William Hardaway Hatch (20, 19 July 1921 Wake County, North Carolina), a resident of 213 W. Jones St., Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, signed up for his World War II Draft Registration Card (Serial No. 1344, Order No.10,991) on 16 February 1942 in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina. He was employed by The Raleigh Times. William listed his mother, Mrs. W. H. Hatch, as the person who would always know his address. He was described as 5'9" in height, 125 lbs., with a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.
William H. Hatch (1921 North Carolina), a resident of Wake County, North Carolina, enlisted as a Private (S/N 34466193) in the U.S. Army on 05 December 1942 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was single with dependents, had completed Grammar school and was working as a photographer.
He was assigned to the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, U.S. Army and sent to Australia and on to New Guinea in May of 1944.
Private First Class William H. Hatch was a passenger on a U.S. troop carrier plane (a Douglas C-47A-DK Skytrain with S/N 42-92062) that took off from Cyclops Drome near Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea (now part of Indonesia) at 0547 hours on 01 October 1944 on a flight bound for Finschafen Airfield, Territory of New Guinea (now Papua, New Guinea). Although the weather conditions were clear, with occasional scattered thunderstorms, visibility was good, the plane failed to arrive at its destination. Nothing is known of what happened to it and no trace of the plane has ever been found. PFC Hatch (along with the 4 crew and 22 other passengers including 5 others from the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion) were listed as missing in action. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
Crew from the 70th Troop Carrier Squadron:
Pilot: 1st Lt. (posthumously promoted to Captain) Russell Andrew Morrison, (S/N 0-740880), De Leon, Texas.
Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Kenneth E. Wirth, (S/N 0-772242), Lincoln, Nebraska.
Aerial Engineer: TSgt. John F. Semmens, (S/N 12123113), Harrington Park, New Jersey.
Radio Operator: SSgt. Frank M. Staker, (S/N 39529923), Liberal, Kansas.
Passengers:
Lt. (jg) John Hartwell "Jack" Fezler, D-V (G), USNR (S/N 0-228365), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Oklahoma.
Aviation Chief Ordnanceman (AA) William Cecil Meadville, USNR (S/N 6048993), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Pennsylvania.
Colonel Oscar D. McNeely, (S/N O-7325), Headquarters, 25th Anti-aircraft Artillery Group, Oklahoma.
Captain (posthumously promoted to Major) Hal Sayre, III, (S/N O-355966), 821st Engineer Battalion, Aviation, Denver, Colorado.
Captain Boothe C. Haltom, (S/N O-366455), 146th Anti-aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment, Mississippi.
2nd Lt. (posthumously promoted to 1st Lt.) John R. Riisoe, (S/N O-2036215), Headquarters, Far East Air Force, Kansas.
2nd Lt. George D. Steel Jr., (S/N O2036224), Headquarters, Far East Air Service Command, Wyoming.
1st Lt. Harry E. Petersen, (S/N O1640812), 93rd Signal Battalion, Roosevelt, Minnesota.
1st Lt. William L. Pilgrim, (S/N O1289620), 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, South Carolina.
1st Lt. Claude "Alvin" Reese, Jr., (S/N O-1288619), 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.
Pfc. Paul E. Almon, (S/N 39197973), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Washington.
Pfc. Irvin H. Miller, (S/N 33489435), Battalion Headquarters Company, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Pennsylvania.
T/5 John L. Zajicek, S/N 37181290, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Mississippi.
Pvt. Francis J. Benson, (S/N 38363676), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Texas.
T/5 Alfred G. Daigneau, (S/N 15376994), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Ohio.
Pfc. William Hardaway Hatch, Jr. , (S/N 34466193), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Raleigh, North Carolina.
All U.S. Army crew and passengers were officially declared dead the day of the mission. The U.S. Navy passengers were officially declared dead on 02 October 1945, one year and one day after the plane went missing.
He also has a cenotaph in Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina.
