Archive Report: Allied Forces

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09th November 1942 612 Squadron Whitley VII Z9376 F/O. Haeusler

Operation: Air sea rescue flight

Date: 09th November 1942 (Monday)

Unit: No. 612 Squadron (motto: Vigilando Custodimus - 'We stand guard by vigilance'). 18 Group. Coastal Command

Type: Whitley VII

Serial: Z9376

Code: WL-M

Base: RAF Wick, Caithness-shire, Scotland

Location: Nakkur, Suðuroy, Faroe Islands

Pilot: F/O. Harold John George Haeusler NZ/401272 RNZAF Age 24. Fataly injured

Pilot: Sgt. Ronald Robert Best 1386330 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

Obs: Sgt. Geoffrey Philip Turner Aus/406510 RAAF Age 33. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Fl/Sgt. Oliver Geoffrey Davies 972287 RAFVR Age 22. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Harry Mornington Williams RAFVR Age 34. Survived, injured

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Robert Williamson 958182 RAFVR Age ? Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

Taking off at 06:50 hrs to search for a Wellington from 179 squadron which had sent out a mayday call at around 18:15 hrs the previous night. The location was recorded as being approx 95 miles north west of the Shetland Isles.

Whilst flying through a front at 09:04 hrs. crashed into a hill at 1800 feet on the Faeroe Islands at Nakkur for of the crew were killed in the crash which happened as they seem to have flown off track due to magnetic disturbance in the area. tThe restricted visibility preventing the crew from seeing the hill in time.

Above: F/O. Harold Haeusler during training in New Zealand 1940 (courtesy Sonia Edwards and Bruce HAEUSLER)

Several shepherds were up the mountain to bring down their flock when they were confronted by Sgt. Williams two of them helped hum down to the army base at Tvøroyri whilst the remainder went to the crash site. They discovered the bodies of four airman and F/O. Haeusler who was seriously injured and carried him down the mountain to a small hospital in the village. Sadly he succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Villagers carried the bodies to the quay in coffins draped with Union Jacks, to be transported to the British army cemetery at Vágur. A large crowd of the local population gathered to watch the procession, moved by an overwhelming feeling of compassion as the tragedy of war came so closely into their lives.

Sgt. Williams recovered from his injuries but was grounded for the remainder of the war.

Above: As described (courtesy Erik Christensen)

179 squadron Wellington VII HX776 Crew:

P/O. Ronald Hollis Bramwell 130457, P/O. George Albert Hamman 130437, Sgt. Sydney Gibbs Brooking 1177608, Sgt. Ronald Durance Hustler 1104367, Sgt. Frank Ernest Kirby 1379419 and Sgt. Allan Ivan Mugford 1163981 - all the crew missing believed killed and commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

Burial details:

F/O. Harold John George Haeusler. Midvaag Military Cemetery. Grave 5. Born on the 02nd July 1918 at Whangarei. Worked as a warehouseman for John Chambers and Sons of Auckland prior to service. Enlisted on the 07th May 1940 at Levin.Pilots badge awarded on the 30th September 1940 and promoted to sergeant on the 22nd November 1940 after training with No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School and No. 2 Flying Training School. Embarked for England on the 05th December 1940. Commissioned on the 06th May 1942. Joined 612 squadron from No. 3 Operational Training Unit on the 14th July 1941. Son of Rudolph Hans Waikato Haeusler (died 20th April 1974) and Doris Mildred Haeusler (née Hart - died 29th June 1977), of Whangarei, Auckland, New Zealand. A total of 641 flying hours logged and on his 57th operational sortie. (see below for additional details)

Nieces Lynn Glen and Kerry Jones visited his grave in 2008. It was the first time any family members had been to the grave. Their parents had been to the islands in the 1970s but had to leave quickly when the weather turned bad, and they never actually got to the cemetery.

Sgt. Ronald Robert Best. Midvaag Military Cemetery. Grave 3. Son of Daisy Best, of Finsbury Park, Middlesex. Grave inscription: 'He Was Loved By All Who Knew Him. He Died As He Lived: A Man'.

Sgt. Geoffrey Philip Turner. Midvaag Military Cemetery. Grave 2. Born on the 14th January 1909 in Sutton Coldfield, England. Served for 4 years in the 44 battalion, Citizen Forces. An accountant and car salesman prior to enlisting on the 06th January 1941 in Perth. Embarked for England on the 16th October 1941. Embarked for Canada on the 12th November 1941. Joined 612 Squadron on the 17th March 1942 from (C) Operational Training Unit. Son of Frederick Thomas Turner and Edith Mary Turner and husband of Rena Turner, of Carlisle, Western Australia. Grave inscription: 'Greater Love Hath No Man Than This'.

Fl/Sgt. Oliver Geoffrey Davies. Midvaag Military Cemetery. Grave 4. Son of John Joseph and Kate Marion Davies, of Carmarthen, Wales. Grave inscription: 'Hearts That Loved Him Never Forget. Rest In Peace'.

