This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Monday 9 September 1940 |
| Time: | 17:00 |
| Type: |  Hawker Hurricane Mk I |
| Owner/operator: | 605 (County of Warwick) Sqn RAF |
| Registration: | P2765 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near RAF Farnborough, Hampshire -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Combat |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
Squadron was scrambled from RAF Croydon to intercept 17 Heinkel 111's with fighter escort. This aircraft was piloted by P/O James Samuel Humphreys 41928 RAFVR (New Zealander), who successfully baled out and landed at Bordon, Hampshire with a slight hand wound.
At 5pm on the 9 September 1940 Hunmphreys' squadron was ordered off and after 15 minutes 'B' Flight was detached and vectored on to a raid apparently heading for the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough. Contact was made about 5.25 with a force of 20 plus HE 111s, with Me 109s as close and high escort. Awkwardly placed, at the rear of the enemy formation and slightly below, the Hurricanes climbed to get into an attacking position. As the high escort started to take notice Humphreys moved Green section outwards, drawing the Me109s with them. 605's Blue section moved in and broke up the bombers and Humphreys turned his section to pick up any of the scattered Heinkels. At this point they were bounced by some Me 110s which Humphreys had not seen. His Hurricane waas hit three or four times, one being a 20mm cannon shell beside the throttle control.. He went down in an aileron turn for some 3000 feet and took stock of the situation. There was a sizeable hole in the cockpit wall, the throttle quadrant was gone the cockpit was full of smoke and petrol fumes. It seemed that his aircraft was gong to catch fire so he baled out at an altitude of 12000 feet. He did a free fall to down to cloud level, about 3000 feet, before pulling his rip-cord. His left hand was badly wounded, a mess of blood, flesh, bone and glove mixed all together, and he ultimately lost his little finger. Humphreys' came out of cloud over the Canadian Camp at Bordon and drifted across it with the breeze. Soldiers began firing the Lewis gun up at him, putting six holes through the canopy, cutting on rigging line and sending one bullet through the left breast pocket of his tunic, leaving a weal on his left side. Humphreys' landed just outside the camp in a copse besides the railway line, was picked up by the Canadians and having being relieved of his buttons, flying boots and maps was taken to the Cambridge Military Hospital at Aldershot. When he abandoned his aircraft he released his escape panel, on which was stencilled his personal insignia, a Maori Tiki. This shows one of the hands cut, which he considers to be of superstitious significance. Humphreys' must have mentioned this panel to the Canadians for three days later three of them brought it to him in hospital. The very soldiers who had picked him up had found it on manoeuvres. A remarkable coincidence, considering it had fluttered down 12000 feet.
Humphreys' stayed in hospital just over 4 weeks, after which he went to Torquay for convalescence.
Sources:
1. A Clasp for the Few: K Wynn
2. ORB 605 Sqdn RAF
Images:
The phot of the escape door showing the Tiki Personal collection
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Nov-2018 19:01 | rodinbangor | Added |
| 12-Nov-2018 21:07 | Nepa | Updated [Operator, Operator] |
| 31-Jul-2019 19:17 | Nepa | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Source, Operator] |
| 10-Jun-2024 06:00 | Antonio | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation