Remarkable artefacts recovered from downed Hurricane in France

PublishedFebruary 19, 2026

Hawker Hurricane Mk I
RAF Serial: P3490
601 Sqn
Pilot: F/O. Peter Beverley Robinson (survived)
Date: 7th June 1940
Place: Sainte-Agathe-d’Aliermont, France

Despite the evacuation from Dunkirk, RAF fighter operations continued over northern France in early June 1940. On 7th June alone, eleven Hurricanes were lost patrolling between Le Tréport and Abbeville, supporting British forces south of the Somme.

**A map showcasing the fallen aircraft on June 7th**

Among them were two aircraft of 601 Squadron: Hurricane P3484, flown by Flying Officer T. E. Hubbard, and Hurricane P3490, flown by Flying Officer Robinson.

**Flying Officer Peter Beverley Robinson**

Beverley was one of the pre war members of 601 Sqn, the so called ‘Millionaire’s Squadron’, due to the aristocratic backrounds of it’s founding members. Son of the Secretary of the Canadian League of Nations in Geneva, he was an accomplished skier, but left for America to work in theatre. He was recalled to the RAF in 1930.

At approximately 18.00 hours, ‘B’ Flight of 601 Squadron was ordered to patrol south of the Amiens–Abbeville line in company with 43 Squadron. Near Aumale, Hubbard, flying in the rearmost and highest section, observed two large formations of aircraft heading south along the coast. At the same time, around thirty Me109s were seen directly above at approximately 10,000 feet.

The night before the dig. Team member Glyn enjoys some 1942 vintage Calvados, hidden from the Germans by Alexis’ grandfather. Alexis’, and the village’s, hospitality was exceptional

The German fighters descended in a spiral attack. One dived head-on at Hubbard and pulled up above him. Hubbard pulled his Hurricane up and fired a burst as the enemy climbed away. On turning, he saw the aircraft apparently in flames. He also observed a Hurricane and another Me109 going down during the engagement.

Digging begins. The Hurricane’s main spar had already been located at a shallow depth. Being steel, it masked any deeper signals from the magnetometer, and it was thought there wouldn’t be much more wreckage below it

Shortly afterwards, glycol began leaking into his cockpit, indicating cooling system damage. Hubbard broke off and headed west, managing to cross back towards the French coast before making a wheels-up landing in an orchard near Bolbec. Hurricane P3484 was written off. Its guns and instruments were removed by No. 3 Port Detachment at Le Havre before the aircraft was burned. Hubbard returned to England via Cherbourg on 10th June.

In the same general combat area, Hurricane P3490 of 601 Squadron was also lost. For decades, its exact location remained unknown.

One of the first fragments to emerge, the tip of a wooden propeller

French researcher Alexis Brument later identified a Hurricane crash site at Sainte-Agathe-d’Aliermont. The site lay only a few hundred metres from where a Me109 of 4./JG 26, flown by Uffz Rudolf Iberle, had crashed. Iberle was killed.

Given the proximity of the two wrecks and the known losses of 7th June, the Hurricane was initially thought possibly to be Hubbard’s aircraft.

With the agreement of the landowner and local authorities, a full excavation was carried out. A quantity of wreckage was recovered from deep, waterlogged ground. Crucially, the RAF manufacturer’s identification plate was located at the base of the impact crater.

The serial number found confirmed the aircraft as P3490. The find established that the wreck was not Hubbard’s Hurricane, but Flying Officer Robinson’s aircraft from 601 Squadron — one of the eleven Hurricanes lost that day.