Hurricane Loss - 29 October 1940, Wallington, Hants

[Andy Saunders]

Recent posts led me to search out Alexander McKee's diary notes from 1940. I thought he may have made reference to the 607 Squadron Hurricane losses on 5 October 1940 but find this is unrelated.

The date given is 29 October 1940, afternoon.

He saw a Hurricane going down and raced to the scene in a ploughed field on the outskirts of Wallington. He describes the bullet-holed Hurricane tipped up on its nose, wheels retracted, and bearing the code letters AJ-A [sic]. I can only conclude he either mistook AK for AJ, unless the letter got changed in error when he typed up, post war, his handwritten notes.

I can only conclude that this must have been 213 Squadron, and perhaps V6868? AK-A? If so, who was the pilot?

McKee talks about the injured pilot being taken away by ambulance, but there are no more clues.

One for Peter Cornwell?

[Peter Cornwell]

Andy,

What I have currently listed is as follows:

Hurricane V6868. Crash-landed near Fort Wallington during squadron patrol, cause unknown. Pilot Officer T. Thomson badly injured. Aircraft AK*A damaged but repairable.

The diary notes provide useful additional detail and hopefully others here may be able to add more.

[ahafan]

Originally Posted by Andy Saunders

Recent posts led me to search out Alexander McKee's diary notes from 1940. I thought he may have made reference to the 607 Squadron Hurricane losses on 5 October 1940 but find this is unrelated.

The date given is 29 October 1940, afternoon.

He saw a Hurricane going down and raced to the scene in a ploughed field on the outskirts of Wallington. He describes the bullet-holed Hurricane tipped up on its nose, wheels retracted, and bearing the code letters AJ-A [sic]. I can only conclude he either mistook AK for AJ, unless the letter got changed in error when he typed up, post war, his handwritten notes.

I can only conclude that this must have been 213 Squadron, and perhaps V6868? AK-A? If so, who was the pilot?

McKee talks about the injured pilot being taken away by ambulance, but there are no more clues.

One for Peter Cornwell?

hello
from what I read about A Mckee he was rejected from the RAF-on eye sight.short.sighted myself.long sighted.maybe that his why he made the mistake.from afar.

sharon

[Andy Saunders]

Peter

Thank you for that.

I am grateful for the updated information.

McKee talks about this aircraft having been engaged in an aerial fight over the district and saw two Me109s on the tail of a Hurricane - he believes this one.

"A single machine, a Hurricane by the look of it, was diving slowly from 15,000 to 10,000ft. Two deadly shapes came up behind. Like wolves to the kill. There was a chatter of gunfire as the tiny formation opened up; then the superior speed of the Messerschmitts had taken them past. Still the dogfight raged, with unattached machines wandering about as if lost. The Hurricane slowly lost height over Fareham......sure enough, a Hurricane was slowly sliding down behind the trees at the end of Down End Road. He lost height at a very flat angle and took some time to disappear, but he was down right enough"

McKee later found the Hurricane in a ploughed field at Wallington.