World War II Fallen: F-H

Hugo Farner was born in Sarnia on July 15, 1922, the son of Frank Charles (born in Dresdan, Germany) and Florence (nee Mitchell, born in Newcastle, England) Farner, of 412 Davis Street, later 106 McGibbon Street, Sarnia. Frank and Florence were married on February 25, 1914, at St. George’s Rectory in Sarnia. Frank supported his family working as a locomotive engineer with the Canadian National Railways. Hugo had two brothers: Richard Herbert, born 1914, who would serve with the Canadian Army overseas; and Vernon Charles, born 1918 (later moved to Cleveland, Ohio). When Hugo was three years old, he and his brother Vernon visited England with their mother. They returned via Liverpool to Quebec on board the passenger ship Megantic, arriving September 12, 1925.

Hugo attended Devine Street School from 1927 to 1937 and then Sarnia Collegiate from 1937 to 1940. During his time at Sarnia Collegiate, he was prominent in junior athletics. He won a medal for life saving, and the Jack Newton championship trophy for swimming. He was also on the junior rugby team and participated in football, baseball, and hockey. Besides engaging in athletics, he was part of the High School Cadets for two years and found time for stamp collecting, which was his main hobby. For a year after high school, 1940 to 1941, Hugo worked as an assembler at Electric Auto-Lite. Two events shaped Hugo’s life in 1941: he lost his mother Florence to cancer, and he joined Active Service.

On July 28, 1941, Hugo Farner, age 19, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The recruiting officer described Hugo as Clean cut, well built, bright, steady, intelligent, courteous, sincere… Is very anxious to fly. Should prove good Air Crew material. Hugo stood five feet eight inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, was single, and requested flying duties wanting to be a pilot.

On October 10, 1941, Hugo left #1 Manning Depot in Toronto for training at #6 Initial Training School (ITS) in Toronto. He continued his training at #3 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in London (Ontario); and then at #6 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Dunnville, Ontario.

Sixteen months after enlisting, on November 6, 1942, Hugo graduated and was awarded his Pilot’s Flying Badge in Dunnville, with the commission of Pilot Officer-Pilot. The following month, his brother Richard, who had enlisted in June 1942, embarked overseas arriving in Italy with the Canadian Signal Corps. Before Richard left for overseas however, he had an obligation to fulfill—be a witness at his brother’s wedding.

On November 7, 1942, the day after Hugo was awarded his Pilot’s Flying Badge, he married Betty Shirley Ash in Sarnia. Betty was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.F. Ash, of 355 ½ Maxwell Street, Sarnia. Witnesses to the marriage were Dorothy Ann McNeil and Hugo’s brother, Richard. The newlyweds enjoyed a two-week leave together before Hugo returned to service. In Sarnia, Betty resided at her parents’ Maxwell Street home for the time being.  

On November 25, 1942, Hugo attended #1 Flying Instructor School (FIS) in Trenton, where he flew Fleet and Moth aircraft and received his qualifications to be a flying instructor on January 7, 1943. In January 1943, he was made instructor at RCAF #2 Service Flying Training School (SFTS), Uplands, Ontario. Trainees at #2 SFTS Uplands attended the school for between 10 to 16 weeks with flying time varying from 75 to 100 hours. Potential pilots trained in single-engine North American Harvard and Yale advanced trainer aircraft with the goal of becoming fighter pilots. Training was dangerous and demanding in the crowded sky above the Ottawa Valley. Successful trainees graduated as sergeant pilot and received their Pilot’s Wings.

When Hugo was transferred to Ottawa, Betty joined her husband in late January 1943 where they resided in

Hogsback, near Ottawa. In late summer 1943, the young couple was expecting their first child. Then tragedy struck the father-to-be on home soil.

In the mid-afternoon of September 24, 1943, Pilot Officer-Pilot Hugo Farner was killed when his single-engine Harvard aircraft #3293, on which he was the instructor, crashed at approximately 14.20 hours during an instruction flight at St. Andrews, East Quebec. Mercifully, he was killed instantly, with injuries described as multiple fractures and third-degree burns. The weather at the time was ideal and the cause of the flying accident was recorded as obscure. Along with instructor Hugo Farner, Warrant Officer Alfred Edwin Frazer, a student pilot from Edmonton, Alberta, died in the crash.

In late September, Betty received the following letter at her residence in Hogsback from the Air Vice-Marshal, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff:

Dear Mrs. Farner:

            I have learned with deep regret of the death of your husband, Pilot Officer Hugo Oscar Farner, on Active Service on September 24th, and I wish to offer you my sincere and heartfelt sympathy.

            It is so unfortunate that a promising career should be thus terminated and I would like you to know that his loss is greatly deplored by all those with whom your husband was serving.

Hugo Farner was later officially recorded as Killed 24-Sept-43 as a result of a flying accident (at St. Andrews East Quebec).

Hugo Farner and another Sarnian, Leading Aircraftman-Pilot Leonard Meere (who had died September 23 in a crash in Western Canada, and is included in this Project), were buried barely a wingspan apart in Sarnia’s first double military funeral on September 28, 1943. Hundreds of relatives and friends attended both services, which drew thousands to the streets, around the churches, and along the walking routes to Lakeview Cemetery. Pallbearers, honorary pallbearers, and a firing party came from R.C.A.F. flying school at Centralia. The Sarnia Air Cadet No. 44 Squadron band played at both funerals and they also provided an escort party.

The service for both began at the Robb Funeral Home. The funeral for Hugo continued at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church with Rev. J.M. Macgillivray officiating, while Rev. F.G. Hardy led the service for Leonard Meere at St. George’s Anglican Church. Led by the firing party, the band and the escort party, the funeral corteges left their respective churches and marched slowly to the cemetery. At Lakeview, they again slow-marched to the gravesides, with the band playing the “Dead March in Saul”. After the ministers conducted graveside services, the firing party delivered three volleys, with the band playing “Abide With Me” between them. Two buglers who accompanied the firing party from Centralia then stepped to the end of the graves and sounded the “Last Post”. The pallbearers for both funerals were LACS L. Renaud, W. Cline, J. Young, R. McDermott, J. Smuk and R. Hill. Honoury pallbearers for Pilot Officer Farner were Flying Officers R.H. Fleming, M.A. L. Hicks, J.W. McGorman, D. Snelgrove, W.H. Dunbar and L.G. Polden.

Eight months after Hugo’s death, on May 13, 1944, Betty gave birth to their baby daughter, Connie Lea Farner. Connie never got to know her father. The following February, Betty, then living on Maxwell Street, received a War Service Gratuity of $165.00 for the loss of her husband.

Twenty-one-year-old Pilot Officer Hugo Farner is buried at the Sarnia (Lakeview) Cemetery, Sarnia, Ontario, Section E. Lot 137. On his headstone are inscribed the following words: THE LORD BLESS THEE AND KEEP THEE. BELOVED HUSBAND OF BETTY ASH.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

William Ferguson was born in Sarnia on November 28, 1915, the youngest son of William D. Ferguson (Sr.) and Anne Ferguson. William Sr. and Anne Ferguson were married on September 11, 1907, in Sarnia, and they had five children: three sons—William Lorne, Burton A., and Gordon W. (the latter two both later resided on London Road, Sarnia)—and two daughters: Lois A. and Ruby W. (later Mrs. C.R. Black of Washington, D.C.). The Ferguson family resided at 150 Watson Road and, to support his family, William Sr. was an executive of the Mac-Craft Corporation of Sarnia. He was also the former secretary-manager of the Sarnia Chamber of Commerce and the Blue Water Highway Association.

William Sr. and Anne were able to afford university educations for their children, and William Jr. made the most of it. After attending Sarnia Collegiate for six years, William studied at the University of Western. In 1939, he graduated with a four-year Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in business administration. He then joined the sales staff of the Hobbs Glass Manufacturing Limited in London, Ontario. He was later transferred to Toronto, where he worked as a salesman. While in Toronto, he served in the University of Toronto C.O.T.C. Non-Permanent Active Militia from October 1940 to February 1941, and from September 1941 to December 1941.

Twenty-six-year-old William Ferguson enlisted in the Royal Canadian Army on February 23, 1942, in Toronto. He stood five feet eight-and-three-quarter inches tall, had blue eyes and black hair, was single, and stated that his postwar ambition was to farm or to enter the field of accounting. He was residing at 107 St. George Street, Toronto. He became a member of the No. 2 Detachment, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC), serving as a clerk in Toronto until June 1, 1942, when he was transferred to National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ) in Ottawa. Only five days prior to his death, William was promoted to the rank of corporal.

