Richard David “Danny” Hayes
Trooper · NZ #17526 · R1 Patrol
| Rank | Trooper |
|---|---|
| Service number | NZ #17526 |
| Patrol | R1 Patrol |
| Known as | “Danny” |
| POW / KIA | POW — 29 Dec 1942 |
| Record | https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C34952 |
What this roll records
A connection between two men of this roll. In 1943 his patrol commander, Captain Keith Ferguson “Paddy” McLauchlan MM, wrote to his mother telling her of the death of his own brother, Private Graham MacKenzie McLauchlan of 25 Battalion, killed in the Western Desert on 23 November 1941. The letter was kept by the Hayes family and is cited by the Auckland War Memorial Museum as a source. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Verified 27 Jul 2026 vs Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph. Rank Trooper; "Danny". POW from 29 Dec 1942 (ambush). Patrol R1 per Capt. McLauchlan correspondence on record. No DOB/DOD.
Captured in North Africa: R1 Patrol, 27 Dec 1942, Gheddahia–Bu Ngem track. date also annotated 28 Dec 1942. Source: "Names of LRDG NZ personnel captured in North African campaign" (per Brendan O’Carroll).
Prisoner-of-war camp: Stalag VIII-C (code 8C), POW No. 32148. Source: Germany & German-Occupied Territories Imperial POW Alphabetical List, Section 4 (N.Z.), 2NZEF. Transcription via Zenodo (DOI 10.5281/zenodo.3632116, CC BY 4.0).
North Africa — 27 Dec 1942, Gheddahia–Bu Ngem track: prisoner of war. R1 driver captured by a German ruse de guerre; wrote from Campo 75 on 23 Jan 1943. Source: TRACKS magazine (LRDG Association), Ian Chard, 'Not all were lucky — LRDG missing in North Africa', June 2023.
Captured 28/29 December 1942; POW at P.G. 85 Tuturano, P.G. 78 Sulmona (Italy) and Stalag VIII-C, Sagan; POW serial 3450. Barman in civilian life. Embarked/served with 2nd Divisional Cavalry Regiment. Known as Danny. Captured when his LRDG patrol was ambushed by German armoured cars on 29 December 1942 while he was the truck's gunner. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
One of the three New Zealanders in R1 patrol’s wireless truck captured when the patrol was ambushed by German armoured cars on the Gheddahia–Bu Ngem track, 27 December 1942. Source: ‘The Eighth Army Advance / Reconnaissance in Tunisia’, Episodes & Studies Vol. 1 (NZ official war history).
Barman in civilian life. Source: Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph.
Rank not found online. Where to look: (1) Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph (https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/search) - search surname, then match on this service number; the record shows rank as published in the 2NZEF Nominal Roll. (2) Archives NZ WWII personnel file (https://collections.archives.govt.nz) - definitive rank history, request required.
See him in the full roll →Where this comes from
- AKA added from the LRDG Preservation Society’s Troopers roll (missing information).
- Additional sources (AWMM Online Cenotaph). Nominal Roll 2NZEF No. 4 (Embarkations 1 Apr–30 Jun 1941), p.153. Unit history: Loughnan, R. (1963). Divisional Cavalry; Mason, W.W. (1954). Prisoners of war; McClymont, W. (1959). To Greece. External links: Germany imperial POW list, section 4 (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/3955186; Italy imperial POW list, section 4 (Zenodo): https://zenodo.org/records/4560909 Also cited: List of 2NZEF Prisoners of War 1941-1945, AWMM Library MS 2009/8; Information kindly provided by family (family-held 1943 letters).
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Not By Strength But By Guile