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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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1454 Flight Havoc I AW395 Sgt. Armanowski, RAF Charmy Down, Near Box, Wiltshire

Operation: Training / Ferry flight

Date: 26th January 1942 (Monday)

Unit: No. 1454 Flight RAF

Type: Douglas Havoc I

Serial: AW395

Base: RAF Charmy Down, Somerset.

Location: Near Box, Wiltshire

Pilot: Sgt. Józef Armanowski 781321 Polish Air Force Age 24. Killed

Obs: P/O. Lynn Frederick Hobbs 117146 RAFVR Age 19. Killed

Obs 2: F/O. Stanisław Gasak P-1264 Polish Air Force Age 26. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

During a ferry flight from RAF Station Colerne, Wiltshire to RAF Charmy Down, Somerset. The aircraft went into a spin and failed to recover. 

Aircraft corkscrewed to earth near Box, Wiltshire, whilst on a training flight, none of the crew survived.

Below: left - Bath Cemetery and right North Mymms Churchyard

            

Burial details:

Sgt. Józef Armanowski. Bath (Haycombe) Cemetery. Plot 51T. Section F. Grave 267. Born 7th July 1917, Poland. Next of Kin details currently unavailable.

P/O. Lynn Frederick Hobbs. North Mymms (St. Mary) Churchyard. Grave 221. Son of Frederick George and Rose Violet Hobbs, of Brookmans Park, England.

F/O. Stanisław Gasak. Bath (Haycombe) Cemetery. Plot 51V. Section F. Grave 266. Born 15th January 1916 Chelm, Poland. N.O.K details currently unavailable.. Next of Kin details currently unavailable.

Researched for relatives of the crew, some information supplied by Marek Lewcun. With thanks to Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945'. CWGC

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Acknowledgements
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Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and Captain François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Andrew Mielnik: Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Polish graves: https://niebieskaeskadra.pl/, PoW Museum Żagań, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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