In the late afternoon of Saturday July 18, 1942, William and other members of his unit had gone on a picnic party to the Hull, Quebec, resort at Fairy Lake. William had only been in the water a few moments when he sank from view and tragically drowned. The Medical Examiner reported that William Suffered a broken neck while diving from end of pier into river.

After the body was returned to Sarnia, more than 300 relatives and friends of the family attended the July 22, 1942 funeral at D.J. Robb’s Funeral Home.

In February 1946, William Sr. and Anne Ferguson on Watson Road in Sarnia received a War Service Gratuity of $30.00 for the loss of their son. They also received his awarded Canadian Volunteer Service War Medal 1939-45.

Twenty-six-year-old William Ferguson was buried on July 22 at the Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia, Section I. Lot 140. On his headstone are inscribed the words REST IN PEACE.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Melvin Fisher was born in Inwood, Brooke Township, on February 3, 1922, the eldest son of Archibald A. and Flora Fisher, of 118 Cameron Street, later 157 North Brock Street, Sarnia. Archibald (in Real Estate and Insurance, Lochiel Street) and Flora were married in Alvinston on April 7, 1920. Melvin moved to Sarnia with his family at the age of seven. Melvin had two brothers, Joseph and Keith, and one sister, Doris.

Melvin attended Lochiel Street Public School, completing grade six at age 15, and then spent two years in a special industrial class at Johnson Moriel Industrial College, 1937 to 1939. He attended both Sunday School and church at Central United Church and was active in softball, hockey, basketball, swimming, and bowling.

Prior to enlisting, Melvin was employed by Thomas Irwin as a carpenter’s helper from July 1939 to September 1940; then at Sarnia Auto-Wreckers from September 1940 to July 1941; and finally at Electric Auto-Lite Limited in Sarnia from July 1941 to March 1943, where he was a generator tester.

On April 10, 1942, Melvin married Bernice Evelyn Dorothy (nee Coulter) Fisher (of Port Elgin) in Sarnia. Melvin and Bernice had two daughters together: Patricia Ann (born January 18, 1943 at Sarnia General Hospital); and Shirley Dianne (born May 22, 1944 in Goderich – Melvin was in Italy at this time). The Fisher family lived for a time at 117 Collingwood Street in Sarnia. While Melvin was overseas, a pregnant Bernice and their one-year-old daughter, Patricia, lived with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Coulter, at 470 Maple Street in Goderich, Ontario.

Twenty-one-year-old Melvin Fisher enlisted in the Canadian Army on March 17, 1943, in London, Ontario. He stood five feet ten inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, was married, and was living on Collingwood Street at the time. His plan was to return to Electric Auto-Lite following the war. From #1 District Depot in London, Melvin received his army training at #12 Basic Training Centre in Chatham until mid-September 1943; then at A29 Canadian Infantry Training Centre (CITC) at Camp Ipperwash.

In mid-April 1943, Melvin’s brother Keith, made headlines in Sarnia for rescuing three men trapped in the debris of a collapsed and burning building. Keith was home in Sarnia on furlough from an East Coast station. He was visiting friends in Port Huron when an early morning fire broke out in the White Block, opposite the post office on Water Street in the business section. As the blaze grew worse, everyone in uniform, including state troopers, civilian defence volunteers, members of the U.S. coast guard, city police, and Keith Fisher, who was in uniform as a member of the R.C.N.V.R., were pressed into service. As the walls of the burning Webb Building collapsed, the second and ground floors were carried into the basement, trapping people inside. Keith led the way toward cries coming from beneath the debris, working to pull rubble aside, extricating three Michigan State Troopers trapped in the building, one of whom was unconscious as Keith carried him out. Aside from the property damage, the fire caused the death of one Michigan State trooper, three were critically injured, and 17 others were injured. Keith returned to Port Huron the next morning to see if there was any more work to be done, and to pick up his naval uniform which had been soaked through and was covered with plaster, dust, and grime. The three men that Keith rescued survived.

Melvin Fisher embarked overseas from Debert, Nova Scotia, bound for the United Kingdom on February 13, 1944. Bernice received word of her husband’s safe arrival in early March 1944. He was initially posted with the #3 Canadian Infantry Reinforcement Unit (CIRU), where he spent approximately one-and-a-half months continuing his training.

On March 27, 1944, Melvin travelled from the U.K. to the Italian Theatre, as a member of the Perth Regiment, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps (RCIC), part of the British 8th Army, in the Central Mediterranean Forces (the Perth Regiment had landed in Italy 4 ½ months earlier, on November 8, 1943). Bernice received a telegram from her husband in late April 1944, informing her of his safe arrival in Italy.

The Italian Campaign, the first sustained Canadian Army operation of the War, had begun with the invasion of Sicily on July 10, 1943. The fierce fighting on the mountainous island lasted more than four weeks, during which the Canadians advanced through difficult mountainous terrain against an ever-stiffening German resistance. By August 17, the Germans had evacuated the island to the Italian mainland.

In early September, Canadian and Allied forces invaded Italy. Though Italy surrendered shortly after, the occupying Germans made it clear their fight was not over. Liberating Italy would be a painstaking northward crawl, lasting 20 months, over a range of landscapes, through challenging weather, and against a series of well-protected defences held by some of the German army’s best troops.

As the Allies pushed through Italy, Melvin, as part of the Perth Regiment, fought in many key battles there, including at; Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Ceprano, the Gothic Line, Montecchio, Coriano and the Lamone Crossing. In a letter received by his parents in Sarnia not long before his death, he told them of his being on the front lines in Italy.

On December 20, 1944, only days before Christmas, Private Melvin Fisher was killed in action during a battle on the Lamone River in Italy. His remains were buried on December 21 at a location recorded on the Army Field Service Card as “5th Canadian Armoured Division CEM No. 11 Villanova sh 89/III NW MR 451420 Row A Grave 3”.

In late December 1944, Archibald and Flora in Sarnia received a telegram from the Department of National Defence informing them that their son PTE MELVIN KENNETH FISHER HAS BEEN KILLED IN ACTION IN ITALY. No further details were provided. Melvin was later officially recorded as Overseas casualty, killed in action, in the field (Italy).

Melvin Fisher left behind his wife, Bernice Evelyn, and daughters Patricia Ann and Shirley, who at the time of his death, were residing with Bernice’s mother on Maple Street in Goderich.

In early January 1945, a memorial was held at a morning service in Central United Church, Sarnia, to honour the memory of Private Melvin Fisher, killed in action in Italy in December 1944, along with Coder Joseph Griffith Bell, lost at sea in September 1943 (included in this Project). Both men were members of the congregation. The Rev. E.W. Jewitt extended the sympathy of all the congregation to the bereaved parents and voiced the hope for a just and enduring peace.

In mid-January 1945, Bernice in Goderich received the following letter from the Major-General, Adjutant-General:

Dear Mrs. Fisher:

            It was with deep regret that I learned of the death of your husband, A106345 Private Melvin Kenneth Fisher, who gave his life in the Service of his Country in the Mediterranean Theatre of War on the 20th day of December, 1944.

            From official information we have received, your husband was killed in action against the enemy. You may be assured that any additional information received will be communicated to you without delay.

            The Minister of National Defence and the Members of the Army Council have asked me to express to you and your family their sincere sympathy in your bereavement. We pay tribute to the sacrifice he so bravely made.

In mid-April 1945, Flora Fisher on Brock Street wrote the following letter to the Minister of National Defence:

Dear Sir:

            In answer to your letter of Jan. 11th, 1945 I would like to say that I have heard no particulars concerning my son’s death in Italy around Dec. 20th, 1944, and if you have any further word I would appreciate it very much if you would write and let me know. I would like to know how he was killed, where he was buried and any other particulars which you might have.

            I wrote the Captain of the Perth Regiment, of which my son was a member but that was two months ago but I have had no reply. I have had a letter from no one and I do not know any of the particulars except that he was killed in action. Please advise me if it would be possible to have his body removed to Canada after the war and what it would cost. I would like very much to hear from you.

In late April 1945, Flora received the following reply letter from the Colonel, Director of Records, for Adjutant-General:

Dear Mrs. Fisher:

            Further to Colonel Cameron’s letter of the 19th instant, I regret to inform you that the only information

received from Overseas advises that your son, A.106345 Private Melvin Kenneth Fisher, was killed in action against

the enemy in Italy on the 20th day of December, 1944.

