Base: Thorney Island
Take off time: 2140hrs
Op: Night flying training

P/O Bispham on night flying training crashed after taking off at 2140hrs, on the edge of Elmsworth Channel, on the Western side of Thorney Island. All the crew were rescued but the a/c burnt out. Sgt. Sweeting the A/G was seriously injured and removed to Chichester hospital. The other members of the crew were slightly injured.

No casualties:

Sgt Sweeting	P/O Bispham

During WWII, the RAF used three-letter codes to identify their aircraft from a distance. Two large letters were painted before the roundel, which signified the squadron to which the aircraft belonged, and another letter was painted after the roundel which indicated the individual aircraft. Aditionally, there was the individual serial number for each aircraft, which was painted in a much smaller size, usually somewhere at the rear of the aircraft: (more)

Codes used by RAF 59 Squadron:

PJ Sep 1938 - Sep 1939
TR Sep 1939 - Oct 1942
1 Aug 1943 - Jul 1944
WE Jul 1944 - Oct 1945
BY Oct 1945 - Jun 1946, Dec 1947 - Oct 1950