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Cenotaph record

Raymond Brown Hesselyn

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Flight Sergeant R B Hesselyn DFM - of Dunedin.

Flight Sergeant R B Hesselyn DFM - of Dunedin.

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Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Raymond Brown AWMM
  • Surname
    Hesselyn AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Hesslyn AWMM
  • Service number
    • WWII NZ404362 AWMM
    • WWII 404362 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    13 March 1921 AWMM Dunedin, Otago AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW2 Machinist/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
    • WW2
      Beauvais, France AWMM
      3 October 1943 AWMM
    • WW2 POW - Beauvais Hospital, Beauvais, France AWMM
      03 Oct 1943-29 October 1943 AWMM
    • WW2
      France, Europe AWMM
    • WW2 POW - Dulag Luft, Oberursel, Germany AWMM
      30 Oct 1943-6 November 1943 AWMM
    • WW2 POW - Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany AWMM
      11 Nov 1943-1 May 1945 AWMM
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
    • WW2 13 May 1945 AWMM Extracts from a letter from a senior RAF officer dated Jun 1945 note - “this officer was given the duties of Personnel officer in the camp and later Intelligence Officer. Both tasks were carried out in a most efficient and cheerful manner....As Intelligence Officer he took risks and laid himself open to facing serious enemy charges had he been detected in obtaining information vital for the well-being of the camp” AWMM
    • WW2 Extracts from his intelligence debriefing on return to England state - “I took off from Hornchurch in a Spitfire at 1610 hours on 3 Oct 1943, with my Wing, on bomber escort duties. Near Beauvais the Wing was attacked by enemy fighters. My section attacked and shot down two of them. My Section was about to attack another formation when we were attacked. My aircraft was set on fire and I baled out. I landed in a field near Beauvais about 1700 hours. I was captured at once and taken to Beauvais hospital as I was burned on the hands and face, Camps in which imprisoned - Beauvais hospital 3 to 29 Oct 1943; Dulag Luft 30 Oct to 6 Nov 1943; Stalag Luft I 11 Nov 1943 to 13 May 1945. On 22 Jan 1944 W/O R B Olliver and I escaped from Stalag Luft I. At about 1630 hours on that day we hid in the roof of the Camp theatre and remained there until about 1900 hours, when we crawled through a ventilator on to the roof. We crawled along the roof and dropped to the ground near the gate leading to an adjacent compound which was empty at that time. We avoided two patrolling sentries and climbed over the gate, which was half way between two sentry towers fitted with searchlights. We then walked south-west across country. I was wearing a civilian jacket, made in the camp from a blanket and RAF trousers. I had a camp-made cloth cap. W/O Olliver was wearing RAF battle-dress. We had maps, money and a compass, but no identity papers. We carried chocolate, biscuits, etc., in our pockets. About 0800 hours on 23 January, we arrived in the outskirts of Velgast. We hid in a small wood until 1200 hours. We then went towards the marshalling yard and were recaptured by four civilian policemen while attempting to enter it We were taken to a nearby house and at 1900 hours we were taken back to Stalag Luft I. We were sentenced to fourteen days in the cells on bread and water. I was liberated by Russian Forces at Barth on 1 May 1945. On 13 May I was sent by air to the UK.” AWMM
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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Death

About death

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  • Death
    14 November 1963 AWMM
    Age 42 AWMM
    England, United Kingdom AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Cancer of the stomach Public - Kelvin - Researcher - 8 August 2018 - http://www.aircrewremembered.com/hesselyn-raymond-brown.html
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
    Hillingdon and Uxbridge Cemetery Public - Kelvin - Researcher - 8 August 2018 - http://www.aircrewremembered.com/hesselyn-raymond-brown.html
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

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Leave a note

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  • A great New Zealand fighter pilot with many claims on enemy aircraft and little written about him. Highly decorated both during operational service and as a PoW. So very sad he died so young - Sir we salute you!
    Public - Kelvin - Researcher - 8 August 2018
    Report 

Sources

Sources

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Contributors

Command item
Command item
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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
18 May 2020Ian BanksTaumarunui New ZealandResearcher
08 August 2018KelvinNorfolk, EnglandResearcher
24 August 2017JeniferWairarapaResearcher

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