6398454 LCpl F J M HAZELDEN, 6th Bn King’s Own Scottish Borderers: Accidentally Killed 26/11/1944

Hello Members,

Lance Corporal Francis Joseph Mitchell Hazelden | War Casualty Details | CWGC

I was wondering if someone can help me. I am trying to research 6398454 LCpl Hazelden of the 6th Battalion King's Own Scottish Borders who was accidentally killed on 26th November 1944 together with four other members of the battalion. I've actually bought the battalion history by Captain JRP Baggaley MC, but this sheds no light onto how the five men were killed.
I was wondering if, perhaps, there is a mention in the war diary, if anyone has it. Grave photo, casualty report and Canada memorial book page attached, he was born in Canada.
Thanks very much to anyone who can help
Dave

 

War Diary here Microsoft Word - 6 KOSB - Nov 44 (15thscottishdivisionwardiaries.co.uk)

 

Thanks very much for the war diary. I'll keep it with his records.

 

Its not the most helpful unfortunately, maybe worth looking a bit around the date just in case

I think "Lion Rampant" is about 6th KOSB so had a quick look but no index (on the early print at least) and very few dates through the text so hard to check for an incident, but from a quick flick through nothing jumped out

 

Thanks for all your help. I did check till the end of the month in the war diary, nothing though. Quite surprising that nothing is written about the incident in the war diary, five men being killed in an accident was quite a significant event, you would have thought.

 

Dave,

Just a few thoughts. Accidents do happen, often when driving and of course handling dangerous items. There may have been a court of inquiry, which discovered errors before the accident and someone was held responsible. Add in the wartime context of the losses to the infantry in the NW Europe campaign from D-Day onwards, without looking the 6th KOSB could have suffered far more casualties.

It might be worth listing here the full details of all the deaths, as some sleuths here can search newspaper archives. Yes, I know they will be on the CWGC, it is helpful to give a starting point.

 

Thanks for advise,
I will list the other four men.
As far as the war diary goes, I agree that the battalion would have suffered many battle casualties, so five men killed in an accident was not that important. However, the month of November 1944 was quiet and quite mundane events are mentioned in the war diary. The entry for the day that they were killed reads:- Further working parties provided and remainder of "Pl in Attack" competition was carried out. This competition was won by Lt HASLAM's pl, B Coy. Weather fair

 

The four other men were :-
14214414 Pte A Burns
3193168 Pte S H Tait
6977579 Pte C W Tella
14212077 Pte A Wilson

 

Allan Burns, 21yrs, of Castle Douglas, Kirkcudbrightshire
Stephen Henry Hait, 26yrs, Son of Robert and Annie Tait, of Stakeford, Northumberland
Clifford Charles William Tella, 26yrs and no family details
Alexander Wilson, 29yrs, Son of Alexander and Catherine Wilson; husband of Elizabeth C. Wilson, of Leven. Fife.

Updates on these four above follow:

Note a Dutch website shows Tella came from Kent. From: Clifford Charles William Tella - Oorlogsslachtoffers | Gemeente Deurne

Google indicates Tella has a record on Ancestry (I do not use this).

The Dutch website for Burns shows he is on a memorial plaque at Rhonehouse Village Hall War Memorial; being the son of Francis Solley Burns and Marion Burns-McLaughlin and includes a scan of a letter he sent to his sister on 13/11/1943. From: Allan Burns - Oorlogsslachtoffers | Gemeente Deurne

The Hall is in Rhonehouse, Scotland DG7 1SA and this website has two photos of the meorial. See: Rhonehouse District WW2

Note on Tella's Grave Concentration Form it shows 'K/ACC' beside Hazeldene, Burns and Tella.

Nothing else found for Alexander Wilson.

Updates on three others:

The same website shows Hazelden came from Hadlow Down, near Brighton, Sussex. From: Francis Joseph Mitchell Hazelden - Oorlogsslachtoffers | Gemeente Deurne

This abbreviation is not shown beside two 6 KOSB's deaths that day:

George Walter Henry, 26yrs, Son of Walter Hume Henry and Helen Henry, of Galashiels, Selkirkshire.

On what could be a useful website and point of contact, with my emphasis:

From: The Scottish Military Research Group - Commemorations Project :: View topic - Galashiels and their home page is: www.scottishmilitaryresearch.co.uk

Frank Mervyn Meacham, 28yrs, and no family details. See: Private Clifford Charles William Tella | War Casualty Details | CWGC

However, a Dutch site shows he was born in Glamorgan and lived in Tetbury, Gloucestershire. From: Frank Mervyn Meacham - Oorlogsslachtoffers | Gemeente Deurne

His name is on the Tetbury War memorial, although he is shown as serving with the Royal Warwickshire Regiment. From: http://www.glosgen.co.uk/warmem/tetburywm.pdf

On a quick look there are people called Meacham in Tetbury, so may be a line of inquiry there?

Non-specific points

Could this accident involve seven men from the 6 KOSB. not the five you have identified? Are there more KOSB deaths in the days before and after 26/11/1944? Yes, two a week before and none before December began.

As expected:

From: World War Two – The King's Own Scottish Borderers

Their Museum @ Berwick upon Tweed offers a paid research service and I note they have copies of their regimental journal, which might just have a notice about this accident. See: Family Enquiries – The King's Own Scottish Borderers

 

Thanks very much for information and advise. There may have been more than five killed in the accident, the others may be listed on a separate casualty list. There were only five on the casualty list that I have.

 

I have updated Post 9 after two periods of research and will now step away.