Hansell, Richard Neville Died

Back

Personal Information

Rank F/O
Forename(s) Richard Neville
Surname Hansell
Gender M
Age 22
Decorations DFC
Date of Death 26-08-1944
Next of Kin Son of William Neville Hansell and Barbara Annie Neville (née Bland). They married on 16 October 1920 in Shanghai, China.
HANSELL RN

Aircraft Information

Aircraft Avro Lancaster I
Serial Number LM172
Markings BH-Q

Memorial Information

Burial/Memorial Country Germany
Burial/Memorial Place Rheinberg War Cemetery
Grave Reference Coll. grave 18. A. 21-25.

IBCC Memorial Information

Map
Directions to panel 45
HANSELL RN

Location

Row -
Panel 45
Column -
Line -

Directions From the Chadwick Centre, take the central path towards The Spire.

Phase 1
Panel Number 45

Enlistment Information

Service Number 173340
Service Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Group 1
Squadron 300 (Masovian)
Squadron Motto We fight to rebuild
Trade Pilot
Country of Origin United Kingdom

Other Memorials

Location Faldingworth Airfield, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text In memory of the crew of Lancaster LM172 who were killed in action 25/26th August 1944
Location Faldingworth Airfield, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Stone and inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text A memorial to the members of 300 (Polish) Sqn who flew from RAF Faldingworth during WW2
Location All Saints Church, Faldingworth, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Stained Glass Window, Inscribed Metal Plaques & RoH
Memorial Text Stained Glass Window, Roll of Honour and memorial to the Polish airmen who flew from RAF Faldingworth during WW2
Location All Saints Church, Ingham, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Metal Plaque
Memorial Text In memory of 300 and 305 Polish Sqns which flew from RAF Ingham 1942-1945
Location Ingham Heritage Centre, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Metal Sculpture, Memorial Stones & Inscribed Metal Plaques
Memorial Text In memory of all who served at RAF Ingham, including Nos 300, 301, 304 and 305 Polish Sqns
Location St. Peter's Church, Norton Disney, Lincolnshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Wooden Plaque
Memorial Text In memory of the members of 300 and 301 Polish Sqns who flew from RAF Swinderby during WW2
Location Polish Air Force Memorial, A40 Rdbt, Northolt , Middlesex
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Memorial Stone and Inscribed Stone Tablets
Memorial Text A memorial to the Polish airmen who were killed during WW2, including Nos 300, 301, 304 and 305 Bomber Sqns
Location Bawtry Hall, Bawtry, South Yorkshire
Country United Kingdom
Memorial Type Inscribed Marble Tablet
Memorial Text In memory of those who did not return 1939 - 1945

Miscellaneous Information

Immediate DFC Citation, London Gazette: 22 September 1944: Pilot Officer Richard Neville HANSELL (173340), R.A.F.V.R., 300 Sqn. This officer has completed very many sorties. He is an extremely keen and excellent leader who has at all times displayed the greatest determination. One night in July, 1944, he was captain of a bomber detailed to attack Stuttgart. En-route, the aircraft was attacked by a fighter. Pilot Officer Hansell skilfully monoeuvred his aircraft and with a well directed burst of fire by the mid-upper gunner, the enemy was shot down in flames. A number of navigational aids were lost in the action but this officer determined to complete his mission, flew on to Stuttgart and bombed his objective successfully. On the return flight, the aircraft was again attacked by a fighter but displaying great presence of mind Pilot Officer Hansell evaded the attack and returned safely to base.
His father was a retired banker. He and his wife married on 16 October 1920 in Shanghai, China. Older Brother of Alice. Richard's Father was born and raised in and around Thirsk. He was a Lieutenant in the East Yorkshire Regiment in the Great War and a Reserve Officer at the outbreak of WW2. 106204 Lt. William Neville Hansell, who was in his fifties, served with the Royal Army Pay Corps during the conflict. The Hansell family travelled between the United Kingdom and China, where they lived for a time, during the 1920s, and their home in Scarborough, Yorkshire. By 1939 the Hansell family were living in North Road, Sherborne, Dorset.

The National Archives

Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1658/21
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/1658/21

Fellow Servicemen

Please note that this list gives all the losses aboard the quoted aircraft and occasionally these may have occurred on an earlier date when the aircraft was not itself lost. Please check the dates of death carefully.

Name Outcome
Hayden R J (F/S) Died
Letts J (Sgt) Died
Lowbridge H O (Sgt) Died
Peters P (F/S) Died
Slater W H (Sgt) Died
Taylor A N (F/S) Died

Last Operation Information

Start Date 25-08-1944
End Date 26-08-1944
Takeoff Station Faldingworth
Day/Night Raid Night (40% moon)
Operation Russelsheim
Reason for Aircraft Loss Crashed near the picturesque town of Landau, near Saarbrucken
Start new losses database search Back
 
 
 
 

Please Wait

Casualty Pack

IBCC is delighted to introduce a unique facility to link the Losses Database to the relevant RAF Casualty Pack on the National Archives website. This project is the result of on-going collaboration between IBCC, the MOD Records Office and National Archives, Kew. This document describes what Casualty Packs are, when they were created, the process of making them available to the public and then goes on to describe the process by which you can view the contents of the packs. Casualty Packs (CPs) were created by the RAF whenever there was serious injury or loss of life associated with operational activity within the RAF. This includes operational flying losses, enemy action due to air raids, road accidents either on station or even off-station if they involved RAF vehicles. Deaths due to natural causes in service or accidents that did not involve RAF vehicles did not generally give rise to a CP.

CPs were originally given a unique reference number by the RAF. Each begins with the letter ‘P’ and is followed by six digits, then an oblique (forward slash) and the finally the year in which the incident took place- for example P396154/42.

The CPs are in the process of being made available to the general public as they are passed from the MOD Records Office, Portsmouth to National Archives, Kew. This process requires some rework to the files which is very time consuming, so the process of making them all available to National Archives will take several years. They are being made available in increasing date order.

Once CPs arrive at National Archives they are assigned a unique AIR81 number, so each CP has both a P-number and an AIR81 number. Both are searchable on the National Archives website under ‘Search the catalogue’ and both are included on the IBCC website.

The AIR81 reference on the IBCC website is a link to the file on the National Archives website. When you click on it, the relevant page will open in a new tab on your browser.

There is currently no plan to digitise AIR81 files, partly because they are fragile and partly because the information they contain can at times be sensitive, even harrowing, since they may contain exhumation reports and even photographs of corpses. Family members wishing to read the AIR81 files relating to their ancestors are advised to exercise caution and be guided by National Archives warnings where appropriate.

There are two means for accessing AIR81 files- to attend in person or to order a copy by post.

To attend in person, the attendee should first create a Reader’s Ticket. This can be done online by following this link: https://secure.nationalarchives.gov.uk/login/yourdetails. Then click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and click Order in Advance. Enter your Reader’s Ticket number and state the date on which you intend to visit. National Archives will have the file ready for you when you arrive, saving you time. When you visit Kew, you must quote the Reader’s Ticket number and take along two forms of ID- one bearing your signature and one bearing your address. When you view the files, you are permitted to take photographs of each page, should you wish.

Alternatively, if you wish to order a copy by post, please be aware that there is a charge for this service based on the number of pages in the file. Click on the AIR81 reference on the IBCC website and then click Request a Copy. There is an £8.40 charge for National Archives staff to access the file and give you a quotation for the copying service. The process takes around 24 days to complete and can be expensive.

IBCC wishes to thank the staff at the MOD Records Office and National Archives for their engagement and assistance in making this facility available to our website users.