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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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1404 Meteorological Flight Hudson III V9111 Sgt. Mervyn Maurice Hazell

Operation: Weather data collection

Date: 04th July 1942 (Saturday)

Unit: No. 1404 Meteorological Flight

Type: Hudson III

Serial: V9111

Code: -

Base: RAF. St. Eval, Cornwall

Location: St. Eval, Cornwall

Pilot: Sgt. Mervyn Maurice Hazell 1384367 RAFVR Age 31. Killed

Obs: Sgt. Thomas Bertram Gardner Finlay R/75259 RCAF Age 25. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Arthur Frank Bolton 1177012 RAFVR Age 20. Killed

W/Op/Air/Gnr: Sgt. Leslie Wagstaffe 1310920 RAFVR Age 26. Killed

REASON FOR LOSS:

1404 Met Flight flew a single daily sortie every morning from St Eval to approximately 45N 13W at about 1800 ft; at that position the aircraft descended to sea-level to record the sea-level pressure before climbing to 18000 ft recording the temperature every 50 millibars (approximately every 1800 ft). From the top of the climb the aircraft returned to base.

Flew into the ground in bad visibility at St.Eval, Cornwall, at 14:35 hrs. killing all four crew members.

Above L-R: Sgt. Leslie Wagstaffe, Sgt. Mervyn Hazell, Sgt. Thomas Finlay and Sgt. Arthur Bolton

Burial details:

Sgt. Mervyn Maurice Hazell. St. Columb Major Cemetery. Grave 661. Son of Walter and Maud Hazell, husband of Ruth Mary Hazell, of Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England.

Sgt. Thomas Bertram Gardner Finlay. St. Columb Major Cemetery. Grave 1375. Born on the 28th November 1916 in Ontario, Canada. Enlisted on the 05th November 1940. Son of Robert Edward Finlay (died 29th January 1954, age 73) and Catherine Eva Finlay (née Gardner - died 1944, age 64), of 1016 Lorne Avenue, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Epitaph: 'He Died A Christian'.

Above and below - funeral for Sgt. Thomas Finlay


Sgt. Arthur Frank Bolton. Birmingham Cemetery, (Quinton). Grave 6355. FC. Son of Arthur (died 01st April 1951, age 61) and Ethel Bolton, (died 01st July 1978, age 91) of Quinton, Birmingham, England.

Sgt. Leslie Wagstaffe. Barkingside Cemetery, Ilford. Grave 2508.Son of George William Wagstaffe and of Annie Wagstaffe (nee Anderton), of Ilford, England, Epitaph: 'Thy Will Be Done'.

Researched and dedicated to the relatives of this crew with thanks to the National Archive.s Kew, Paradie RCAF Archives. RAF Commands Forum.. Government of Canada WW2 Service files.

KTY 04-07-2024

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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 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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