NZ42446 Pilot Officer Raymond.G.C.Payne (MosquitoVI)

I have been reading some interesting info from a web site http://www.station131.co.uk and am trying to contact someone about the history of my Uncle’s flight that ended in his death in 1944 . He flew a Mosquito VI and perhaps was on a test flight when killed.

My Uncle NZ42446 Pilot Officer Raymond.G.C.Payne, for whom I am named Rae, was the pilot doing night flying ops out of Hunsdon when he crashed at Nuthampstead, killing both himself and his navigator ,F/O McMillan.on January 24 1944. He was a ‘pathfinder’ and as such flew at low level over territory that need photographing.

I have his log book and the final duty recorded is Jan 22 and 24 1944. Z F/O McMillan – N F T .10 Aircraft crashed Nuthhampste

22 Mosquito VI N F/O McMillan – N F T .30

24 Mosquito VI ad.

The news that the flight may have been a test flight for new fuel (nitrous oxide?!!) is something new to us. His sister, my mother, was his next of kin and was told that he must have suffered a blackout because he hated night flying and being confined in the cockpit with a canopy cover. He death really affected my mother as her other family had also died and they were extremely close. I know that many thousands of people were changed by the war but this is close to our family.
It would be great to hear any other news. My mother is still alive at the great age of 95.

Yours sincerley

Rae