One of the Hampdens, L6055 GX-D, carrying a torpedo was shot down by the ships' anti-aircraft fire. The crew were killed, with only the body of the pilot being found, washed up on shore some considerable time after. That man was my uncle.
Quite a moving story. We are all aware of the trials faced by our soldiers on the front lines....we don't always see the effects of a brave man's sacrifice on the home front.
I used to live in Langley, B.C. and was a member of the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation. We are very proud of the Hampden and it is the centre piece of the museum's collection, being only one of two Hampdens left. This particular Hampden was lost during a practice torpedo drop near Pat Bay on Vancouver Island. The Hampden had an aerodynamic flaw, if the aircraft was side slipped too much, the airflow over the elevator was blanked by the rudders. The portion of the rudders projecting below the fuselage was by necessity quite small so as to not contact the earth when landing. These two flaws created a condition whereby the aircraft would first yaw and then roll over onto it's back. Not a plane for ham-handed pilots! I couldn't imagine flying one in combat. Your uncle was a very brave man.
I'll email you some pics I have of the Hampden...I can never get them small enough to load onto MLU. Perhaps you can and share them with the rest. God bless! Derek