Hartley, Charles Thomas
Personal Information
Rank | F/O |
Forename(s) | Charles Thomas |
Surname | Hartley |
Gender | M |
Age | 24 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 11-04-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Wesley Herbert and Emma Hartley, of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Husband of Billie Hartley. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax III |
Serial Number | LV880 |
Markings | MH-C |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | France |
Burial/Memorial Place | Davenescourt Communal Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Row 1. Grave 3. |
Epitaph | HE IS GONE BUT MEMORY LINGERS IN THE HEART THAT KNEW HIS SMILE |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 178 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | J/26313 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 4 |
Squadron | 51 |
Trade | Air Bomber |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | RAF Snaith Memorial Gardens, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Monument, Bench & Metal Plaques |
Memorial Text | In memory of the airmen of R.A.F. 51 Sqn. (687) and 150 Sqn. (205) between 1941 - 1945 |
Location | Village Hall, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque on external wall |
Memorial Text | 51 Sqn RAF Snaith Oct 1942 - Apr 1945 |
Location | St. John the Baptist Church, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Sqn Crest & Roll of Honour |
Memorial Text | 51 Sqn Roll of Honour |
Location | RAF Snaith Memorial Gardens, Pollington, East Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Marble Monument, Multiple Inscribed Metal Plaques, Propeller Unit |
Memorial Text | In memory of the 687 airmen of 51 Sqn, 4 Gp, Bomber Command who lost their lives flying Halifax bombers Mks 2 and 3 at RAF Snaith between October 1942 and April 1945 |
Location | Stn Church, RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Roll of Honour in Wooden Case |
Memorial Text | Roll of Honour of 51 Sqn |
Location | Grounds of Selby Abbey, Selby, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Memorial Stone |
Memorial Text | 51 Sqn RAF. In proud and undying memory of all ranks killed or missing 1939 - 1945 |
Miscellaneous Information
Survivors: F/O Fred G. KIRKWOOD RAAF, of Armidale, NSW, Australia, Navigator (evaded capture, returned to England); F/S M.J. (Fairy) FAIRCLOUGH RAAF, of Moora, Western Australia, Rear Gunner (POW, Stalag Luft 3, survived); Sergeant P.W . (Bill) HEGARTY, RAFVR,of Garsington, Oxford, England, Mid-Upper Gunner (POW, Stalag Luft 3, survived). |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Record of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/493/8 |
Summary of Events (Operational Record Book) AIR 27/493/7 |
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 10-04-1944 |
End Date | 11-04-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Snaith |
Day/Night Raid | Night (95% moon) |
Operation | Tergnier- to bomb railway yards. 157 Halifaxes and 10 PFF Mosquitoes. 10 Halifaxes were Lost Much damage was caused to the railway yards |
Reason for Loss | Shot down by a night-fighter, setting light to the port wing. The skipper tried to extinguish the flames by diving steeply but was unsuccessful and gave the order to bale out. Seconds after doing so the aircraft exploded and crashed at Davenescourt, France |