William Hardaway Hatch (20, 19 July 1921 Wake County, North Carolina), a resident of 213 W. Jones St., Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina, signed up for his World War II Draft Registration Card (Serial No. 1344, Order No.10,991) on 16 February 1942 in Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina. He was employed by The Raleigh Times. William listed his mother, Mrs. W. H. Hatch, as the person who would always know his address. He was described as 5'9" in height, 125 lbs., with a ruddy complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.
William H. Hatch (1921 North Carolina), a resident of Wake County, North Carolina, enlisted as a Private (S/N 34466193) in the U.S. Army on 05 December 1942 at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was single with dependents, had completed Grammar school and was working as a photographer.
He was assigned to the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, U.S. Army and sent to Australia and on to New Guinea in May of 1944.
Private First Class William H. Hatch was a passenger on a U.S. troop carrier plane (a Douglas C-47A-DK Skytrain with S/N 42-92062) that took off from Cyclops Drome near Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea (now part of Indonesia) at 0547 hours on 01 October 1944 on a flight bound for Finschafen Airfield, Territory of New Guinea (now Papua, New Guinea). Although the weather conditions were clear, with occasional scattered thunderstorms, visibility was good, the plane failed to arrive at its destination. Nothing is known of what happened to it and no trace of the plane has ever been found. PFC Hatch (along with the 4 crew and 22 other passengers including 5 others from the 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion) were listed as missing in action. He is memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
Crew from the 70th Troop Carrier Squadron:
Pilot: 1st Lt. (posthumously promoted to Captain) Russell Andrew Morrison, (S/N 0-740880), De Leon, Texas.
Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Kenneth E. Wirth, (S/N 0-772242), Lincoln, Nebraska.
Aerial Engineer: TSgt. John F. Semmens, (S/N 12123113), Harrington Park, New Jersey.
Radio Operator: SSgt. Frank M. Staker, (S/N 39529923), Liberal, Kansas.
Passengers:
Lt. (jg) John Hartwell "Jack" Fezler, D-V (G), USNR (S/N 0-228365), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Oklahoma.
Aviation Chief Ordnanceman (AA) William Cecil Meadville, USNR (S/N 6048993), Mobile Explosives Investigation Unit One (MEIU #1), Navy 134, Pennsylvania.
Colonel Oscar D. McNeely, (S/N O-7325), Headquarters, 25th Anti-aircraft Artillery Group, Oklahoma.
Captain (posthumously promoted to Major) Hal Sayre, III, (S/N O-355966), 821st Engineer Battalion, Aviation, Denver, Colorado.
Captain Boothe C. Haltom, (S/N O-366455), 146th Anti-aircraft Artillery Operations Detachment, Mississippi.
2nd Lt. (posthumously promoted to 1st Lt.) John R. Riisoe, (S/N O-2036215), Headquarters, Far East Air Force, Kansas.
2nd Lt. George D. Steel Jr., (S/N O2036224), Headquarters, Far East Air Service Command, Wyoming.
1st Lt. Harry E. Petersen, (S/N O1640812), 93rd Signal Battalion, Roosevelt, Minnesota.
1st Lt. William L. Pilgrim, (S/N O1289620), 151st Infantry Regiment, 38th Infantry Division, South Carolina.
1st Lt. Claude "Alvin" Reese, Jr., (S/N O-1288619), 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division, Fort Worth, Texas.
Pfc. Paul E. Almon, (S/N 39197973), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Washington.
Pfc. Irvin H. Miller, (S/N 33489435), Battalion Headquarters Company, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Pennsylvania.
T/5 John L. Zajicek, S/N 37181290, 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Mississippi.
Pvt. Francis J. Benson, (S/N 38363676), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Texas.
T/5 Alfred G. Daigneau, (S/N 15376994), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Ohio.
Pfc. William Hardaway Hatch, Jr. , (S/N 34466193), 574th Signal Air Warning Battalion, Raleigh, North Carolina.
All U.S. Army crew and passengers were officially declared dead the day of the mission. The U.S. Navy passengers were officially declared dead on 02 October 1945, one year and one day after the plane went missing.
He also has a cenotaph in Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina.
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