Battle of France aircraft recovered from Somme

PublishedJanuary 20, 2026

Fairey Battle
RAF Serial: L5546
12 Squadron
Pilot: F/O. Brereton (survived)
Sgt. Boddington (killed)
LAC. Burt (killed)
Date: 8th June 1940
Place: Lamaronde, Somme, France

The story of the almost suicidal attempts to halt the German advance south towards Paris is little known. After the fall of Dunkirk, the RAF continued to support retreating British and French troops as they fought to halt the German tanks at the natural barrier formed by the River Somme and its estuary.

On 8th June 1940, several Fairey Battles were lost in the Somme area, with one falling near the village of Lamaronde after a combat with Me109s. The pilot bailed out and was captured, but his crew in the rear were declared missing.

The dig was carried out over two days by hand only; however, a tractor was used to pull the Merlin engine from the bottom of the hole

In 1942, a message was received by the RAF from the French Red Cross, giving some details of an unidentified crashed aircraft. Sufficient clues contained in the message enabled the aircraft and its crew to be identified.

The ‘spade grip’ control column of the Dunlop Patent, similar to those fitted to Hurricanes. The gun button was set to ‘fire’. The jubilee clip on the right held a camera gun button

It was Fairey Battle L5546 of 12 Squadron, shot down by Me109s at Lamaronde, near Poix, Somme. Flying Officer Brereton (the pilot) bailed out safely and was captured, but Sergeant Boddington and Leading Aircraftsman Burt weren’t as lucky. They did not bail out, presumably killed by gunfire, as the pilot did have time to escape. Both were buried in the Lamaronde cemetery and were later moved to Abbeville, France.