Sgt. Robert Williamson. Midvaag Military Cemetery. Grave 1. No further details. Are you able to assist?

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this pilot with thanks to Sonia Edwards and to the extensive research by Errol Martyn and his publications: “For Your Tomorrow Vols. 1-3”, Auckland Library Heritage Collection, Weekly News of New Zealand, Valerie and Joan Williams for Sgt. Williams information, Erik Christensen for wreckage photo, other sources as quoted below:

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Special additional information on F/O. Harold John George Haeusler by Sonia Edwards researching all who lost their lives from the Bay Of Plenty area of New Zealand.

Harold John (Jack) George Haeusler (1918-1942) was the son of Rudolph Hans Waikato Haeusler (1892-1974) and Doris Mildred Haeusler née Hart (1895-1977) of Whakatane. Hans Haeusler’s family came from Switzerland in 1894. His father Dr Rudolph Haeusler (1858-1929) was an eminent geologist, who had been exploring the northern half of the North Island for the South Kensington Museum since 1883. He was a brilliant artist, painting much of the flora of New Zealand. He returned to Europe, but came back with his wife Emily Mary, (1863-1948) to live in New Zealand permanently in 1894. His son Hans had many of his father’s talents, and became a brilliant cartoonist, as well as a school teacher. Both he and his wife Doris taught at Opouriao and Ruatoki Schools. Hans Haeusler joined the Waikato Mounted Rifles and rose to the rank of Major. Hans was well known as an illustrator and entertainer. He was drafted into the Hauraki Regiment Camp at Te Aroha. Hans and Dorishad three sons: Jack, Tui and Gerry.

(Jack) Harold John George Haeusler was born at Whangarei 2 July 1918. He professed to be an Anglican. He had two brothers. Jack was working in Auckland with John Chambers & Sons engineering firm as a warehouseman, when he signed up to serve in World War Two. He had been head boy at Opotiki District High School, playing in both the First Rugby XV and Cricket XI. The Opotiki Patriotic Society presented Jack Haeusler with a money belt and £1 when he left, but later forwarded another £2/30/-.

NZ401272 Jack Haeusler was a pilot under training at Royal New Zealand Air Force base in Levin 7 May 1940. He attended the Elementary Flying Training School 3 June 1940, where he gained his Pilot’s Badge and was appointed Sergeant, in November 1940. In December that year, attached to the Royal Air Force, Jack Haeusler sailed for the United Kingdom aboard Aorangi. February 1941 found him at the School of General Reconnaissance. He undertook work in June at the Operational Training Unit, flying a medium bomber, Whitley.

14 July 1941 Sgt HJG Haeusler was attached to 612 Squadron, flying 57 operations there. He was Commissioned 6 May 1942, flying maritime reconnaissance operations under Coastal Command.

On 9 November 1942 Flying Officer Jack Haeusler was injured on an Air-Sea-Rescue operation when his aircraft flew into a hill in poor visibility. Flying with Coastal Command, the Whitley VII Z9376 took off at 0650 from Wick, Caithness-shire, searching for a missing 179 Squadron Wellington bomber. While flying through a front at 0904 the Whitley crashed into a hill at 1800 feet, on the Faroe Islands north of Denmark, at Nakkur. Four of the crew were killed in the crash, while the Captain, Jack Haeusler, died of his injuries the following day,10 November 1942. All five airmen are buried at Midvaag on the island of Vaago. The RAF Sgt Harry M Williams was the sole survivor of the accident. It was thought that the accident occurred when the aircraft veered off course, due to magnetic disturbance in the area. The restricted visibility prevented the crew from seeing the hill in time. NZ401272 Flying Officer Harold John George Haeusler was aged 24. He had flown 641 hours and was on his 57th air operation.

Haeusler’s family received a letter of sympathy from the Padre of the small garrison on Faroe Island in 1942. In June 1995, a commemorative service was held in the British Churchyard, with photographs taken on the occasion sent to the Haeusler family.

Archives on line WW2 People’s War held stories gathered by the BBC. 'Sole Survivor' was one of these. Harry M Williams was the RAF Observer and Air Gunner, a much older man than the rest of the crew of the 'M for Mother' Whitley VII Z9376. They left for the North Atlantic 9 November 1942, and he was in the rear turret when they crashed. He managed to crawl away from the wreckage and later had to identify his badly burned mates.

NZ401272 Flying Officer Jack Haeusler is remembered on the Whakatane War Memorial, on the Opotiki Cenotaph, on a plaque within the St John Union Church Opotiki and at Awakeri War Memorial Hall. His name is in the Hall of Memories at Auckland War Memorial Museum.

Sources: Images courtesy Bruce HAEUSLER Whakatane, Opotiki War Vigilance Association records p194

• Allied Losses & Incidents Database Z9376
  
• New Zealand Material
  
• Pages related to Coastal Command

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