Mount Batten - Carantec - Mount Batten

On June 18, 1940 at 12:00 AM, Mount Batten - Carantec - Mount Batten experienced a crash involving Supermarine Walrus, operated by Royal Air Force - RAF, with the event recorded near Ploudaniel Finistère.

The flight was categorized as military and the reported phase was flight at a plain, valley crash site.

4 people were known to be on board, 4 fatalities were recorded, 0 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 100.0%.

Crew on board: 4, crew fatalities: 4, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is terrorism act, hijacking, sabotage. On 17JUN1940, General De Gaulle left France for England but his wife and children were still in Carantec, Britain. Due to German troops moving through Britain, De Gaulle obtained help from Winston Churchill who sent a special aircraft to Carantec to pick up De Gaulle's family. After receiving orders from the Government, Captain Norman Hope joined Mount Batten AFB and transmit to his crew the goal of this high secret mission. On 18JUN1940, aircraft left Mount Batten AFB, near Portsmouth, at 0300LT. Aircraft went over Britain few hours later and while flying 20 km west from Carantec, it was fired by French or German flak (source unknown). In such situation, captain decided to reduce his altitude and to make an emergency landing in a field but aircraft hit a rocky wall and crashed in flames. All four crew were killed. Nobody was aware of this mission and De Gaulle's family embarked on a ship few hours later to join United Kingdom. Crew (15th GC): Cpt Norman Hope, Lt John Bell, Sgt Charles Harris, Cpl Bernard Nowell.

Aircraft reference details include registration L2312.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 48.4866°, -4.2840°.