10th of October 1939 - Port Eynon

 

The Royal Air Force 108 Squadron was established in November 1917, at Stonehenge as part of the Royal Flying Corps.  In July 1918, the squadron went to France and then to Belgium in October.

The day before the outbreak of the Second World War, the squadron became part of the 6 Group training squadron.  By February 1940, the squadron had been equipped with Bristol Blenheim and was tasked to aid Finland during the Winter War,

However, on the 10^th of October 1939, flying from RAF Bicester, Oxfordshire a Bristol Blenheim MK I, registered number L1219, was piloted by pilot Frederick George Bryant and was crewed with Sergeant Philip Geoffrey Vezey Hemsley and Air Gunner James Shearer on a night training flight and was on its return flight back to RAF Bicester, when it flew very low over the village of Port Eynon, and the plane dived into the sea off Oxwich Point.  All the crew were presumed missing and killed, and their bodies were never recovered.  Their names have been added to the Runnymede Memorial.  The reason for the crash remains unknown.

Bristol Blenheim MK I

Frederick George Bryant
Runnymede Memorial
credit - findagrave

Philip Geoffrey Vezey Hemsley
Runnymede Memorial
credit - findagrave

James Shearer 
Runnymede Memorial
credit - findagrave

Frederick George Bryant who was 27 years old, was the son of Arthur John and Edith Lillie Bryant, of Kenton, Middlesex.

Philip Geoffrey Vezey Hemsley
credit - findagrave

Philip Geoffrey Vezey Hemsley who was 23 years old, was the son of Clement John and Gertrude M. Hermsley, of Putney.

James Shearer was 23 years old and was the son of William McKay and Ada Shearer.