            No further particulars are received in this Office concerning the actual circumstances surrounding the death of an officer or soldier reported killed in action. In this connection, it is a custom of the Service when a member of the Canadian Army dies Overseas, for a letter to be written, by or for the Officer Commanding the Unit in the Field, direct to the next-of-kin giving all available details.

            As your son’s official next-of-kin is his wife, Mrs. Bernice Fisher, such a letter would be despatched to her and I hope that she will advise you of the contents.

            According to information recently received from Canadian Military Headquarters, England, the remains of Private Fisher were buried on the 21st day of December, 1944, in grave 3, row A of a temporary military burial ground located at Villanova which is seven miles West-North-West of Ravenna, Italy.

            The grave will have been temporarily marked with a wooden cross for identification purposes and in due course the remains will be carefully exhumed and removed to a recognized military burial ground when the concentration of graves in the area takes place. It should be borne in mind, however, that for obvious reasons, it may be some considerable time before this can be carried out. Please accept my sincere and heart-felt sympathy for the irreparable loss you have suffered.

In June 1945, Bernice Fisher received a War Service Gratuity of $291.13 for the loss of her husband. In

August 1945, she received a letter from the Colonel, Director of Records, for Adjutant-General. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Madam:

Information has just been received from overseas that the remains of your husband, A106345 Private Melvin Kenneth Fisher, have been buried in grave 3, row A, plot 4, of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division Cemetery, Villanova, seven miles West of Ravenna, Italy. Marked map is enclosed. This is a recognized military burial ground and will receive care and maintenance in perpetuity.

The grave will have been marked with a temporary cross which will be replaced in due course by a permanent headstone suitably inscribed. While it cannot now be stated when this work of permanent commemoration will begin, before any action is taken you will be communicated with and an opportunity will be given you to submit a short personal inscription of your own choice for engraving on the headstone…

            In May 1946, Melvin’s sister, Doris Gunter of 129 James Street, Sarnia, wrote a letter to the Imperial War Graves Commission in Ottawa. She had become frustrated after reading an article that appeared in the London Free Press earlier that month concerning the cemetery where her brother was buried. Following is her letter:

Dear Sir;

In a letter to my mother of April 23, 1945 you instructed her that my brother Private M.K. Fisher #106345 was buried at Villanova near Revenna in Italy. You also advised her that the Cemetery where he was buried would be well taken care of. In an article which appeared in the London Free Press of May 2, 1946 there was a piece written by William Ross saying this cemetery was in terrible condition. The Cemetery being in some places under an inch of water and weeds growing all around. I think this is a disgrace to Canada. My Mother asked permission to bring his body to Canada, but was refused. I now ask permission to have his body taken out of that terrible hole and brought to Canada.

The Army Deputy-Minister, on behalf of the Imperial War Graves Commission, was quick to respond. Following is a portion of the letter Doris Gunter received from the Deputy Minister of the Army:

The press article you refer to in connection with the Villa Nova Cemetery at Ravenna has previously come to my attention. This matter has been referred to the Overseas authorities for careful investigation and if the situation described in this article does in fact exist, immediate action will be taken to see that this cemetery is properly maintained. May I assure you that the proper care and maintenance of the graves of deceased Army personnel is a matter of the utmost importance to this Department and every effort will be taken to ensure that this will be properly cared for.

Melvin Fisher left behind his parents, Archibald and Flora, his wife Bernice Evelyn, and their two daughters, Patricia Ann, age 23 months and Shirley Dianne, age 7 months. He also left behind his two brothers—Joseph, at home in Sarnia; and Keith, a Leading Seaman on active service with the RCN—and his sister Mrs. Doris Gunter of 322 Wellington Street, later 129 James Street, Sarnia.

Sometime before 1950, Bernice Fisher re-married, becoming Mrs. Bernice Evelyn D. Levi, living at 137 Collingwood Street, Sarnia. In February 1950, she wrote to the Director of War Service Records in Ottawa requesting Melvin’s war medals. In a portion of her letter she wrote I am enclosing this card to you in return of medals for which I feel I should receive on the behalf of his children & myself for which we hold memories very dear to us.

Twenty-two-year-old Melvin Fisher is buried in Villanova Canadian War Cemetery, Italy, Grave IV.A.3. On his headstone are inscribed the following words: IN LOVING MEMORY OF A BELOVED HUSBAND, WIFE EVELYN B. AND DAUGHTERS PATRICIA ANN AND SHIRLEY.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Gordon Fordyce was born in Sarnia on June 13, 1920, the youngest child of Gordon William Fordyce Sr. (born Mimico, Ontario) and Janet “Jennie” Wright (nee Marshall, born in Stenhousemuir, Scotland) Fordyce of 115 Proctor Street, Sarnia. Gordon Sr. and Janet had four children together: daughter Margaret Isobel (born 1913); and sons George Fordyce (born 1916), John Fordyce (born 1918), and Gordon Jr.

Gordon Fordyce Sr. worked as a railroad fireman to support his family. By the time Gordon Jr. enlisted, his parents had separated. At the time their son’s death, Jennie lived at 159 ½ North Front Street, Sarnia, and Gordon Sr. worked with C.P.R. Railway in Belleville and lived at the Morden Hotel on Front Street in Sarnia.

Gordon’s brother, George, also served in the war, initially as a member of the 26th Battery in Sarnia which went overseas in 1940. In September 1944, George, who was a bombardier serving with the Royal Canadian Artillery in France, sent his mother Janet three souvenirs from his travels. The souvenirs included a piece of paper money issued to Nazi troops when they occupied the Netherlands in 1940, which was dated October 1, 1938 (a year before the war began); a sample of propaganda which the Germans dropped in an attempt to induce the Allied soldiers to surrender (with purported excerpts from letters written home by British and American prisoners of war, telling of what fine treatment they received at the hands of the Nazis); and a “safe conduct pass” which was used by Germans who surrendered to the Allies.

Gordon Fordyce Jr. attended Johnston Memorial public school from 1926 to 1934 and then Sarnia Collegiate Institute from September 1934 to June 1938. At high school, he took courses in woodwork, machine shop, auto mechanics, and electricity. He was a member of the school cadets and was also active in sports, participating in swimming, softball, and basketball. After completing high school, he was unemployed for one year. He then found work at Howard and Mundy as a clerk from August 1939 to August 1940. Then he was employed as a service station attendant at Kingston Brothers Service Station on North Vidal Street. He worked there from September 1940 until August 1941 when he enlisted.

Twenty-one-year-old Gordon Fordyce enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in London, Ontario, on August 12, 1941. He stood five feet eight-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, and was single. He lived at 309 Maxwell Street in Sarnia at the time. He requested flying duties as an observer. At his enlistment, the recruiter recorded that Gordon was a Fine, stable, type of boy. Knows what he wants and goes after it. Should make excellent Pilot or Observer. Keen to fly… a hard worker.

From London, Gordon was sent to #4 Manning Depot in Valcartier, Quebec. He received his initial air training at #13 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in St. Hubert, Quebec, before moving to #3 Initial Training School (ITS) in Victoriaville, Quebec. His training continued at #4 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Windsor Mills, Quebec; he completed his final session at #11 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.

In late August 1942, as a student pilot at Yorkton, Gordon experienced a crash landing. It happened around midnight when, while landing his Crane aircraft at Sturdee Runway, the landing gear collapsed which caused the aircraft to come down hard. The propeller and wing were damaged, but he was uninjured in the crash. On September 11, 1942, he was awarded his Pilot’s Flying Badge in Yorkton.

Gordon embarked overseas from Halifax on October 27, 1942, bound for the United Kingdom. Initially posted to #3 Personnel Reception Centre, he continued his overseas training at #18 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit (AFU); then at #30 Operational Training Unit (OTU); and then at #1662 Conversion Unit. On June 10, 1943, he was a member of #12 Squadron, and four months later, on October 17, he was transferred to #156 Squadron, part of Bomber Command, with the rank of Warrant Officer Class II-Pilot.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel.

The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

Beginning in mid-June 1943, Gordon went on to fly 24 operational sorties with RAF Bomber Command: 21 with the #12 RAF Squadron based at RAF Wickenby, Lincolnshire; and three sorties with #156 RAF Pathfinder Force based at RAF Warboys, Cambridgeshire at the time. No. 156 Squadron was a bomber squadron that became one of the four founding members of the Pathfinder Force, No. 8 Group. It served with No. 8 Group from August 1942 until the end of the war. Operating with Vickers Wellington bombers, the squadron converted to Avro Lancasters in January 1943.

