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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.
Further data available at Allied Losses & Incidents database
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No 35 Squadron
25/16.06.1942 No.35 Squadron Halifax Mk III W1105 TL-N F/O. May

Operation: Bremen, Germany

Date: 25/26th June 1942 (Thursday/Friday)

Unit: No. 35 Squadron

Type: Halifax Mk II

Serial: W1105

Code: TL-N

Base: RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Yorkshire

Location: Near Oldenburg, Germany

Pilot: F/O. Herbert Gordon Badger May 104520 RAFVR Age ? Killed

Fl/Eng: Fl/Sgt. Robert George Gumbley 156458 RAF Age 42. Killed

Nav: Sgt. S. J. Harding 655392 RAFVR Age ? PoW No. 24969. Camp. VIII/334

Air/Bmr: P/O. R. H. Birch 107920 RAFVR Age ? PoW No. 462. Camp. L3

W/Op/Air/Gnr: P/O. Stanley Frank Hazleton 128445 RAFVR Age ? Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Arthur John Selby 1177286 RAFVR Age 28. Killed

Air/Gnr: Sgt. Ronald Willis Fisher 1058488 RAFVR Age 23. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:
Halifax W1105 took off from RAF Linton-on-Ouse at 22:56 for a bombing raid on Bremen. The aircraft was hit by flak and crashed near Oldenburg. Five of the crew were killed and two taken as PoW.

Over 1,000 aircraft took part in this raid. Part of the force was to bomb specific targets - factories and shipyards. The rest were to attack the town and the docks. The total loss of aircraft for this raid was 48

A Halifax Mk III of No.35 Squadron. Aircrew of No.35 Squadron at a briefing before take off

Sage War Cemetery. Sgt. R. W. Fisher is remembered on the Greasbrough War Memorial (courtesy of Stephen Farnell)

Burial details:

F/O. Herbert Gordon Badger May. Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. Coll. Grave 1. C. 1-3. Son of George Herbert Charles Mays and Edith Rose Mays. At the time of his death his address was 170 Kingshall Road, Beckenham, Kent, England. Herbert had worked for North British and Mercantile Insurance Company and is remembered on the companies Roll of Honour

Fl/Sgt. Gumbley's headstone (courtesy of Mitchell Gumbley - grandson)

Fl/Sgt. Robert George Gumbley. Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. Coll. Grave 1.C. 1-3. Son of Charles Ernest and Alice Matilda Gumbley. Husband of Violet Alma Gumbley of Romford, Essex, England. Robert is remembered on the Romford War Memorial.

P/O. Stanley Frank Hazleton. Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. Grave Ref. 1.C.4. No further information as yet - are you able to assist?

Sgt. Arthur John Selby. Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. Coll. Grave 1.C. 1-3. Son of Charles and Florence Selby. Husband of Olive Rhoda Selby of Brechin, Angus. At the time of his death Arthur's address was 335 Franklands Village, Haywards Heath, Sussex, England.

Sgt. Ronald Willis Fisher. Sage War Cemetery, Oldenburg, Niedersachsen, Germany. Grave Ref. 1.C.5. Son of Lewis and Alice Fisher. Husband of Nancy Fisher of Rotherham, Yorkshire, England. Ronald is remembered on the Greasbrough War Memorial

Researched by Kate Tame Aircrew Remembered and for all the relatives and friends of the crew

Acknowledgements: With special thanks to sources as shown below.

Acknowledgements: 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 MWO 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', Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', 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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