Hurricane P3519 near Yeadon airfield.
On 1st June 1940 the pilot of this 87 Squadron aircraft was undertaking a training flight and during the course of the flight he landed at Yeadon airfield at around 11.00hrs. At 12.19hrs he took off again and made a circuit of the airfield, after making a fairly low pass over the airfield he put the aircraft into a near vertical climb to around 5-600 feet when his engine appeared to those on the ground to cut out. The pilot then made a stalled turn and dived towards the ground, the height in which he attempted to carry out this left himself insufficient height to pull out of the dive. The aircraft crashed near Yeadon at 12.30hrs and the pilot was sadly killed.
As credited previously, I have been kindly assisted in compiling many of these webpages by aviation author and historian Mr Nick Roberts. With regard
this account his grandfather was responsible for the pilot's funeral arrangements and the coffin inscription which Nick reports may have been inscribed
with a posthumous award. This has yet to be confirmed through service records or official documents.
Pilot - P/O Horatio James Rennie Dunn RAF (33411), aged 23, of Filton, Bristol. Buried Henham Churchyard, Essex.
"Jimmy" Dunn received his commission on an unknown date, but presumably in 1938 or 1939. P/O Dunn was involved in a number of minor mishaps in France with
87 Squadron; while flying Hurricane L1619 on 10th November 1939 in pursuit of a Do.17 his aircraft ran out of fuel and he made a forced landing at Aalbeke, Belgium, on the road
between Courtrai and Mouscron. Belgium was neutral at the time and he was interned and his aircraft impounded. He escaped
on 27th November 1939 and was able to return to his unit at Lille/Seclin. On 9th May 1940 he was flying Hurricane P2362
when it suffered damage to it's radiator from return fire from a Do.17 over Lille/Seclin. He force landed at
Rethel but the aircraft overturned and he suffered head injuries from which he needed hospital treatment. On 19th May 1940
he was flying an, at present unidentified, Hurricane and was in combat with Bf.109's in the Courtrai, Tournai area.
He claimed one Bf.109 shot down but his aircraft was damaged although he was able to return to his base.
This was one of seven 87 Squadron Hurricanes damaged or lost on this date. Lille/Seclin was abandoned the following day.
On 20th May 1940 he was returning to his new base at Merville in Hurricane L1964 after a ground straffing mission of
enemy columns near Arras when he crashed on landing. Again he was unhurt but the aircraft was damaged and then
abandoned on evacuation four days later being unrepaired. He probably flew across to the UK soon after this as he arrived at Church Fenton on 24th May 1940.
Hurricane P3519 was built to contract 962371/38/C.23a by The Gloster Aircraft Co. Ltd. at the Brockworth factory and was
awaiting collection in April 1940. It was issued to 87 Squadron at Amiens/Glisy, France and was ferried out to this unit there. This
squadron moved to Senon on 2nd May 1940 and it went with them, it again moved with the unit to Lille/Marcq on 10th May 1940 and to
Merville on 20th May 1940. It was then evacuated back to England, initially to Debden on 24th May 1940 and it moved with unit#
to Church Fenton on 26th May 1940. Following the accident recorded above Cat.W/FA damage was recorded.