de Labouchere-Sparling, Francis Albert Gabriel Joseph Died

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Personal Information

Rank P/O
Forename(s) Francis Albert Gabriel Joseph
Surname de Labouchere-Sparling
Gender M
Age 20
Date of Death 21-05-1940
Next of Kin Son of Francis De Labouchere-Sparling and of Alice De Labouchere-Sparling (Nee Pollet).
De LABOUCHERE-SPARLING FAG

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Vickers Wellington IC
Serial Number R3157
Markings AA-H

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Belgium
Burial/Memorial Place Kain Communal Cemetery
Grave Reference Grave 1.
Epitaph FOR THE PEOPLE I LOVE I WOULD GLADLY GIVE MY LIFE.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 154
De LABOUCHERE-SPARLING FAG

Location

Row -
Panel 154
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 2
Panel Number 154

Enlistment Information

Service Number 41990
Service Royal Air Force
Group 3
Squadron 75 (NZ)
Squadron Motto Ake ake kia kaha (For ever and ever be strong)
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Public footpath, alongside the River Scheldt, Kain, Hainhaut Province
Country Belgium
Memorial Type Metal sculpture and stencilled glass tablet
Memorial Text Le 21 mai 1940, un bombardier Vickers Wellington du 75e Escadron (NZ) de la RAF explosa au-dessus des champs de Kain, en Belgique. Il fut touché par la DCA allemande. Le pilote resta aux commandes pour permettre à son équipage de sauter en parachute. Le copilote fut tué en quittant l'appareil. Les trois membres d'équipage restants furent faits prisonniers de guerre.
Translation "On May 21 1940, a Vickers Wellington bomber of 75 (NZ) Sqn RAF exploded over the fields of Kain, Belgium. It was hit by German Anti-Aircraft Flak The Pilot remained at the controls to allow his crew to bail out, the co-pilot was killed as he left the aircraft. The remaining three crew became POW's "
Location Village Centre, Mepal, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Stone Memorial & Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text A stone memorial, donated by former members of 75 (NZ) Sqn RAF stationed at Mepal between 1943 and 1945
Location St. Andrews Church, Sutton, Cambridgeshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Roll of Honour in Wooden Case with brass plaque
Memorial Text Roll of Honour. Plaque, Presented by 75(NZ) Sqn Association - UK Branch in memory of Comrades named in the Roll of Honour
Location St. Marys Church, Feltwell, Norfolk
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Brick Piller and Marble Tablet
Memorial Text A memorial to 75 (NZ) Sqn, RAF. Formed at RAF Feltwell in April 1940 and flew from there until June 1942. The Sqn number was presented to New Zealand becoming 75 Sqn RNZAF in October 1946 until its disbanding in December 2001.
Location Newmarket Racecourse, Newmarket, Suffolk
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Tablet
Memorial Text Remembering No 75 (New Zealand) Sqn, No 3 Gp Bomber Command. RAF Newmarket Heath, November 1942 - June 1943

Miscellaneous Information

The Mayor of the City of Tournai decided to create a monument to both pilots, and on 21st May 2025, the 85th anniversary of their deaths, a ceremony was held near the crash site to unveil and dedicate a new memorial. The monument, located beside a bridal path on the banks of the Escaut, takes the shape of the tail of a Wellington bomber. Members of both families were present at the unveiling.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/645/6
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/645/6

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Collins J N (F/L) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 21-05-1940
End Date 22-05-1940
Takeoff Station Feltwell
Day/Night Raid Night (100% moon)
Operation Raid on Dinant
Reason for Aircraft Loss Shot down by flak over Belgium. Blown clear of the wreckage, John Collins fell in swampy ground beside the river, in the middle of a fierce ground battle. His body was unable to be retrieved for three weeks and, not able to be identified at the time, is buried in a grave in Froyennes cemetery marked “An Airman of the 1939-45 War RAF 21st May 1940. A Man Known only to God”. His 2nd Pilot, P/O Frank De Labouchere-Sparling RAF was also killed, thought to be the victim of ground fire as he parachuted down. Found near the wreckage on the opposite side of the Escaut river to Collins, he is buried in a different cemetery, at Kain. The other three crew members reached the ground safely but were immediately captured and made POWs.
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Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.