# Help with map coordinates



## trevor999 (Sep 23, 2011)

Greetings all

I am doing some family research. 3 of my relatives died on BOAC flight 777 that was shot down over the Bay of Biscay on 1 June 1943. The three in question were Rotha Hutcheon and her two daughters. The flight was shot down at 46.54N, 09.37W. Can anyone tell me where these coordinates are? GPS coordinates would be OK, but a description like 500 miles west of here and 200 miles north of there would be more helpful.

As a side question, can anyone give an explanation as to why a woman with 2 children would be on a flight from Lisbon during wartime? She was the wife of Alan Hutcheon (my ancestor) who was a staff officer (Captain) in the British Army. The whole idea seems fishy.

Thanks in advance for any help


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## pbfoot (Sep 23, 2011)

go to Bing maps or Google earth anf paste in coordinates it shows exactly dead centre of Bay of Biscay loking equidistant from france Spain Uk And Ireland


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Sep 23, 2011)

Trevor, if you have Google Earth, you can type in those co-ordinances and it will take you straight to it. It is a free download if you don't have it. 

Oooops, Neil beat me to it.


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## trevor999 (Sep 28, 2011)

Thanks again for the help!!


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## Njaco (Sep 28, 2011)

Wasn't Lisbon used for refugees escaping the war in Europe - somewhat like "Casablanca"?


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## pbfoot (Sep 28, 2011)

Looking at the coordinates on the map I'm curious as to whether its a generic point they used when aircraft went missing with no known cause . It seemed to be dead centre of Bay of Biscay


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## Njaco (Sep 29, 2011)

Good point Neil.

Interesting date. From.......

http://www.ww2aircraft.net/forum/ww2-general/day-war-europe-65-years-ago-6116-50.html

Britain lost an outstanding actor-director when Leslie Howard was lost presumed dead after the plane he was travelling in disappeared over the Bay of Biscay. The British airliner, a Douglas DC-3-194, msn 1590, owned by KLM (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij NV) but leased to British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) as G-AGBB, left Lisbon for Eire, and its last radio message was: "Enemy aircraft attacking us." He was shot down by a flight of Ju-88s.

Leslie Howard had been lecturing in Portugal and Spain on his films 'Pimpernel Smith' and 'The First of the Few'. As a result, 900 cinemas there were to show British films. He was 50 and universally popular. After playing Ashley Wilkes in 'Gone with the Wind' he returned to Britain, where he was the definitive Professor Higgins in the film of 'Pygmalion'. His other films include 'Of Human Bondage' and 'The Petrefied Forest'.

Although it came to be believed that the real target was Howard's manager, Alfred Chenhalls, who bore a passing resemblance to Winston Churchill, it now appeared certain that Howard was the actual target. Alerted to Howard's presence in the Iberian Peninsula by German agents, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels had ordered the plane shot down in order to silence the outspoken anti-Nazi actor.

Is this the flight you are refferring to?


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