405 Long Range Patrol Squadron was a unit of the Royal Canadian Air Force that operated out of RAF Beaulieu from October 1942 to March 1943 under Coastal Command. They were tasked with anti-submarine patrols in the Bay of Biscay.
In the short time they flew from the New Forest, the squadron suffered multiple fatalities with more than forty men dying in action, many of whom were Canadian.
An accident in February 1943 would claim the lives of the whole crew of Halifax DT633. This is a short account of what happened that day, in memorial to the seven men who died.
RCAF 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron, Handley Page Halifax Mk II (DT633)
On February 21, 1943, at 0455 AM, Handley Page Halifax Mk II (DT633) took off from RAF Beaulieu with seven crew onboard. Just a couple of minutes later, she crashed into Stubbs Wood just a mile and half away from the airfield.
The Operations Record Book for 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron RCAF records what happened:
“Four a/c were detailed to carry out Anti-Submarine Patrol No. 92 which ended tragically for one of our a/c. Three a/c observed fishing vessels on patrol, but all returned to base safely having sighted nothing further to report. “O” Sgt. Hart crashed two minutes after take-off at 0455 hours, 1½ miles N.E. Beaulieu Aerodrome. This a/c took off and was seen to begin a 180 degree turn to take up course, when it was observed to dive down steeply and crash where it burst into flames with a series of explosions. There were no survivors, seven members of the crew being instantly killed. This crew was a “fresher” one and had only recently come to the Squadron in January 1943. There was no explanation for this fatal accident which was in good visibility and in fairly good flying weather. An inspector from Group made a careful examination of the scene of the crash and it would appear that the a/c went straight down, possibly due to a stall, although nothing definite can be determined. There was no apparent technical failure which might have caused the crash.”
The Accident Investigation Branch report (National Archives – AVIA 5/22, Precis W.1473) goes further. Here’s an excerpt from the report:
“The pilot was detailed to carry out an operational air sea patrol and this was his first night operational flight. The total weight of the aircraft was approximately 58,500 lbs, which included bombs and six depth charges. After some unexplained delay at the dispersal point and runway, the aircraft took off normally at 0455 hrs, made a turn to port through about 180 degrees and then crashed into a wood about 1½ miles from the airfield. An outbreak of fire occurred on impact, followed by the explosion of the bombs and depth charges which disintegrated the aircraft. The seven occupants were killed. Owing to the complete destruction of the aircraft practically no useful evidence was obtained by an examination of the wreckage.”
The crew of Halifax DT633
The airmen killed in the accident were:
Sergeant William John Hart (21) – pilot
Sergeant William John Hart was the English pilot of Halifax DT633. He served in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve with 405 (RCAF) Squadron, service number 1265973. CWGC records him as 21 years old, the son of William Francis and Agnes Alexandria Hart of Fleetwood.
Unlike the six other members of his crew, Hart was buried near home, in Fleetwood Borough Cemetery, Lancashire, Sec. J. Grave 234. His headstone inscription reads: “You made a stronghold of the sky.” It is a striking family tribute to a young pilot whose war ended only minutes after leaving the New Forest airfield.
Sergeant Roy Victor McLean (20) – flight engineer
Sergeant Roy Victor McLean served in the Royal Canadian Air Force as the flight engineer of DT633. His service number was R/79756, and Veterans Affairs Canada records him with 405 Squadron, RCAF. CASPIR gives his home as Bethune, Saskatchewan, and his year of birth as 1922.
McLean was buried at Boldre (St John) Churchyard, Row 3, Grave 3, close to the airfield from which he had taken off. His grave stands with five of his crew-mates in the churchyard at Boldre, a quiet local link between Saskatchewan and the New Forest.
Flight Sergeant Frank James O’Donohoe (28) – air gunner
Flight Sergeant Frank James O’Donohoe served in the RCAF with 405 Squadron as an air gunner. His service number was R/93372. Veterans Affairs Canada gives his age as 28 and records him as the son of John and Margaret A. O’Donohoe, of Islington, Ontario.
He is buried at Boldre (St John) Churchyard, Row 3, Grave 1. The local transcription records the inscription: “Eternal Rest… let perpetual light shine upon him. R.I.P.” That Catholic wording gives a small glimpse of the family voice behind the formal war-grave entry.
Sergeant Benjamin Frederick John Parker (22) – wireless operator and air gunner
Sergeant Benjamin Frederick John Parker served with the RCAF in 405 Squadron, service number R/101927. CASPIR gives his home as Fort Frances, Ontario, and lists him among the DT633 crew.
Parker lies in Boldre (St John) Churchyard, Row 3, Grave 6. His grave is one of the group of six DT633 burials at Boldre, close to the wartime airfield and to the crash site in Stubbs Wood. Veterans Affairs Canada also records memorial material for him connected with the Bomber Command Memorial Wall at Nanton, Alberta.
Flight Sergeant Ernest Harold Sellar (22) – navigator
Flight Sergeant Ernest Harold Sellar was the navigator of DT633. He served in the RCAF with 405 Squadron, service number R/101853. Veterans Affairs Canada records him as 22 years old, the son of Raymond and Sara Sellar of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
He is buried at Boldre (St John) Churchyard, Row 3, Grave 2. His headstone inscription is transcribed simply as: “Ever remembered, Ever loved.” Veterans Affairs Canada also notes that Sellar Lake in northern Manitoba was named in his honour, carrying his name far beyond the Hampshire churchyard where he rests.
Flying Officer Carl John Shagena (21) – bomb aimer
Flying Officer Carl John Shagena was an American serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force, attached to 405 Squadron. His service number was J/11948. American War Memorials Overseas identifies him with Michigan and gives Detroit as his home.
He is buried at Boldre (St John) Churchyard, Row 3, Grave 5. Veterans Affairs Canada records memorial material for him at the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, Alberta, and American War Memorials Overseas lists him among Americans commemorated overseas. His grave at Boldre marks the service of an American volunteer within a Canadian squadron on an RAF station in Hampshir
Sergeant Benjamin Warren Turner (21) – air gunner
Sergeant Benjamin Warren Turner served in the RCAF with 405 Squadron as an air gunner. His service number was R/109798. Veterans Affairs Canada records him as “Ben Warren Turner”, while CWGC gives Benjamin Warren Turner; CASPIR lists him as Benjamin Warren Jr Turner and gives his home as Anderson, Indiana, USA.
Turner is buried at Boldre (St John) Churchyard, Row 3, Grave 4, between other men of the same crew. His grave links Indiana with Boldre and the New Forest, and with the brief Coastal Command chapter of 405 Squadron’s wartime service from RAF Beaulieu.
Four of the men were Canadian, two Americans, and one Englishmen. All the crew, apart from one, are buried in St. Johns’ Churchyard, Boldre. This graveyard is close to the RAF Beaulieu airfield.
