Traces of World War 2 
RAF - No. 85 Squadron
10/05/1940 - 30/06/1940

85 SQUADRON - Fighter, Hawker Hurricane Mk I


History | Operations and losses | Sources | Links | Books | Questions and/or remarks



On 1 June 1938, A Flight of No 87 Squadron was renumbered 85 Squadron at Debden and flew Gladiators until re-equipped with Hurricanes in September 1938. On the outbreak of war, the squadron moved to France as part of the Air Component of the BEF. When the German invasion came in May 1940, it gave fighter cover to the Allied armies until its bases were overrun and four remaining aircraft retired to the UK. It re-equipped and resumed operations early in June. After taking part in the first half of the Battle of Britain over southern England, the squadron moved to Yorkshire in September and in October began night fighter patrols.

Stations

France, 09/09/1939
Debden 22 or 23 May 1940
Castle Camps 23/05/1940
Croydon 19 August 1940
Castle Camps 3 September 1940
Church Fenton 5 September 1940
Kirton-in-Lindsey 23 October 1940

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Operations and losses 10/05/1940 - 02/06/1940
Not all operations listed; those with losses are (except pilots taken PoW).

11/05/1940: ?, F. 1 KIA (ground). 1 Plane lost
15/05/1940: ?, F? 1 Plane lost, 1 MIA
16/05/1940: ?, F. 2 Planes lost, 2 KIA
18/05/1940: ?, F. car crash, 1 KIA, 1 WIA
19/05/1940: ?, F? 1 Plane lost, 1 MIA
20/05/1940: Ground strafing, Arras, F. 3 Planes lost, 3 KIA
31/05/1940: ?, UK. 2 Planes lost, 2 KIA
02/06/1940: ?, F. 1 KIA

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Losses 01/01/1940 - 09/05/1940 (incomplete)

Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: L1978, VY-X
Operation: Affiliation exercise with Lysanders
Lost: 06/03/1940
Sergeant (Pilot) Stewart W. Lenton, RAF 564249, 85 Sqdn., age unknown, 06/03/1940, Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension, France
Suffered engine failure on take-off and crashed attempting down-wind landing at Mons-en-Chaussée, at 09.45 hrs.

Sources: CWGC; Peter D. Cornwell, The Battle of France, Then and Now, 2008

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Aircraftman 2nd Class William J. (Bill) Bolton, RAFVR 756194, 85 Sqdn., age 20, 11/05/1940, Fretin Communal Cemetery, F. Died of wounds and injuries received on active service (Flight Global).
Bolton, the driver of the Squadron Adjutant, was killed during a German attack on Lille-Vendeville airfield. Same as Lille-Seclin (no accent), also known as Lille-Lesquin. The Germans will call it Lille-Süd. Actually Lille airport. Source: RAF Commands Forum

Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: N2388, VY-R
Operation: Patrol
Lost: 11/05/1940
F/Lt R H A Lee bailed out after an encounter with a Do17, near Maastricht, NL.

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 15/05/1940
Flying Officer Derek H. Allen, RAF 39840, 85 Sqdn., DFC, age 22, 15/05/1940, missing

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 16/05/1940
Flying Officer (Pilot) Allan B. Angus, RAF 40281, 85 Sqdn., DFC, age 22, 16/05/1940, Fretin Communal Cemetery, F

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 16/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Michael H.G. Rawlinson, RAF 40851, 85 Sqdn., age 22, 16/05/1940, Adegem Canadian War Cemetery, B

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Pilot Officer John W. Lecky, RAF 40308, 85 Sqdn., age 20, 18/05/1940, Etaples Military Cemetery, F
Killed as result of a car accident while returning to unit after a spell of leave. Flight Lieutenant J.R.M. Boothby, also of No.85 Squadron, was injured in the same crash.

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 19/05/1940
Sergeant John M. Little, RAFVR 741292, 85 Sqdn., age 22, 19/05/1940, missing

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: Ground strafing, Arras
Lost: 20/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Roger W. Burton, RAFVR 78440, 85 Sqdn., age 26, 20/05/1940, Querrieu British Cemetery, F
Shot down by Bf109s while ground strafing enemy columns east of Arras and crashed near Querrieu, north-east of Amiens, 15.30 hrs. Possibly that claimed by Lt von Werra of Stab II./JG3. Aircraft a write-off.

