Carpe Diem - 576 Squadron RAF - The Crews

CREW MEMBER PROFILE
Surname:	HAZELL		First Name/s:	Vivian Benjamin "Viv"

Service No/s:	1377112 & 178031	Service:	RAFVR	Branch:	Flight Engineer

Awards:	Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM), Air Crew Europe Star, 1939 - 1945 Star, Defence Medal, 1939 - 1945 War Medal

Return

Date	Event	Aircraft Flown
SERVICE RECORDS
01 Aug 1940 01 Aug 1940	Enlisted at Euston, London at some point after 1 August 1940. TBC.
01 Jan 1943 01 Jan 1943	No. 4 School of Technical Training (SoTT), St Athan, Glamorgan, Wales; Flight Engineer training. Dates TBC.
31 Mar 1943 31 Mar 1943	Awarded Flight Engineer (FE) badge and promoted to Sergeant. Date TBC.
01 Apr 1943 01 Apr 1943	No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Lindholme, Yorkshire; Joined Syme crew. Exact date TBC	Lancaster
05 Jun 1943 05 Jun 1943	05 Jun 43 – No. 101 Squadron, ‘A’ Flight, Holme On Spalding Moor, Yorkshire Ops (28); D J F Syme (27) & A H Jeffries (1) crews 11 Jun 43 – Dusseldorf 12 Jun 43 – Bochum 16 Jun 43 – 101 Sqn moved to Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire 21 Jun 43 – Krefeld 22 Jun 43 – Mulheim 24 Jun 43 – Wuppertal; hit by flak; engine failure 25 Jun 43 – Gelsenkirchen 28 Jun 43 – Cologne 03 Jul 43 – Cologne 25 Jul 43 – Essen (Jeffries); abortive: engine overheat 29 Jul 43 – Hamburg 30 Jul 43 – Remscheid 02 Aug 43 – Hamburg; t’storms & icing: airspeed indicator and altimeter u/s 07 Aug 43 – Turin 09 Aug 43 – Mannheim 10 Aug 43 – Nuremburg; attacked by nightfighter; badly damaged 12 Aug 43 – Milan 15 Aug 43 – Milan 23 Aug 43 – Berlin 22 Sep 43 – Hannover 23 Sep 43 – Mannheim 27 Sep 43 – Hannover 04 Oct 43 – Frankfurt; rear turret u/s 08 Oct 43 – Hannover 20 Oct 43 – Leipzig 03 Nov 43 – Dusseldorf 02 Dec 43 – Berlin; abortive: reason n/k 03 Dec 43 – Leipzig 16 Dec 43 – Berlin; landed Lindholme	Lancaster
15 Feb 1944 15 Feb 1944	Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) Gazetted 15 Feb 1944, p794. Awarded as Sergeant on 101 Squadron DFM citation is NA Ref: AIR 2/8983 Recommendation on 12 Dec 43 reads: Sgt Hazell is a West Indian who has completed an operational tour with this squadron throughout which he has displayed a constant spirit of determination and a high standard of keeness and efficiency. He is a steady and reliable NCO whose 28 sorties have been carried out on a wide variety of targets with a cool courage and tenacity of purpose worthy of high praise. Sgt Hazell is the Flight Engineer of a crew whose results have always been outstandingly successful and this has been in no small measure due to his ability. By his cheerful confidence and devotion to duty, this NCO has set a splendid example to his comrades and it is recommended that his record of achievement be recognised by the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal. Station Commander Remarks: Sgt Hazell has displayed a highly praiseworthy courage and devotion to duty throughout his first operational tour. His efficiency and skill combined with his fearlessness in action have earned for him the respect and confidence of all members of his crew and, indeed, of the whole squadron. I regard his untiring ability and the commendable record of achievement as fully worthy of the reward by the award of the Distinguished Flying Medal.
01 Apr 1944 01 Apr 1944	Promoted to Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt). Date TBC.
09 Jun 1944 09 Jun 1944	Commissioned as Pilot Officer (Plt Off) on probation (emergency) from Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) (Gazetted 08 Aug 1944, p3667)
01 Dec 1944 01 Dec 1944	No. 1662 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Blyton, Lincolnshire – joins P Sleight crew, Date TBC.	Lancaster
09 Dec 1944 09 Dec 1944	Promoted to Flying Officer (Fg Off) (war substantive) (Gazetted 12 Jan 1945, p349)
01 Feb 1945 01 Feb 1945	No. 576 Squadron, 'B' Flight, Fiskerton, Linconshire	Lancaster
11 Mar 1945 11 Mar 1945	No. 101 Squadron, Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire (Lancaster) Ops (xx); P Sleight crew 15 Mar 45 – Misburg 18 Mar 45 – Hanau 21 Mar 45 – Bruchstrasse 23 Mar 45 – Bremen 27 Mar 45 – Paderborn 31 Mar 45 – Hamburg 14 Apr 45 – Potsdam 18 Apr 45 – Heligoland 22 Apr 45 – Bremen; MB abandoned attack 27 Apr 45 – Base-Brussels-Dunsfold-Base; Op EXODUS; load 24 POWs 01 May 45 – Rotterdam; Op MANNA 02 May 45 – The Hague; Op MANNA 03 May 45 – Rotterdam; Op MANNA 07 May 45 – Rotterdam; Op MANNA No further ops recorded.	Lancaster
01 Oct 1945 01 Oct 1945	No. 101 Squadron moves to Binbrook, Lincolnshire	Lancaster
01 Dec 1945 01 Dec 1945	No. 100 Personnel Dispatch Centre (PDC). Date TBC.
11 Jan 1946 11 Jan 1946	Repatriated on a Class ‘A’ Release
17 May 1946 17 May 1946	Commission resigned, retaining rank of Flying Officer (Fg Off) (Gazetted 21 May 1946, p2397)