As a member of #156 Squadron, Gordon and his crew were part of the prestigious Pathfinder Force. The Pathfinder Force was made up of experienced, hand-picked crews from bomber squadrons with elite navigational abilities. These aerial rangers, equipped with the latest target-finding technologies were the spearhead of the bomber stream, arriving first over the target, and tasked with dropping coloured flares to pinpoint and highlight the area to be bombed by the follow-on force.

As part of RAF #156 Squadron “We Light the Way”, Pathfinder Force, Warrant Officer Class II-Pilot Gordon Fordyce’s Lancaster Bomber crew members included Sergeants Lawrence J. Collins (N), Albert Edward

Egan (WAG), R. Harris (BA), George Johnson (F/E), Ronald Horace Hodges (AG) and James Steel Minogue (AG, of Cumberland, Ontario). This 7-man crew, as part of #12 Squadron, and of #156 Squadron, participated in raids targeting cities such as Modane in France; Genoa and Milan in Italy; and Cologne, Hamburg, Nurenburg, Hanover, Munich, and Berlin, in Germany. These raids dropped both bombs and “nickels” (propaganda leaflets).

Beginning in mid-November 1943, and lasting until March 1944, the Battle of Berlin was the British air bombing campaign on Berlin (and other German cities).

On the night of November 23, 1943, a total of 383 aircraft including 365 Lancasters, ten Halifaxes and eight Mosquitos, left England targeting Berlin. Gordon Fordyce and his crew aboard #156 Squadron, Lancaster Mark III aircraft JB293 (markings GT-) took off from RAF Warboys as part of the 383 aircraft that night. The bomber stream used the same route as the previous night and the Germans had predicted Berlin as the target, so they had gathered their night-fighters in the target area. The target was obscured by clouds, but the Pathfinders arrived on time and marked the target accurately. Also helping the bombers mark their targets through the clouds was the glow of major fires still burning from the previous night when 764 aircraft attacked the city, the heaviest bombardment against Berlin to date. On this night, the time over the target was 7:58 – 8:15 p.m., and of the 1,377 tons of bombs that were dropped, 734 were high explosives and 643 were incendiaries. Though the raid was classified as a success, 20 RAF aircraft were lost, all Lancasters, including Gordon Fordyce’s Lancaster bomber.

On its return from bombing Berlin, Lancaster JB293 crashed into High Acre House, near Manor Farm, Harpley, Norfolk, England. A local lorry driver/home guard sergeant heard the crash and rushed to the scene only 200 yards away. He entered the burning building and broke the plane’s cabin with bricks and rescued an airman trapped in the burning nose, another stuck under the wing, the rear-gunner trapped in the broken tail and a

fourth member who had been flung from the plane. Three of the seven Lancaster crew members died in the crash.

Gordon Fordyce was dead on the scene—his body had multiple injuries and was badly burned. His body was identified by his identity discs. Along with RCAF Flight-Sergeant Gordon Fordyce, also killed were Sgt. Ronald Horace Hodges, mid-upper gunner, (RAF); and Sgt. George Johnson, flight engineer, (RAF). Surviving the crash were Sgts. L.J. Collins, R. Harris, A.E. Egan (RAF), and James Steel Minogue (RCAF).

Gordon Fordyce’s remains were buried on November 29, 1943, in R.A.F. Regional Cemetery in Cambridge.

In late November 1943, Janet Fordyce in Sarnia received a telegram from Ottawa informing her that her son GORDON WILLIAM FORDYCE HAS BEEN REPORTED KILLED ON TUESDAY NOVEMBER 23 WHILE ON ACTIVE SERVICE OVERSEAS AND FURTHER INFORMATION WILL BE FORWARDED WHEN RECEIVED.No further details of the action that cost the life of her son were given.

On November 30th, 1943, Janet received a cable informing her that her son FLIGHT-SERGEANT GORDON WILLIAM FORDYCE KILLED IN ACTION WITH THE RCAF ON ACTIVE DUTY ON NOVEMBER 23 WAS BURIED AT CAMBRIDGE ENGLAND YESTERDAY AFTERNOON (NOV 29) AT TWO O’CLOCK.

Gordon Fordyce was later officially recorded as Killed during air operations, overseas (England).

In late March 1945, Janet received a War Service Gratuity of $382.94 for the loss of her son. In April 1945, she received a photograph of the grave of her son who was buried in the Royal Air Force plot at Cambridge Borough Cemetery, Cambridge, England. The photograph and details of the plot were sent by R.A.F. Flt. Lieut. J.F. Flynn, Regional Burials Officer in England. Officer Flynn explained that the plot was a gift from the Borough of Cambridge to the Royal Air Force, which now contained many airmen of all ranks from all parts of the Dominion, together with French, Belgian, and Polish comrades. In the photograph, Gordon’s grave was marked with a wooden cross, which was later replaced by a stone memorial after the war. There was also a wreath there, which was a tribute to him by his friends.

Officer Flynn explained that the area was is in the care of the Imperial War Graves Commission, which was responsible for its maintenance for all time. He also provided this information: The principal architect to the Imperial War Graves Commission was here some months ago and he showed me the design for the final layout of the plot. I can assure you it will be very beautiful. The Royal Air Force desires to help the families of those lads who rest so far from their homeland and we are always ready to give whatever information we can.

Gordon’s three siblings at the time of his death were Mrs. Kenneth Buxton (Margaret) in Sarnia; John Fordyce in Sarnia; and Sergeant George Fordyce who was serving overseas.

Twenty-three-year-old Gordon Fordyce, who had been overseas only one year prior to his death, is buried in Cambridge City Cemetery, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, Grave 14518. Gordon’s service awards included the 1939-45 Star, Europe Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and the C.V.S.M.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Charles Foster was born in Sarnia on August 14, 1916, the son of Cecil Horatio (employed at Imperial Oil Limited, Sarnia) and Matilda Isabella Maude Blanche (nee Bartlett, born in Blackwell, Ontario) Foster, of 221 North Mackenzie Street, Sarnia. Charles attended Central United Sunday School, later becoming an active member of the church where he served as an usher. He would also be a carrier for the Canadian Observer in Sarnia for a time.

Charles received his education at George Street (high school entrance) from 1928 to 1929 and then at Sarnia Collegiate Technical from September 1929 to November 1934 where he specialized in drafting. Beginning in 1930, he was a signaller with the Lambton Regiment until 1934 when the regiment disbanded. He was also active in such sports as golf, softball, swimming, and hockey. His hobby was the construction of glider planes with some of his pals, known as the “Pee Wee Glider Club.”

After completing high school, Charles was employed at Walker Brothers Retail Department store on Mitton Street in Sarnia, as a stock manager and sales clerk from 1935 to 1940. In a reference letter written on behalf of Charles by his boss at Walker Brothers, J.A. McKean wrote this about Charles: His work was completely satisfactory. His thoroughness, honesty, and ingenuity enabled him to do his work with a minimum of supervision. His ability to mix well with others and his willingness to co-operate brought him the high esteem of his fellow workmen. Charles later left Walker Brothers to work at Galt Aircraft School as an airframe mechanic. 

On August 28, 1940, Charles Foster enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in Hamilton. The 24-year-old stood five feet eleven-and-a-half inches tall, had blue eyes and blonde hair, and was single. He recorded his current address as 89 Glenmorris Street, Galt, Ontario, and his permanent address as 221 N. MacKenzie Street, Sarnia. He requested ground duties as an airframe mechanic.

From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, Charles received his initial training in Trenton, and then at #3 Bombing and Gunnery School in MacDonald, Manitoba. In mid-November 1941, Charles spent a 10-day furlough at his home in Sarnia with his family and friends. Not long after returning to his unit, on Christmas Day, December 25, 1941, he embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom.

Initially posted to #3 Personnel Reception Centre, on January 22, 1942, Charles became a member of RCAF #406 Squadron. In September 1942, he attended #4 School of Technical Training (S of TT) in St. Athan, South Wales. On January 9, 1943, he was posted with #1659 Conversion Unit, serving there for almost two months. On February 27, 1943, he became a member of RCAF #419 Moose Squadron “Moosa Aswayita” (written in Cree, not Latin, meaning “beware the moose-a ferocious fighter”), part of Bomber Command. By then, he had attained the rank of Sergeant Flight-Engineer.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

RCAF #419 Squadron was formed at RAF Mildenhall, England, in December 1941, and was named after its first commanding officer, Wing Commander John “Moose” Fulton. The unit moved to various bases throughout the war, including Leeming, Topcliffe, Croft, and Middleton St. George. Initially operating Wellington bombers, in November 1942, the squadron converted to Handley Page Halifax bombers and in March 1944 to Avro Lancasters.

