The Art of Major Joseph C. Hazen, Jr.

Crossing the Atlantic on the troopship Aquitania.
The estate where 15th Army was billeted in England.
The estate where 15th Army was billeted in England.
The staging area in Southampton, England.
The Empire Javelin in which 15th Army Headquarters was being transported to France, she struck a mine on December 28, 1944 in the English Channel and sank.
The Empire Javelin about to go under.
Presumably one of the buildings where some of the men of the 15th Army were taken to after the sinking.
(Images courtesy of Bert R. Bratton, M.D.)
These sketched made by J. C. Hazen, Jr. depict the movements of 15th U.S. Army Headquarters from the time they crossed the Atlantic until they arrived in France in late 1944, including the sinking of the Empire Javelin. The sketches are part of the collection of Bert L. Bratton, a 15th Army soldier, and were given to MaritimeQuest by his son, Bert R. Bratton, M.D. It is assumed that Mr. Hazen was a member of the 15th Army, however we have no other information about him. If you have any information about Mr. Hazen please email the webmaster (michael@maritimequest.com).

We thank Dr. Bratton for taking the time to have these sketched scanned and for allowing MaritimeQuest to publish the collection.
Reply 1
Sept. 4, 2011

 I was in the Artillery Section of the 15th U.S. Army Headquarters with Major Joseph C. Hazen, Jr. We served together from England to our last station in Bad Nauheim, Germany. I still have 7 of the “prints” and they are personally signed by him. I seem to remember that some of the first reproductions were on German posters and the printer had used the reverse side. Are you in the business of selling prints? Not sure what info I saw when I was on the web originally. Went back to Normandy last fall and attempted to locate the ”pneumonia  palace” in Harfleur, but it has been torn down and no one I talked with remembered it.

Sincerely,
Ellis Titche
15th Army Artillery Section


Added Sept. 20, 2011

Joseph C. Hazen, Jr. Class of 1935

Published in the Princeton Alumni Weekly, July 7, 2010

Joe died May 13, 2005, in Essex Meadows, Conn.

Born in Janesville, Wis., and raised in Illinois and New Jersey, he came to Princeton from the Peddie School. At Princeton, Joe majored in architecture, ate at Cannon, and engaged in many activities, including Triangle, the Princeton Tiger, varsity swimming, and 150-pound crew. Senior year he roomed with Pete Keenan, Tony Rytina, and Johnny Sylvester.

Joe spent his entire career with Time Inc., retiring as general manager of Time-Life Books. He served on community planning boards in the New Jersey towns where he lived and also was a trustee of Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust. Retiring in 1972, he began a new career in residential architecture and art, with many one-man shows of his serigraphs throughout the Northeast.
During World War II, Joe served as an Army artillery officer in the United States and in the European theater, winning a Bronze Star. At his death he was our class secretary, having served earlier as president, and was a Reunions stalwart.

Joe's wife, Helen, died in 1981 after 43 years of marriage. Joe also was predeceased by his brother Burchard (“Beach”) '36. He is survived by a daughter, Libby; son Joseph III (“Jay”) '63; four grandchildren, including John Hazen '89; and five great-grandchildren.





Page published Dec. 19, 2010