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: P3426?, VY-?
Operation: Ground strafing, Arras
Lost: 20/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Richard W. Shrewsbury, RAF 41874, 85 Sqdn., age 19, 20/05/1940, Arras Communal Cemetery, F
Shot down by Bf109s while ground strafing enemy columns east of Arras 15.30 hrs. Possibly that claimed by Lt Heymann of 4./JG3. Aircraft a write-off.

Sources: CWGC and Peter D. Cornwell, The Battle of France, Then and Now, 2008. See also TOCh Forum: Loss of 3 Hurricanes of 85 Sqn 20 May 1940

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 31/05/1940
Sergeant (Pilot) Lionel R. Butler, RAFVR 742521, 85 Sqdn., age 19, 31/05/1940, Cambridge Crematorium, UK

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Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
Serial number: ?, VY-?
Operation: ?
Lost: 31/05/1940
Pilot Officer (Pilot) Peter L. Gossage, RAFVR 74703, 85 Sqdn., age unknown, 31/05/1940, Buxted (St. Margaret the Queen) Churchyard, UK

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Leading Aircraftman Archibald H. Nicoll, RAF 348549, 85 Sqdn., age unknown, 02/06/1940, Etaples Military Cemetery, F
Died at Dunkirk evacuation?

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Sources

Bail-outs for 1940
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Last of the few - 85 Squadron
RAF Battle of Britain - 85 Squadron
RAF - Campaign Diary - The Battle of France (May-June 1940)
RAF Commands - Fighter Command
RAF Museum: British Military Aviation in 1940
RAF Order of Battle, France, 10th May 1940
Royal Air Force History Section
The Royal Air Force, 1939-1945
The Second World War - a day by day account
War over Holland

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Books

Peter D. Cornwell, The Battle of France, Then and Now, 2008
D Middleton 'The Sky Suspended: the Battle of Britain May 1940-April 1941'(1960)
P.Townsend 'Duel of Eagles' (Corgi 1972)
Anthony Robinson 'RAF fighter squadrons in the Battle of Britain'

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Links

Discussion Groups
Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum
RAF Commands Forum

Other
Abbreviations used in the Royal Air Force
Code Names & RAF Vocabulary

Air Aces
Airwar over Denmark
Allied World War II Casualties in the Netherlands
Armée de l'Air - Order of Battle, 10th May 1940
Australian Wargraves
Axis History Factbook
Battle-of-Britain.com
De Belgen in Engeland 1940-1945 (in Dutch)
Belgian Aviation History Association Archaeological Team
Biplane Fighter Aces from the Second World War
British Aircraft Directory
British Aviation Archaeological Council - Books and research links
Canada's Air Force History
HMS Cavalier
Ciel de Gloire (in French) RAF Squadrons
CWGC Cemeteries Germany
CWGC Cemeteries Netherlands
Czechoslovak airmen in the RAF 1940-1945
Danish WW2 Pilots
Dutch Pilots in RAF Squadrons
Eagles Squadrons (American pilots in the RAF)
Foreign Aircraft Landings in Ireland 1939-1946
'High flight', poem by John Gillespie Magee
An Irish Airman Foresees His Death, poem by W.B. Yeats
Jagdgeschwader 27 (in German)
Luchtoorlog ('Arial War', in Dutch, with many photos)
Land Forces of Britain, the Empire and Commonwealth
The Luftwaffe, 1933-1945
Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum
The National Ex-Prisoners of War Association
Naval History.net
Nordic Aviation during WW2
Order of Liberation (in French/English/Spanish)
Pilotfriend.com: aircraft of WW2
Polish Air Force 1940-1947 Operations Record Books
RAF Battle of Britain
RAF Upwood
RAF WWII 38 Group Squadrons Reunited
De Slag om de Grebbeberg (Dutch)
Test Flying Memorial
Warbird Alley
War over Holland
World War II Aircraft wrecksites in Norway
www.bomber-command.de

Aircraft crashes on the North Yorkshire Moors, England
Bills-Bunker.de
The Lancastershire Aircraft Investigation Team
Luftfahrt-Archäologie in Schleswig Holstein (in German)
North East Diary 1939-1945
Wartime Leicester and Leicestershire

The Aerodrome - Aces and Aircraft of World War 1
WW1 Cemeteries


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This page is dedicated to the men of 85 Squadron.

© Bart FM Droog / Rottend Staal Online 2008. Permission granted for use of the data gathered here for non commercial purposes, if this source is mentioned with a link to http://www.epibreren.com/ww2/raf/index.html