On the night of March 28, 1943, 323 aircraft (179 Wellingtons, 52 Halifaxes, 50 Lancasters, 35 Stirlings and 7 Mosquitos) set off from bases in England to bomb the German submarine base at St. Nazaire, France. As part of this mission, Charles Foster was part of a crew aboard Halifax II Bomber BB283 (markings VR-O), that took off from their base at RAF Middleton St. George. This was this particular crew’s first operation together and Charles’ first flight operation.

As the planes headed across the English Channel, the weather conditions were reasonably good with 4/10 to 6/10 cloud cover at 18,000 feet over the target. Crews reported the German flak was intensive, but mainly inaccurate; however, the German ground searchlights were able to spot Halifax Bomber BB283 and successfully “coned” it in the lights. Despite the aircraft’s twisting and turning, it could not escape the lights and was hit by heavy German anti-aircraft fire.

Halifax Bomber BB283 went down near Escoublac-La-Baule in the yard of a steel factory, Trignac Ironworks. Perishing with Sergeant-Flight Engineer Charles Foster were FSs Gerald McGrath, Roderick Murray McLeod, Robert Francis Beckett; Sgt. Joseph John Goldspink; and Sgts. Dennis Ansley (RAF) and William James Stonard Boyd (RAF).

Overall, the operation was considered successful in scoring 18 direct hits, but the aircraft caused minimal

damage, failing to penetrate six meters of reinforced concrete that shielded the submarines.

In mid-April 1943, Cecil and Matilda Foster on MacKenzie Street in Sarnia received a telegram from Ottawa signed by the R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer informing them that their son, Charles, who had been previously reported missing, was now believed to have been killed in the course of a raid on a Nazi submarine base.

Charles Foster was later officially recorded as Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas. In August 1945, Cecil and Matilda received a War Service Gratuity of $430.91 for the loss of their son.

Twenty-six-year-old Sergeant Flight Engineer Charles Foster is buried in Escoublac-La-Baule War Cemetery, Loire-Atlantique, France, Grave 2.G.2. On his headstone are inscribed the following words: IN THE GARDEN OF MEMORY WE MEET EVERY DAY. HIS SPIRIT IS ETERNAL.

In May 2000, Farrell McCarthy of Miramichi, New Brunswick, travelled to the small town of Trignac, in France for the unveiling of a monument. That monument is located at the exact location where Halifax Bomber BB283 was brought down on March 28, 1943. It is dedicated to the memory of the crew members who lost their lives in that crash, along with the crew of an RAF Lancaster lost on the same mission.

Farrell McCarthy’s uncle was Gerald McGrath, a crew mate of Sarnian Charles Foster, and one of the seven members from RCAF #419 Halifax Bomber BB283. The ceremony was especially touching for the McGrath family because for 56 years the family had thought that the plane had crashed into the English Channel. It was only when members of the Memoire et Savoir Nazairien Committee had contacted them, that they learned that Gerald McGrath had a grave in France. At the age of 92, Gerald McGrath’s sister learned for the first time that her brother had a grave near Saint Nazaire, France.

Members of this committee had also contacted the City of Sarnia/Mayor Bradley in 1996 requesting assistance in locating family members, and information on Charles Foster, one of the seven “heroes”, as they called them, who helped drive the Germans out of France and free the world from Nazism. Following is a portion of a letter received by Mayor Bradley from the Memoire et Savoir Committee:

In order to honor and perpetuate the memory of those men’s sacrifice and also that of the crew of another plane, a Lancaster, lost in the seas on the way back from that mission, in the same night and after a request for both our Associations, the Trignac Town Corporation has decided to have a monument erected on the very place of the dramatic crash.

The monument was to be unveiled on May 8, 2000, with a great official ceremony. Invited to participate were members of the victims’ families and those who helped the village in their quest to identify the airmen. Jack Western, of the Sarnia Bomber Command Association, was able to provide the committee with information on Charles Foster.

When Gerald McGrath’s family went to France, they learned further details of that fateful night of March 28, 1943. When the Halifax Bomber came down in the steel factory yard, many eyewitnesses saw the bodies. The following are portions of three of those eyewitness accounts:

Mrs. Lamballe: That evening, as soon as they saw the plane fall from the sky, my father, Francois LeFeuvre and our neighbor, Desire Dubois, immediately set out saying, ‘It came down in the factory.’ They went through the ‘Trignac Door’ – my father had the key – taking the shortest route. They were the first on the scene of the crash. They told us they saw three dead Canadians, with a cage containing two live carrier pigeons. Their first thoughts were to free the pigeons, but German soldiers arrived and prevented them from doing so. They had to step back as the German soldiers were armed. 

Raymond Gandon: I left work at 7 a.m. on 29th March, and on passing in front of the company Serrurerie Nazairienne, I saw the cockpit of a plane. When I got closer, I saw the pilot sitting in his seat with his hands on the controls. He was a handsome, blonde man. He must have been fairly tall, and what particularly marked my attention was the fineness of his hands. At four or five meters from him were two other crew members. One on his back, and the other laid on his side. They were both tall and strong, and were wearing smart leather jackets. Near to these men was a cage on the ground which contained live pigeons. I intended to liberate the birds, but when I heard the sound of the boots of the German soldiers arriving, I was afraid for my own safety.

Yves Thoby: At that time, I was employed by the locksmiths Noel in Trignac doing maintenance work in the factory. After a horrific night’s bombing, I went at 7:30 a.m. to the factory. At the base of the water tower, on the railway line, I saw an air crew member lied out, face to the ground. He was warmly dressed in a white roll neck sweater. However, he had neither shoes nor jacket. These had no doubt been stolen. A German soldier was standing at his side. A bit further to the left, in the iron ore pit, I saw the body of the aircraft with three members, a cage with two dead pigeons, and a wing of the plane on a conveyor belt. I saw this tragic sight very briefly as the German soldiers quickly pushed away all civilian presence.

On May 8, 2000, more than 3,000 French citizens from the local area of Trignac turned out for the unveiling

of the monument to honour the 14 Canadian and British airmen who lost their lives on the night of March 28, 1943. A 70-member children’s choir stood beside the monument and sang songs in English and French. Yves Thoby, the president of the “Memoire et Savoir Nazairiens Committee” stated that We saw the Halifax fall to bits in the factory grounds; and above all, we saw the crew members – all of them dead. They appeared to us as tall, handsome, strong, young men, as we described in the memorial book. Twenty years old is far too young to die… Tell them (Canadians) that the French people have not forgotten such sacrifices. It is when times are difficult that you can come to know your friends. In our scanty shelters, during the bombing raids, and frightened out of our lives, we never doubted… We kneel with respect in front of such heroes.

Shortly after the speeches, the flags of Canada, Britain, and France, that covered the monument, were removed to show a large stone monument with metal plaques honouring the names of 14 airmen: seven from RCAF #419 Halifax Bomber BB283; and seven from RAF #97 Lancaster Bomber 754. The monument is on the site where the Halifax Bomber crashed. In the background can be seen the concrete remains of the vacant steel factory. There are two other metal plaques on the monument below those with the names of the fallen airmen. One plaque has inscribed in French (translated): Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The other plaque has inscribed in French (translated): Honour to these men who gave their life to liberate the soil of France from the Nazi yoke. Trignac May 8, 2000.

After the Trignac monument was unveiled, family members of the fallen were taken to Escoublac-La-Baule War Cemetery, 13 km west of St. Nazaire, and for some, they were able to see the graves of their loved ones for the first time. At the graveyard, family members met a local French woman of 85 who showed them pictures of the graveyard taken soon after the burial of many of the men during the war. With money collected secretly from the generous local people, she provided a cross for every grave, had hedges planted, and employed a permanent gardener to tend to the cemetery. She had dedicated all her time and energy to maintain the graves. Later, the graveyard came under the control of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The seven airmen of Halifax Bomber BB283, including Charles Foster of Sarnia, are buried side by side.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

John (Jack) Fowlie was born in Collingwood, Ontario, on May 3, 1920, the only son of Melville Mackay (a watchmaker) and Margaret Rose (nee Mackintosh) Fowlie. Melville (born in Erin, Wellington County, Ontario) and Margaret (born in Collingwood, Ontario) were married in Toronto on January 1, 1918.

