Hampden Mk I L-4093 OL-J was hit by flak on a bombing sortie to Kiel, Germany and crashed into the North Sea off Spurn Head, Yorkshire, England while returning from operations

F/O Connor's body was found floating in a life raft off Spurn Head and he was buried in the village churchyard at Brattleby, Lincolnshire, England

F/O Connolly was awarded the DFC for action in a raid 1940-09-15 and his Wireless Operator Air Gunner, Sgt J Hannah (RAF) won a Victoria Cross at the same time. Sgt Hannah said that F/O Connor should also have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

The following details were given in the London Gazette of October 1st, 1940. On the night of September 15th, 1940, Sgt Hannah was the wireless operator/air gunner in an aircraft engaged in a successful attack on enemy barge concentrations at Antwerp. A direct hit from an explosive projectile, which burst inside the bomb compartment, started a fire which quickly enveloped the wireless operator's and rear gunners cockpits, while both port and starboard petrol tanks had been pierced enhancing the danger. The rear gunner and the navigator had to leave the aircraft, and Sgt Hannah could have done so too, but remained to fight the fire with extinguishers, and when these were empty he beat at the flames with his log book. Despite some relief from his oxygen supply, the intense heat and fumes from the thousands of rounds of exploding ammunition almost blinded Sgt Hannah, and his face and eyes were badly burned. Nevertheless he succeeded in extinguishing the fire, enabling the pilot, F/O Connor, to bring the aircraft safely to its base. This airman displayed courage, coolness, and devotion to duty of the highest order

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Home
Toronto, Ontario

Target
Kiel Germany

Burial
St Cuthbert Churchyard, UK

Handley Page Hampden

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Handley Page Hampden (Serial No. P5428), of No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia, in the torpedo-bomber training role between May 1942 and February 1944.

Handley Page developed a modern stressed-skin mid-wing monoplane, powered by Bristol Pegasus radial air cooled engines, with its first flight in 1936. It had the most advanced wings available at the time, giving it a remarkably low landing speed of 73 mph for an aircraft of its size, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Hampden had a short, narrow but tall main fuselage with a very slender tail unit. This configuration led to the nicknames "Flying Panhandle" and "Flying Suitcase". At the end of the war, no complete or partial Hampden aircraft were retained for museum display.

The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne. In Canada, Hampdens were built by six companies that formed Associated Aircraft. There were three in Ontario and three in Quebec, hence they were identified as the Ontario Group and Quebec Group. They supplied all the the components to the two assembly plants. The Ontario Group's assembly plant was at the Malton Airport, while the Quebec group's assembly plant was at the St. Hubert Airport. Canadian Museum of Flight and Harold A Skaarup web page

Handley Page Hampden in Flight

Wikipedia Hampden Bomber

Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Hampden - Kestrel Publications

CASPIR Aircraft Groups:

RCAF On Strength (96), Canadian Aircraft Losses (242)

last update: 2022-01-13 21:37:22

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Hampden Mk. l L4093

With 83 Sqn. Bombing Kiel. Damaged by flak Kiel, ditched off Humber