Date	Aircraft	Code	Flight Details	T/O	Land	Flt Time	Crew
576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS
01 Mar 1945	JB410	UL-G²	MANNHEIM	1155	1830	6h35	P1 Flt Lt P. Sleight P2 FE Fg Off V.B. Hazell AB Plt Off B.G. Hathaway NAV Flt Lt S.G. Dyson WOp Fg Off J. Hatchard MUG Flt Sgt B.R. Phillips RG Flt Sgt F.H. Taylor
NOTES:	Built-up area Load: All aircraft: 1x 4000lb, 1770x 4lb incendiaries. Bombed at 16,000 feet. Different load given in logbook: 1 x 4000lb, 11 x 250lb.
02 Mar 1945	ME801	UL-N²	COLOGNE	0715	1220	5h05	P1 Flt Lt P. Sleight P2 FE Fg Off V.B. Hazell AB Plt Off B.G. Hathaway NAV Flt Lt S.G. Dyson WOp Fg Off J. Hatchard MUG Flt Sgt B.R. Phillips RG Flt Sgt F.H. Taylor
NOTES:	Roads to West of the Rhine leading to Hohenzollern Bridge. Load: All aircraft: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 10x 500lb, 2x 500lb, and 4x 250lb bombs. Bombed at 14,500ft.
03 Mar 1945	NG273	*UL-I²	Training	nk	nk	2h40	P1 Flt Lt P. Sleight P2 FE Fg Off V.B. Hazell AB Plt Off B.G. Hathaway NAV Flt Lt S.G. Dyson WOp Fg Off J. Hatchard MUG Flt Sgt B.R. Phillips RG Flt Sgt F.H. Taylor
NOTES:	'Y' cross country at 10,000ft
07 Mar 1945	ME492	UL-J²	DESSAU	1700	0235	9h35	P1 Flt Lt P. Sleight P2 FE Fg Off V.B. Hazell AB Plt Off B.G. Hathaway NAV Flt Lt S.G. Dyson WOp Fg Off J. Hatchard MUG Flt Sgt B.R. Phillips RG Flt Sgt F.H. Taylor
NOTES:	Built-up area Load: D, G, H, K, L, M, N, W, X, Z: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 1170x 4lb incendiaries All other aircraft: 1x 2000lb, 1650x 4lb incendiaries Bombed at 19,000ft.
08 Mar 1945	PD271	UL-T²	KASSEL	1715	0040	7h25	P1 Flt Lt P. Sleight P2 FE Fg Off V.B. Hazell AB Plt Off B.G. Hathaway NAV Flt Lt S.G. Dyson WOp Fg Off J. Hatchard MUG Flt Sgt B.R. Phillips RG Flt Sgt F.H. Taylor
NOTES:	Built-Up Area Load: All aircraft: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’ and 1470x 4lb incendiaries.

PERSONAL INFORMATION
Details
Vivian Benjamin 'Viv' Hazell was born on the 2nd August 1911 in Kingston, Jamaica, son of John Hazell and Cecilia Eliza Facey. His parents owned and ran a popular supermarket in Orange Street, Kingston. Little is known of Viv's early life but it is apparent he worked for the local newspaper, The Kingston Gleaner before travelling to England and enlisting in the RAF. On 4th August 1937 Viv married Ethlyn Agatha Nelson at the All Saints' Church in Kingston. Following the War, Viv stayed on in England, and from 1956 to 1962 he was employed by a printer just off Oxford Street, London, as a Linotype operator in the machine typesetting department. On 8th April 1972, Viv passed away at Charing Cross Hospital in London. He was just 60 years old. Viv was always fond of writing poetry, which he would often read to his fellow workers Hazell Family

PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS
Details
Viv Hazell Shortly After Enlistment, as AC2 Hazell Family
Viv Hazell Shortly After Commissioning Hazell Family
Jamaican Daily Gleaner, 09 September 1944 - News of Viv's Commission Hazell Family
Service and Release Book - Cover Hazell Family
Service and Release Book - Authorisation of Release Hazell Family
Service & Release Book - Clearance Certificate - 11 January 1946 Hazell Family
Viv Hazell's Distinguished Flying Medal Hazell Family
Viv Hazell - On the back is written, 'To Syd from Viv, Kingston, Jamaica, British West Indies, 30 April 1945 Hazell Family
Rugeley Times 08 July 1972 - Announcement of Viv's Passing Hazell Family