Sadly, Margaret passed away on May 4, 1920, the day after a difficult childbirth delivering John. From the age six on, John was raised by his father Melville and his second wife, Catharine Clark (nee Ferguson). Melville and Catharine Fowlie had two children together of their own: Janet Catharine (born 1931) and Donald MacKay Fowlie (born 1933). The Fowlies resided in Collingwood until 1930 when they moved to Elm Grove, West Virginia. Around 1936, the family moved to Sarnia and resided at 144 South Forsyth Street. They then opened Fowlie’s Fine English China, Pottery and Crystal, a retail store located on Front and Cromwell Streets.

In his everyday life, John Fowlie went by the name Jack. Jack attended King George Public School in Collingwood (1924-1932); then Elmgrove Junior High in Elmgrove, West Virginia (1932-1934), and Appleby High School in Oakville (1934-1937). He attended Sarnia Collegiate in Sarnia in 1937 and graduated a year later. Jack was an active teen. He played a variety of sports: basketball, badminton, football, hockey, soccer, softball, and cricket. He was also a member of the debate team and found time to enjoy his hobbies of reading and stamp collecting. Jack was a member of the Odd Fellows and St. Andrew’s Ushers Club, and in July and August from 1937 through to 1939, he worked as a farm labourer in Kerwood, Sarnia, Forest, and Warwick.

In 1938-1939, Jack attended London Normal School, acquiring his Interim Teacher’s Certificate. His dream was to teach at a high school. He was part way toward his dream before enlisting—he was a teacher in a one-room rural Sarnia Public schoolhouse at Bickford, on the Moore and Sombra town line from September 1939 to June 1940. Teaching all the grades, from one through eight, and living with the Nichols family while there, he earned between $700-$800 a year. In July 1939 and August 1940, he attended University of Western Ontario where he took summer general arts courses. From August 1940 to September 1941, he worked as a farm labourer again, for John Day in Watford, until he enlisted. In volunteering to serve his country, Jack Fowlie put his dream of teaching on hold.

On September 13, 1941, Jack enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in London, Ontario. The 21-year-old stood five feet ten inches tall, had blue eyes and brown hair, and was single. He lived on Forsyth Street with his family at the time. He wanted to continue his education after the war, with the goal of teaching in mind. Jack requested flying duties, and his interviewing officer wrote the following about him: Likes Mathematics and prefers to be an Observer. Keen to serve. Alert, stable. Should make good Observer.

From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, Jack received training at #6 Initial Training School (ITS) in Toronto; at #6 Air Observer School (AOS) in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan; at #5 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Dafoe, Saskatchewan; and later at #1 Central Navigation School (CNS) in Rivers, Manitoba. His initial training was in single-engine, two-seater planes such as Anson and Battle aircraft, where he first learned to fly and then to drop bombs accurately.

Jack Fowlie was awarded his Air Observers Badge on September 5, 1942, where he was recommended for commission as an officer. That same month, Jack visited his parents in Sarnia, before leaving for a posting at #1 General Reconnaissance School (GRS) in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. On February 2, 1943, Jack embarked overseas bound for the United Kingdom.

From #3 Personnel Reception Centre (PRC), Jack continued his training in Hudson and Wellington twin-engine bombers at various postings: #5 Operational Training Unit (OTU); #6 Operational Training Unit (OTU); #407 Squadron; #9 Advanced Flying Unit (AFU); and #22 Operational Training Unit (OTU). In February 1945, Jack became a member of RAF #1664 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), part of Bomber Command, with the rank of flight lieutenant-bomb aimer.

RCAF #1664 HCU, formed at RAF Croft in May 1943, was designed to train Canadian crews on the Handley Page Halifax. It moved to RAF Dishforth in April 1944. The unit received some Avro Lancasters from November 1944 and had the Canadian name “Caribou”.

With the introduction of new heavy bombers, the four-engine Stirling, Lancaster and Halifax, the Royal Air Force introduced heavy conversion units (HCU) in late 1941 to qualify crews trained on medium bombers to operate the heavy bombers before final posting to operational squadrons. Along with training recruits, some of the heavy conversion units (HCUs) carried out roles that included planting mines, patrolling for submarines, and bombing operations.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war. There was no easy way to learn how to fly the heavy bombers, and training crews suffered a litany of disasters, crashes and deaths. By the end of the war, Bomber Command lost over 8,000 Allied airmen who were killed in training or by accidents alone.

Jack had trained for just over one month as a member of RAF #1664 Heavy Conversion when tragedy struck. On the evening of March 15/16, 1945, Fowlie’s RCAF Halifax III aircraft MZ481 took off at 19:10 hours from the RAF Base at Dishforth, Yorkshire, on a night cross-country and bombing training exercise. The aircraft was bound for a base near Sheffield, England. At some point during the flight, the aircraft crashed into the North Sea.

At 03:30 hours, a search began for the aircraft, but no trace could be found. The crew had not transmitted any message indicating that they had a problem. The plane and the bodies of all seven on board were never found. One of the theories was that the crew may have been incapacitated due to carbon dioxide entering their oxygen supply; however, the aircraft or crew were never found to confirm the reason for disappearance.

Approximately one week later, Melville and Catharine Fowlie in Sarnia received a telegram from Ottawa informing them that their son FLIGHT-LIEUTENANT JOHN MACKINTOSH FOWLIE IS MISSING AFTER FLYING OPERATIONS OVERSEAS.Less than two months after receiving the above telegram, the war in Europe ended.

In late April 1945, only weeks before VE Day, Melville received the following letter:

Dear Mr. Fowlie,

            Before you receive this letter you will have been informed by the Air Minister that your son, Flight Lieutenant John Mackintosh Fowlie, is missing. It is with deep regret that I have to inform you that no further information has been received regarding your son.

            Your son was a member of a crew detailed for flying training on the night of 15/16th March. The plane took off at 19.00 hours, and nothing further has been heard of this aircraft. Every rescue effort has been made to trace this aircraft and its occupants, but without success.

            You will be contacted immediately any news received. May I now express the deep sympathy which all of us feel with you during this sad time of waiting.

It was not until seven months after he was reported missing that Jack’s parents were notified that their son was now officially recorded as Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas. Perishing with Flight Lieutenant-Bomb Aimer John (Jack) Fowlie were F/O. James Charles Pearson; F/L. Frank Earl Connors; FSs James Graham, John Howard James Grahame, Arthur Henry Jones; and Sgt. Kenneth James Parrish (RAF).

In late March 1946, Jack’s parents received a War Service Gratuity of $798.23 for the loss of their son. Over four years later, in early October 1950, Melville Fowlie wrote the following letter to the Department of National Defence in Ottawa:

Dear Sir;

            My son, F/L John M. Fowlie J13989 was lost overseas on March 16/45. So far we have never received the parents medal. We did receive his regular service medals but are very anxious to have the other one. Would you kindly let us know why this one has never been sent.

Melville received a reply from the Director of War Service Records in Ottawa only weeks later. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mr. Fowlie:

            Your letter has been referred to this Directorate inasmuch as the issue of the Memorial Cross is now under the jurisdiction of this office. In reply you are advised that the regulations governing the issue of this Cross provides that it is given by the Canadian Government as a memento of personal loss and sacrifice on the part of the mothers and widows of ex-service personnel. As the mother of your boy predeceased him it is regretted to inform you that the Memorial Cross, as a token of sacrifice, in this case is not issuable.

            In late May 1952, Melville received the following letter from the Wing Commander, R.C.A.F. Casualties Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff:

Dear Mr. Fowlie:

            It is with reluctance that after so long an interval, I must refer to the loss of your son, Flight Lieutenant John Mackintosh Fowlie, but due to the lack of any information concerning him since he was reported missing, it must be regretfully accepted and officially recorded that he does not have a “known” grave.

            Due to the extreme hazards attending air operations there are, unhappily, many thousands of British aircrew boys who do not have “known” graves and all will be commemorated on General Memorials that will be erected at a number of locations by the Imperial War Graves Commission (of which Canada is a member), each Memorial representative of a theatre of operations. One of these Memorials will be erected at Runnymede, England, and the name of your son will appear on that Memorial.

            I realize that this is an extremely distressing letter and that there is no manner of conveying such information to you that would not add to your heartaches. I am fully aware that nothing I may say will lessen your great sorrow, but I would like to express to you and the members of your family my deepest sympathy.

John (Jack) Fowlie’s name, along with 19 others, is inscribed on a tablet on the Memorial School building at Appleby College. The building was constructed as a memorial to the members of the Appleby community killed in World War II.

