Hurricane N2409 near Linton on Ouse.
On 28th August 1940 32 Squadron were in the process of moving from Biggin Hill airfield to Acklington airfield and their aircraft were flown north.
One of their aircraft, Hurricane N2409, was force landed near Linton on Ouse airfield. A reference to this incident has been located with No.13 Group's telephone log records and gives the time they were first notified as being at 21.50hrs. Whether the aircraft was damaged is not yet known. Hurricane N2409 was delivered to 32 Squadon on 13th February 1940 from 10 MU at Hullavington but does not appear to have been used operationally, it may have been held as a reserve aircraft.
Pilot - Sgt Bernard Henson RAF (742563).
Hurricane N2409 was built to contract 751458/38 by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. at Kingston / Brooklands and was awaiting collection in October 1939. On 26th October 1939 the aircraft was allotted to 10 MU at Hullavington but not taken on charge by them until 20th November 1939. It was then taken on charge by 32 Squadron at Gravesend on 13th February 1940 and then moved with them to various airfields in the months that followed. It moved to Manston on 8th March 1940, back to Gravesend on 22nd March 1940, Biggin Hill on 27th March 1940, Wittering on 26th May 1940, back to Biggin Hill on 4th June 1940 and was en-route to Acklington on 28th August 1940 when this minor damage resulted. Cat.M/FA damage must have been the result of the damage inspection but it was almost certainly dismantled on site to be repaired off site. No damage is listed on the aircraft's movement card for August 1940. It was collected by 13 MU from Henlow on 7th September 1940, 13 MU was a repair depot within 43 Group. Once repairs were complete it was flown to 10 MU at Hullavington on 28th October 1940. It was next issued to 55 OTU at Aston Down on 10th November 1940 but on 19th December 1940 it sustained Cat.R/FA damage when it crashed at Urchfont, Wiltshire. On 26th December 1940 it arrived at Hawker Aircraft Ltd.(S.A.S.) (Service Aircraft Section) at Brooklands for a repair in works. The repair appears to have been made as it was flown to 48 MU at Hawarden on 15th March 1941 but it was struck off charge jus three weeks later on 6th April 1941. No details for why this occurred are yet known.
Bernard Henson was born in Buckinghamshire in 1914 and joined the RAFVR in 1938. After training he was posted to 32 Squadron in late June 1940. During the Battle of Britain he was credited with a Ju87 on 19th July 1940 (though no Ju87 losses were recorded on this date). On 15th August he was flying Hurricane P3522 when the aircraft received battle damage following combat with a DO,17 off Selsey Bill, he was able to land at Tangmere without injury. On 18th August 1940 he was flying Hurricane V6536 when he was slightly injured in the face by return fire from a Do.17 over Biggin Hill, he was forced to land Hurricane V6536 near Otford but was credited with destroying the Do.17 (Wk.Nr.2504 F1+1H) which crashed at Hurst Green, Kent. He was posted to 257 Squadron on 15th September 1940 but was killed on 17th November 1940 flying Hurricane N2342 when he was shot down off Harwich. In January 1941 his body was recovered and he is buried at Wisbech Cemetery, Cambridgeshire.