SEYMOUR, Hazel Winnifred
Age at Death: 29
Rank Sergeant
Unit Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division
Service Number W300861
Place of Burial St. James Cemetery, Toronto ON
Date of Birth 1912.10.25
Place of Birth Toronto ON
Enlistment December 18, 1941, Hamilton ON
Date of Death 1942.09.10
Daughter of Leonard C. Webb and Pearl Webb, of Toronto; wife of Ronald John Seymour, of Hamilton
Prior to enlistment, Hazel had worked for Bell Telephone for 12 years. For part of this time she supported her unemployed husband; they separated for four years, but later reunited. She was taken onto the RCAF as an accounting clerk. Her assessment described her as “Industrious and capable,” and later training evaluations stated, “Trade Proficiency: Excellent. Character Assessment: Very Good… One of the best on the course.” Nonetheless, she felt overwhelmed by her work and was admitted to hospital repeatedly with symptoms of depression.
On her second hospitalization a Dr. Baillie, who knew the family, made judgemental personal comments in his evaluation: “She was a spoiled child. Her marital life has been extremely difficult for many years, for which she was in part responsible… Patient herself married against her parents’ wishes and probably picking on the most undesirable individual in her neighbourhood.”
She was discharged at the end of August 1942, with the condition of seeking psychiatric care. The note stated, “Feels she has too much responsibility for her capabilities. Has marked feeling of inferiority.” Less than two weeks later, while in hospital for Convalescent Hysteria, she found three bottles of iodine, cresol, and carbolic acid, and drank their entire contents. After an hour’s efforts to revive her, she was declared dead. A commanding officer wrote to the Department of Defence that henceforth, “all cases known to be depressed” should either be placed in a psychiatric hospital or kept under strict observation.