Twenty-four-year-old Flight Lieutenant John (Jack) Fowlie has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Runnymede War Memorial, Surrey, United Kingdom, Panel 278. Jack Fowlie’s family also had a stone laid in tribute to him at Lakeview Cemetery, Sarnia.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Lloyd Gallaway was born in Sarnia on February 16, 1917, the son of Edgar E. and Gertrude Effie (nee Hoare) Gallaway, of 130 Bright Street, Sarnia. Edgar (born in Creemore, Simcoe County, Ontario) and Gertrude (born in Georgetown, Halton County, Ontario) were married on September 29, 1910, in Georgetown, Ontario. Edgar Gallaway supported his ever-expanding family by working as a barber in Sarnia.

Edgar and Gertrude had eight children together: sons Raymond William Thomas (born 1912); Edgar Dar (born 1914); Lloyd (born 1917); and Jack Kenneth; and four daughters: Jean Marjorie (born 1911, married to become Newman); Dorothy (born 1915, married to become Coate); Irma Gertrude (born 1920); and Helen Eileen. Brother Edgar Gallaway also served in the war—in September 1942, Edgar celebrated his 20th birthday in England, a member of the Army, 11th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers as a sapper.

Young Lloyd was a member of St. John’s Anglican Church and worked as a carrier boy for the Canadian Observer in Sarnia from 1926 to 1936. He was educated in Sarnia—at Lochiel Street Elementary School from 1923 to 1931; and then at Sarnia Collegiate Institute from 1931 to December 1937 where he graduated as an honour student. While in high school, Lloyd was on the business staff of the magazine in 1936 and was part of Cadet Corps for six years. He was proficient in many sports including rugby and tennis extensively, as well as gymnastics, golf, and shooting. He was also a member of the senior rugby team that won the W.O.S.S.A. football championship in 1937 and, following graduation, he played junior football with the Canon Davis Memorial Church Team.

In July 1937, Lloyd worked as a clerk with Walker Stores Limited in Sarnia and then advanced to store-manager, a position he kept for two years until being transferred. In July 1939, he was given a promotion to merchandise manager and was transferred to the company’s store in Barrie. In November 1939, he was transferred to

Gordon, MacKay and Company Limited in Toronto (the parent company) where he worked as a salesman.

In his May 1940 air force application, a reference letter written by the manager of Walker Brothers described Lloyd as a thoroughly loyal, reliable, young man, and his character is beyond reproach. Another reference letter was written in June 1940 by W. Haney of Robinson and Haines Barristers and Solicitors. W. Haney wrote the following of Lloyd: I have known this young man all his life… He was an excellent student at Sarnia Collegiate Institute and Technical School from which he matriculated in 1937. While attending such Collegiate he was one of its outstanding athletic stars being particularly proficient in Gymnastics work and on the football field, having played in the First Team. Following his graduation he played Junior Football with the Canon Davis Memorial Church Team. He has always been noted as being a particularly clean type of sportsman. He is thoroughly reliable and honest and his habits of life are beyond reproach. One cannot speak too highly of this type of young man… I have no hesitancy in suggesting that this young man would do credit to himself and the Service if he is fortunate enough to secure an appointment.

Twenty-three-year-old Lloyd Gallaway enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on July 2, 1940, in Toronto. He lived at 21 Atlas Avenue in Toronto at the time and was employed as a salesman. Lloyd stood five feet four-and-a-half inches tall, had grey eyes and brown hair, and was single. He requested flying duties with a preference for being an air gunner, and from the moment he enlisted, Lloyd loved the air force.

From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, Lloyd received his initial air training at #1 Initial Training School (ITS) in Toronto; then at #2 Wireless School (WS) in Calgary; and later at #4 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Fingal, Ontario. On February 17, 1941, he was awarded his Air Gunners Badge. On April 5, 1941, Lloyd Gallaway embarked overseas from Debert, Nova Scotia, bound for the United Kingdom. He arrived in England along with three other Sarnia airmen: Sergeants William B. Clark (included in this Project), John Bennett, and J.D. Murray.

Lloyd became a member of RCAF #61 Squadron “Per Puram Tunantes” (Thundering through the clear air), attaining the rank of pilot officer and wireless operator/air gunner. From #3 Personnel Reception Centre, Lloyd attended #2 Signal School for three months and then was posted to #16 Operational Training Unit in mid-August 1941. By September 1941, Lloyd was taking part in bombing operations over German-occupied Europe. The following month, on October 5, he was transferred to #97 Squadron, and 10 days later, he became a member of RAF #61 Squadron, based at RAF North Luffenham at the time, with the rank of flight sergeant-wireless operator/air gunner.

RAF #61 Squadron went to war equipped with Handley Page Hampden aircraft. The squadron spent most of the war operating as a night bomber squadron. For a time, the squadron also used the troubled Avro Manchester aircraft, but by June 1942, the squadron had converted to the Avro Lancaster.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately

50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

There was no easy way to learn how to fly the heavy bombers, and training crews suffered a litany of disasters, crashes and deaths. By the end of the war, Bomber Command lost over 8,000 Allied airmen who were killed in training or by accidents alone.

Eight months after arriving with #61 Squadron, Lloyd experienced one of those accidents. On June 19, 1942, Flight Sergeant Lloyd Gallaway was aboard a Wellington aircraft at Central Gunnery School (in Cambridgeshire) along with four others. The aircraft was involved in a low flying gunnery exercise and when flying a little lower than it should have been, the aircraft struck an obstruction that damaged the aircraft. There were no injuries in the incident, and the pilot was disciplined.

In July 1942, Lloyd completed the Gunnery leader’s course in England. Following that, he was posted to Coastal Command, which he described as “Not very exciting” after being in all the recent “big shows” including bombing operations on “Cologne, Essen, and Bremen in three or four nights.” With Coastal Command, rear gunner Gallaway sat in his rear turret hour after hour on the long Atlantic patrols. He described it as Not very exciting, but it was often quiet back where I was on the bombing jobs. We just sat, first leaning on one side and then on the other to keep from getting cramped up and tired. All the time we kept looking out trying to spot night fighters, if it was a night raid. On some trips we didn’t see a thing and never opened up on anything unless we were pretty certain it was an enemy taking a bead on us. The best thing to do was just sit tight keeping our guns quiet unless we could plainly see a Jerry swinging about taking aim. In that case, according to Lloyd, there was only one thing to do—smack him.

During his 17 months of service, Lloyd took his place as one of the top-ranking Canadian fliers and served with Australian and English crews. He was selected for many dangerous jobs and was frequently mentioned in news stories sent by Canadian Press writers from England. In the British motion picture Target For Tonight, Lloyd was seen as an active airman. Many Sarnian’s saw him when the movie was shown in Sarnia.

Tragically, on October 1, 1942, Lloyd and all of his crew mates lost their lives in a fatal air crash. He was part of a crew aboard Lancaster Mk. 1 R5703 (markings QR-) that crashed accidentally one mile north-east of Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire. Shortly after take-off from RAF Syerston and after clearing the runway, the Lancaster went into a shallow dive and hit the ground. Also killed with Pilot Officer-Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Lloyd Gallaway were Sgt. Frederick George Bellchambers (RAF) and RAF members of the crew: Pilot George Ernest Weston, P/O Nav George Alan Hawes, F/O W.Op Joseph Edward Hanson, W.Op/AG Jack Machin Robinson, and Sgt. John McFadyen Ramsay.

Lloyd Gallaway’s remains were buried on October 6, 1942, at Newark Cemetery in the U.K. Several days after the crash, Edgar and Gertrude Gallaway in Sarnia were advised by Air Force Headquarters that their son, Lloyd, was killed in action. No other details were provided in the message. Lloyd Gallaway was later officially recorded as Killed during air operations, overseas.

It was determined later that the accident was in no way due to human error. An electrical fault had caused the release of the dingy in mid-air, fouling the tail of the aircraft and causing the pilot to lose control. This was the first time ever that this kind of electrical failure occurred on this type of aircraft. It was also determined that the pilot, George Weston, a holder of the DFC, could do nothing to correct the situation. 

Lloyd Gallaway was posthumously awarded the rank of pilot officer, his third promotion since enlisting (he was recorded as flight-sergeant at the time of his death). In a list of promotions prior to his death, the RCAF had mistakenly awarded the promotion to a “L.G. Hallaway”, of Sarnia in February of 1942. It was not until after Lloyd’s death that RCAF headquarters discovered its mistake.

On October 6, 1942, the same day that his remains were interred in the English cemetery, a funeral service was held in Sarnia’s St. John’s Anglican Church, which was attended by members of the Gallaway family, relatives, and friends.

