R.A.F. Sergeant Francis George Kinghan of Toomebridge, Co. Antrim died when his Bristol Blenheim came under attack off the coast of Norway on 25th June 1940.
Sergeant
535306
Sergeant Francis George Kinghan (535306) served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. He was the son of Samuel Joseph Kinghan and Sarah Kinghan (née Dillon) of Toomebridge, Co. Antrim.
Sergeant Kinghan died on 25th June 1940 aged 23 years old while serving in R.A.F. 254 Squadron. He was the Wireless Operator on Bristol Blenheim N3604 QY-R. The three-person crew took off from R.A.F. Sumburgh, Shetland Islands, Scotland at 1248hrs on 25th June 1940. On a “stab” operation between Bergen and Stavanger on the Norwegian coast, the Royal Air Force crew carried out an attack on a ship off the coast of Stavanger, Norway.
Reports suggest the Blenheim subsequently came under attack at 1425hrs from the Messerschmitt Me109 of Oberfeldwebel Jakob Arnoldy of 4/Jagdgeschwader (Herz As) 77, a fighter wing of the Luftwaffe. Kinghan’s Mark IV bomber came down close to Østhusvik and Rennesøy killing all those on board.
| Last Name | First Name(s) | Rank | Role | Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cory | Percival Gordon | Flight Sergeant | Pilot | R.A.F. 564105 |
| Campbell | David Ferguson Sharpe | Sergeant | Observer | R.A.F.V.R. 743031 |
| Kinghan | Francis George | Sergeant | Wireless Operator | R.A.F. 535306 |
Sergeant Kinghan’s grave is in British Plot, Row G, Grave 16 of Rossebo Var Frelsers Cemetery, Haugesund, Norway. His headstone bears the inscription:
O crucified Lord Jesus, have mercy on his soul. Mother, brothers, and sisters. R.I.P.