Date: 24/25th November 1943 (Wednesday/Thursday)

Unit No: 40 Squadron, 236 Wing, Middle East Command

Type: Wellington X

Serial: HZ552

Code: BL:M

Base: Oudna One, North Africa

Location: Monte Molinatico, Italy

Pilot: Flt Sgt. Frederick Henry ‘Harry’ Haegi 659090 RAF Age 25. KiA

Nav: Fg Off. William Albert Eagles 136527 RAFVR Age 23. KiA

Bomb Aimer: Plt Off. James Cameron Harthill 139722 RAFVR Age 26. KiA (1)

WOp/Air Gnr: Flt Sgt. William Charles Andrews 410614 RAAF Age 24. KiA

Air Gnr (Rear): Sgt. Robert Stevenson Colvin 1691852 RAFVR Age 21. KiA

Above left to right: Flt Sgt. Frederick H. Haegi, (Courtesy Mark Haigh), Plt Off. James C. Harthill (Courtesy Kate Tame), Flt Sgt. William C. Andrews (Service record)

REASON FOR LOSS:

Took off at 16.53hrs to bomb a ball bearing factory in Turin, Italy. A total of 76 aircraft took part in the mission. The weather conditions were extremely poor with low cloud and very strong winds which hampered navigation.

This aircraft crashed 1,550 meters up on Monte Molinatico a mountain near the small towns of Pontremoli and Parma in North Italy.

This was not a successful raid with only 9 of the 76 aircraft reaching the target and with a huge loss of 17 aircraft. Apart from one Wellington which was shot down by Flak all of the other losses were attributed to the weather conditions of 10/10th cloud and severe icing.

(1) His brother Flt Sgt. John Cameron Harthill 951579 was KiA on the night of the 24th/25th February 1944 when his 51 Sqn Halifax III LV778 was lost on an operation to Schweinfurt, Germany (8 KiA).

Every year the people of Bratto hold a memorial service to the crew at the local church where the crew were originally buried. With the microphone is Professor Caterina Rapetti and it is belied that the lady on her left is one of the people who buried the crew in 1943. (Courtesy Paul Pini)

The pictures above are part of Wellington HZ552 which had been removed from the crash site shortly after the accident and had remained in a loft until 2013. The first two pictures are of the oxygen tank dated 1942 and the third picture is of the exhaust manifold. (Courtesy Paul Pini)

Burial details:

Left: The new cross of remembrance shown on the church wall in top photo's (Courtesy Professor Caterina Rapetti) Right: Staglieno Cemetery (Courtesy CWGC)

These airmen were initially buried by Eugenio Necchi Ghiri, Alberto Necchi Ghiri, Agostino Corsini and Marie and Cesare Schia all residents in Bratto in a comrades grave on 29th November 1943. A Catholic blessing was given by the Parson of Bratto - Don Antonio Scortini. All were re-interred on 6th February 1946 at Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa.

Flt Sgt. Frederick Henry Haegi. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa. Coll. grave III. A.12-15. Grave Inscription: “HIS DUTY DONE GOD CALLED HIM. IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR YOUNGEST SON. R.I.P.”. Born on the 16th September 1918 in Kennington, Kent. Son of Rudolph Edwin and Margaret Jane (née McCliment) Haegi of Colindale, Middlesex, England.

Fg Off. William Albert Eagles. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa. Coll. grave III. A.12-15. Grave Inscription: “SILENT THOUGHTS BRING MANY A TEAR FOR THE SON WE LOST AND LOVED SO DEAR”. Born on the 11th October 1920 in Lambeth, London. Son of William Henry and Edith Victoria (née Crick) Eagles of Walworth, London, England. Husband to Joan Constance (née Vye) Eagles.

Plt Off. James Cameron Harthill. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa. Coll. grave III. A.12-15. Born on the 21st May 1917 in Lossiemouth, Morayshire. Son of James Falconer and Bella Harthill of Lossiemouth, Morayshire, Scotland..

Flt Sgt. William Charles Andrews. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa. Coll. grave III. A.12-15. Grave Inscription: “... IN THIS EARTH A RICHER DUST CONCEALED”. Born on the 8th September 1919 in Brighton, Victoria. Son of Thomas Sydney and Violet Ellen Andrews of Hampton, Victoria, Australia.

Sgt. Robert Stevenson Colvin. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa. Coll. grave III. A.12-15. Grave Inscription: "HE WAS DYING FOR THE THINGS HE LOVED AND BY HIS DEATH THEY WOULD BE BLESSED ETERNALLY". Son of James and Crawford Colvin of Riddrie, Glasgow, Scotland.

Researched by Sandra Colley and Kate Tame and dedicated to the relatives of the crew, with thanks to Professor Caterina Rapetti, Culture Secretary for Pontremoli the region of the crash site. Also to Paul Pini, has a house in the next village (Braia) to the crash site and attended the ceremony at Bratto Church in 2010 where the cross was remounted. To Jill and husband Pat Housden, niece of Flt Sgt Andrews, Mark Haigh nephew of Flt Sgt. Haegi and to Marco, who has written a book (only in Italian at the moment), about various crash sites in the region with three pages dedicated to this crash. Thanks to Marco Cazzulo who sent us the grave photograph (Dec 2016). Reviewed, updated and corrected by Aircrew Remembered (Feb 2026).

Other sources listed below:

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