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Date: | Friday 29 September 1939 |
Time: | 10:00 LT |
Type: | Handley Page Hampden Mk I |
Owner/operator: | 144 Sqn RAF |
Registration: | L4132 |
MSN: | PL-W |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 4 |
Other fatalities: | 0 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Location: | Sea, Between Helgoland & Wangerooge, Frisian Islands, Lower Saxony -
Germany
|
Phase: | Combat |
Nature: | Military |
Departure airport: | RAF Hemswell, Lincolnshire |
Destination airport: | |
Confidence Rating: | Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
Narrative:Airborne 06:40 on mission to bomb German ships moored at Heligoland. Eleven Hampdens were sent in two formations: the first six attacked two destroyers, but missed the target, the second wave of five Hampdens were intercepted by Bf 109s that were now over the target and were waiting and ready. All five Hampdens in the second wave were shot down. Of the 20 crew in five aircraft (four per aircraft) 16 were killed, and 4 were captured and taken as PoWs
L4126 was intercepted & shot down at 10:03 hours by a Bf.109 flown by Uffz. Pollack of 1./ZG26 into sea between German islands of Heligoland & Wangerooge, off the Frisian Islands in Lower Saxony, Germany. Note that the official file on the incident (Air Ministry File AIR 81/84) gives the details as "Hampden L4132 shot down over the North Sea, 29 September 1939" without specifying exactly where
Crew:-
Pilot : Pilot Officer Robert Maxwell "Gonga" Coste RAF 40085 [PoW]
2nd Pilot : Flight Sergeant Siriol Williams RAF 366471 [Killed]
Observer : Sergeant Charles George Williams RAF 580687 [Killed]
Air Gunner : Aircraftman 2nd Class Stanley Isherwood RAF 621052 [Killed]
Flight Sgt Williams, who died in L4132, had survived two pre-war air accidents: these were reported on 12 December 1936 and 24 November 1938, the former whilst flying Heyfords with 102 Squadron and the latter when 144 Squadron was equipped with Bristol Blenheims.
Sources:
1. Royal Air Force Aircraft L1000-L9999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1978 p 24)
2. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 81/85:
https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C14141907 3.
http://www.626-squadron.co.uk/willem4.htm 4.
http://aircrewremembered.com/coste-gonga.html 5.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2074257/williams,-siriol/ 6.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2074250/williams,-charles-george/ 7.
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2073860/isherwood,-stanley/ .8. Rob Davis Bomber Command Losses Database
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
5 November 1941 |
AD846 |
144 Sqn RAF |
2 |
North Sea off Terschelling, Friesland |
![](/database/country/flags_15/PH.gif) |
w/o |
Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
06-Jun-2019 00:16 |
Dr. John Smith |
Added |
06-Jun-2019 00:17 |
Dr. John Smith |
Updated [Source, Narrative] |
08-Jun-2019 09:35 |
stehlik49 |
Updated [Operator] |
05-Jun-2024 07:09 |
Rob Davis |
Updated [Source, Narrative] |