Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 20
  1. #1

    Default Seeking Image Photographs & Info

    If anyone can help Seeking Image Photographs as well more information of long lost remembered Relative ( Sergeant Stanley Hamblett, RAF 563152, 504 Sqdn., age 27, 14/05/1940 )......

    Additional information required is we would like to know what was the name of the Ship / Boat he was on before it got Torpedoed or Bombed ?,....

    Type: Hawker Hurricane Mk I
    Serial number: N2492, TM-?
    Operation: ?
    Lost: between 10 and 14/05/1940, Vollezele, Belgium

    Sergeant Stanley Hamblett, RAF 563152, 504 Sqdn., age 27, 14/05/1940, missing
    Crashed on the hill called the Congoberg at Vollezele. Pilot baled out safely and was taken away by the British troops. Slightly wounded. Transported to the coast. The ship he boarded was torpedoed or bombed and the pilot who survived at Vollezele, met his end in the waves of the North Sea. (source: Hawker Hurricane N2492, The Belgian Aviation History Association)

    Vollezele, May 14, 1940 - November 4, 2001

    We only knew that in May 1940, a British fighter crashed on the hill called the Congoberg at Vollezele. An archaeological investigation was necessary to identify this particular case. BAHAAT was lucky, as during the first minutes when the crater was opened, an identification plate was found with the serial number N2492 on it. But we were confronted with a new mystery : although the villagers confirmed to us that the pilot baled out safely and was taken away by the British troops, the pilot of the N2492, Sgt Stanley Hamblett, is still reported missing. Finally, we were able to reconstruct this story. Stanley Hamblett was slightly wounded and taken back to the coast. He was one of those airmen who went missing during the Dunquerque operation. The ship he boarded was torpedoed or bombed and the pilot who survived at Vollezele, met his end in the waves of the North Sea.

    We were glad however that we could trace his relatives, who were relieved that at least they knew what happened to their beloved one.


    If anyone knows of this person or relative and would like to share any additional information as well photographs then please email myself on the details as shown thank you at ( greenfingers6530AThotmailDOTcom )
    Last edited by christanel; 30-09-2016 at 7:33 PM. Reason: email address disguised to deter spam

  2. #2
    Famous for offering help & advice peter nicholl's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Somerset
    Posts
    1,029

    Default

    It seems quite likely that the vessel in question was HMS Wivern. On 14 May 1940, she was hit by a 500lb bomb while evacuating British and Dutch service personnel from the Hook of Holland. She was not sunk, but nearly 30 of her crew were killed.
    Last edited by peter nicholl; 30-09-2016 at 5:23 PM. Reason: Date added
    Peter Nicholl
    Researching:Nicholl,Boater, Haselgrove & Vaughan

  3. #3

    Default

    Hi

    Thanks for this information that you gave to myself but are you sure that this is the vessel that my lost relative was on ? due to the fact that his resting place is not on land but at sea ,...aswell he was taken by British troops from " Vollezele "...and sailed through the North Sea where his life was ended with the rest of the crew on board.....

  4. #4

    Default

    I'm not convinced that it will be possible to be certain which boat he was on if he was part of the Dunkirk evacuation. Nobody was keeping notes of who got onto which boat, describing the situation as confused is an understatement. However, That evac happened more towards the end of the month, if I remember rightly...
    The best it may be possible to do is to build a time line (e.g. How long would it take to get a fugitive from the crash site to the coast under war conditions - no petrol, etc) and then see which ships were lost around then. I see that CWGC give his DOD as 14 May so I would check the newspapers and see whether they list ships being sunk on that day - either they knew which ship he was on or they were guessing.

  5. #5
    SueNSW
    Guest

    Default

    The Dunkirk evacuation didn't start until 27/28 May so he was not likely to have been involved in that.

    Peter's suggestion of HMS Wivern is certainly likely as it was the only British naval vessel to suffer casualties on 14 May - but as it was operating from Hook of Holland, that may have been a bit far for him to have been transferred to.

    Another possibility might have been HMS Valentine that was bombed with the loss of 31 crew and subsequently grounded in the River Scheldte on 15 May (possibly in the fog of war the date of death was a 'guestimate") - geographically closer to the point where his plane crashed

    Unfortunately, without specific evidence - it is going to be difficult to pin this down

    Cheers
    Sue

  6. #6
    SueNSW
    Guest

    Default

    Hmm - the Roll of Honour from RAF Halton has this against his name - with a date of death as 14th May 1940

    Pilot, 504 Squadron. Hawker Hurricane I N2492, TM- . On patrol, shot down in combat with Me 109s of III/JG26 between Mons and Ath at 17.40.

    Perhaps the Belgian information had become cloudy over time - maybe RAF records might reveal more

    Cheers
    Sue

  7. #7
    Knowledgeable and helpful
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    Parbold, Lancashire
    Posts
    822

    Default

    There is a Public Member Tree on Ancestry which features Stanley Hamblett, with a photograph.

    The information in the tree is sparse and I think some of it is suspect.

    This may be your tree, of course, but, if not, the tree owner might be able to help you further.

    Peter

  8. #8

    Default

    Wikipedia has lists of WW2 sipwrecks. May is HERE. It doesn't show any UK ships that went down off the Belgian/Dutch coast on 14 May. The closest are HMS Valentine off Zeeland on 15th and HMS Whitley off Ostend on 19th.

    I see 2 possibilities. Either he crashed on 14 May and then travelled to the coast for a later boat. Or he crashed earlier and the ship sinking was a day or two out....

    A bit of history - this is when the Netherlands was losing the battle to prevent invasion - if you look at the Wikipedia list, you'll see that 14 May was the day that any of the Dutch fleet that could not get away was scuttled. They would have wanted to get any escaping British airmen away fast, but I doubt whether anyone took the time to keep records.


    I have found a similar query on another forum. Since some of the wording is similar to your query here, I assume that you were the person who asked? There is some useful info, and all the sources are given:

    In #1 you give the serial number of Hamblett's plane as N2492. It seems that all of the Hurricanes whose crash date is certainly known to be on 14, 15 or later in May had different numbers. N2492's crash date is only given as between 10 and 14 May (which surprises me - the RAF usually knew when one of theirs went missing. Have you had a look at the sources given on the other site - the RAF Campaign Diary, for example.

    The Belgians say that he was removed by British troops. This could fit with the Dunkirk story if they sent him south after a crash between 10-14 May. Looking at a map of Belgium, Dunkirk would have been the most logical place to send him. Once there, if he wasn't badly wounded, he might not have had high priority for repatriation until the evacuation.

  9. #9
    Newcomer to Brit-Gen
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Staffordshire
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Good Afternoon. I am the granddaughter of Stan Hamblett. My late father being Michael John Hamblett. I am very keen to know any information about my grandfather and would welcome any info that you have. Particularly photographs

  10. #10
    Newcomer to Brit-Gen
    Join Date
    Nov 2021
    Location
    Cheshire
    Posts
    2

    Default

    Hello Katie. Stanley Hamblett was my Great Uncle, (my grandmother’s brother). Several of my family members came across his RAF records whilst searching for family history. A Belgium wartime history museum had a photo of his aircraft. My cousin obtained more photos, I have a copy of several of them. If we could exchange email addresses I could send them to you if you don’t already have them?
    Regards, Jan.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Select a file: