era that can confirm exactly how N3109 was identified?

[paulmcmillan]

I have not seen the ORB record for the day but if it says Matthews was on N3109 then they may might have assumed he was - the point being the Air 81 though not fool proof are the official RAF investigation and may have access to info not in ORB and these were only put in public domain in last 4 years

[AndyMa]

The ORB record for the day does not help at all, as for some reason it only lists the third mission on 7 October (up 1544, down 1645).
Both Matthews and Strawson were lost on the first (morning) mission flown by 11 aircraft (up 0935, down 1110).
A second mission (up 1250, down 1420) was flown by 9 aircraft