Operation: Interception

Date: 8th February 1941 (Saturday)

Unit: 263 (Fellowship of the Bellows) Squadron, 10 Group

Type: Whirlwind I

Serial No: P6969

Code: HE:V

Location: 3 miles south of Dodman Point, south Cornwall

Base: RAF St. Eval, north Cornwall

Pilot: Plt Off. Kenneth Alfred George Graham 78737 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Whirlwind Mark I, P6969 HE-V of 263 Squadron. Credit: Imperial War Museums

On the morning of the 8th February 1941 at 09.06 hrs and 09:15 hrs two Whirlwinds, P6691 flown by Flt Lt. Crooks and P6969 flown by Plt Off. Graham, took off from RAF St. Eval on an interception patrol. Plt Off. Graham failed to return to base.

The 263 Sqn Operations Record Book (ORB) entry for the 8th February 1941 recorded the following:

“Today gave us our first confirmed victory. The circumstances surrounding it however, are very mysterious. 2 aircraft of the Blue Section took off from RAF Exeter at 08:40 hrs on a local practice flight. At 09:00 hrs they were vectored onto raid 139. While orbiting 12 miles south of Start Point an Arado Ar190 was seen by Sgt. Rudland (Blue #2) who came down on its tail, but seeing British roundels on the fuselage did not fire, and in fact flew in formation with it. The enemy went into cloud and reappeared flying east 1000 yards to the port wing of Fg Off. Hughes (Blue #1) who carried out an attack from the front quarter, ending in a beam attack, opening at 480 yds and closing at 200 yds. A 5-second burst was fired, but no results were observed.

Meanwhile Flt Lt. Crooks and Plt Off. Graham had taken off from St. Eval. At Dodman Point Plt Off. Graham was ordered to patrol below the cloud while Flt Lt. Crooks patrolled above. Flt Lt. Crooks came back down through the clouds, and just as he emerged passed Plt Off. Graham who was flying west. He did a gentle left hand turn, intending to call Plt Off. Graham and tell him to formate on him, but too his surprise found that Plt Off. Graham had disappeared. Suddenly he saw an enemy aircraft come through the cloud in an ENE direction on his left going lower and lower until it hit the water. Flt Lt. Crooks had difficulty in identifying the enemy aircraft but he saw floats uppermost on the water and a black cross on a piece of wing wreckage. Plt Off. Graham did not return from the patrol. A Coastguard reported that 2 aircraft had crashed into the sea at 09:50 hrs 3 miles of the shore in flames. In the end, Plt Off. Graham was credited with the destruction of an Arado Ar196. Plt Off. Graham was posted missing”.

The reason for the loss of Plt Off. Graham is not known but it has been speculated that he had collided with the enemy aircraft when he flew into the clouds. Plt Off. Graham’s claim and the loss of Whirlwind I P6969 was reported in the lists of Combats & Casualties for RAF Fighter Command dated 8th February 1941.

The enemy aircraft was an Arado Ar196 A-2, 6W+ON (WNr. 129) from 5./196. The pilot and Staffelkapitän was Oberleutnant Adolf Berger and the observer was Leutnant (Navy) Hans-Erich Hirtz, both of whom were lost.

5./196 = 5th Squadron of the Embarked Air Group 196 based in Cherbourg, France.

Note: the A-2 designation of the Ar196 indicated that it was the land based version of the aircraft.

Burial details:

Plt Off. Kenneth Alfred George Graham. Runnymede Memorial Panel 32. Born in 3rd Qtr of 1920 in West Ham. Son of William and Evelyn A.I. (née Grace) Graham of east Ham, Essex, England.

Researched by Ralph Snape for Aircrew Remembered and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot.

Other sources listed below:

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