In January 1943, Gertrude Gallaway received a letter from the Wing Commander, Royal Air Force, Syerston, England. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mrs. Gallaway,

            … Sapper Gallaway (his brother Edgar) called upon us some while ago and I feel sure that he has given you all the information available, but as I now find I can send letters by a special route I am repeating in confidence the information for you. I rather feel that it might not have been allowed out of the country from your son.

I felt that when I sat down to write to you I wanted to have available the findings of the Officers detailed to enquire in to the cause of the accident, so will you please forgive me for the delay.

It has now been ascertained beyond reasonable doubt that the accident was in no way due to human error, whether on the part of the aircrew themselves or of the ground staff. The evidence shows that an electrical fault caused the release of the dingy when in mid-air. The dingy fouled the tail of the aircraft and caused the Pilot to lose control. This is the first time that this kind of electrical failure has been known in some thousands of hours of flying done by this particular kind of aircraft. Of course steps were immediately taken to insert a device in all aircraft to avoid a recurrence of this failure. So again we have learned by bitter experience that it is next to impossible to foresee everything all the time.

            It is a certainty that the Pilot almost the most experienced Officer in the Royal Air Force on this type of aircraft did all he could to minimize the effect of the fouling, but it was physically impossible for him to do more – and so we lost an absolutely outstanding crew.

            Squadron Leader Weston, already a holder of the Distinguished Flying Cross was an ‘ace’ pilot, there is no doubt about that. And yet he could not of his own instill that utter confidence that he did unless he had with him airmen outstanding each at his own particular job.

            F/Sgt. Gallaway was one of my ablest gunners and had just been recommended for a commission when this unfortunate disaster robbed us of his services. We enjoyed having him with us – he was so full of energy and so keen on his job.

            On behalf of all ranks I offer you our deepest sympathy in the loss you have suffered and we trust that this war will soon be over so that these great sacrifices will not be necessary, and so that your other son may rejoin you.

Twenty-five-year-old Lloyd Gallaway is buried in Newark-Upon-Trent Cemetery, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, Section P, Grave 305. On his headstone are inscribed the following words: SO HE PASSED OVER AND ALL THE TRUMPETS SOUNDED FOR HIM ON THE OTHER SIDE.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Rex Gammon was born in Sarnia on December 11, 1916, the eldest son of James (born in Bosanquet, Lambton County) and Rhoda Mae (nee Longley, born in Sarnia) Gammon, of 253 Lochiel Street, Sarnia. To support Rhoda and their four children—Drena (later Mrs. Edward Cockerham), Barbara, Rex, and William aka “Bud”—James became a grocer and later a school attendance officer.

Rex was educated at Lochiel Street School from 1923 to 1931 and then at Sarnia Collegiate from September 1931 until the spring of 1936. Rex was a member of the Presbyterian Church and was a carrier for the Canadian Observer for a while. He was a well-known athlete in the local sporting community—he enjoyed playing tennis as a member of the Sarnia Tennis Club and was also proficient at basketball, badminton, and curling. After high school, Rex entered the work force where he earned money as a local clerk from 1936 to 1939. He then worked as a coremaker at Mueller Limited in 1939-1940 before joining Ferguson and Brodie, a shoe store, from 1940 to 1941. He held this job until he decided to enlist.

Two reference letters written in August 1940 on behalf of Rex as part of his application for the RCAF indicate the type of person he was. Following are portions of these two letters.

A.T. Crockkard, the VP of The King Milling Company wrote that I have known Rex Gammon for the past ten years and believe he would be a suitable person for enlistment in the Air Force. He has shown great interest in sports and is a tennis player of much more than average ability.

Gordon Callum, foundry foreman at Mueller Limited wrote the following: I have known the bearer of this letter Rex Gammon for two years. He has always been reliable, thorough and willing at all times, to do what he was asked to do. His work at present is in the core room of Mueller Ltd. Sarnia plumbing and waterworks m.f.s. Quite a lot of his work at the present time is on war orders. 

Rex was 24 years old when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in London, Ontario, on February 7, 1941. He stood five feet ten inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, was single, and recorded his occupation as coremaker. His post-war ambition was to be a newspaper reporter. Rex requested flying duties, with a preference to be an air gunner. Certainly, he made a good impression. A Recruiting Officer wrote the following of Rex: Smart boy, intelligent, good appearance, mentally alert, keen and enthusiastic, will readily absorb training and should develop into first class material for air crew. Recommended for Air Gunner. Rex left shortly after for the R.C.A.F. #2 Manning Pool at Brandon, Manitoba. Before he left for out west, employees of Mueller Limited waited on Rex at his home and presented him with a set of military hair brushes.

Rex Gammon’s military training was very extensive at each camp as he criss-crossed the country. Following the Manning Pool in Brandon, Gammon was posted to #1 Manning Depot in Toronto; and then to #4 Manning Depot in Quebec City. After this, he received his air training at #8 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Moncton; at #4 Wireless School (WS) in Guelph; and at #1 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Jarvis, Ontario.

While Rex was at #1 B&GS, his younger brother William (“Bud”), who had enlisted in the RCAF in May 1941 (three months after Rex had enlisted), was a student pilot at an Eastern Canada air command training school. In late December 1941, William was awarded his Pilots wings at Moncton, New Brunswick, graduating with the 11th class at No. 8 Service Flying Training School. On January 3, 1942, Rex was awarded his Air Gunner’s Badge, graduating as a wireless air gunner at #1 B&GS in Jarvis, with his proud parents attending the graduation.

On January 23, 1942, both Rex and William Gammon embarked overseas together from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom. From #3 Personnel Reception Centre, Rex continued his training at #1 Signals School and at #2 (Observers) Advanced Flying Unit (AFU). On May 26, 1942, he became a member of RAF #22 Operational Training Unit (OTU) as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner in Bomber Command with the rank of Flight Sergeant.

RAF #22 OTU was formed in April 1941 at RAF Wellesbourne Mountford as part of No. 6 Group RAF Bomber Command and was created to train night bomber crews with the Vickers Wellington twin-engine, long-range medium bomber.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, comprising more than a third of the entire Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

Unfortunately, Rex didn’t beat the odds and was killed just over two months after he became a member of RAF #22 OTU. On the night of July 28/29, 1942, Flight Sergeant-Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Rex Gammon was a member of a crew aboard Wellington IC aircraft X9696 (markings XN-Z) that took off from RAF Wellesbourne Mountford. It was one of two Wellington bombers from #22 OTU sent on a night operation targeting Hamburg, Germany. Both bombers were recalled but neither responded. Both aircraft were shot down over their target.

Perishing with F/S Rex Gammon were F/Ss Richard Butcher Ayers and James Spencer Evans. Four airmen in the other #22 OTU Wellington bomber X3201 were also lost: F/Ss Patrick Cluney Noel, Frank Edward Johnson, Elmer Leroy Wagner and Ernest Griffith White. A number of the Wellington airmen, including Canadian Sgts. E.W. Bell, W.C. Warren and J. Pierce, were taken prisoners of war.

It was not until several weeks after the crash that Rex Gammon was listed as Missing after air operations. At the same time, three members of the same crew were reported as Prisoners of war in Germany. 

Less than three months later, in October 1942, James and Rhoda Gammon heard more news about Rex. They were advised by R.C.A.F. Headquarters at Ottawa that their son’s body had been recovered and was buried by the Germans in a cemetery at Neumunster, near Kiel, Germany, two days after he was shot down.

It must have been a tumultuous week for James and Rhoda in Sarnia. Earlier that same week, they had received news informing them officially that their other son, William, of the R.C.A.F., was a prisoner of war in Germany. By early December 1942, Rex Gammon was officially recorded as Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes presumed dead, overseas.

In September 1945, the Gammons on Lochiel Street received a War Service Gratuity of $195.73 for the loss of Rex. In mid-April 1946, Rhoda received the following letter from the R.C.A.F. Records Officer in Ottawa:

Dear Mrs. Gammon:

            It is a privilege to have the opportunity of sending you the Operational Wings and Certificate in recognition of the gallant services rendered by your son Flight Sergeant R.T. Gammon. I realize there is little which may be said or done to lessen your sorrows, but it is my hope that these “Wings”, indicative of operations against the enemy, will be a treasured memento of a young life offered on the altar of freedom in defence of his Home and Country.

On a wall in St. Peter’s Church in Wellesbourne, England, hangs a brass plaque that was dedicated in 1986 to the members of RAF #22 Operational Training Unit who lost their lives in the war. The inscription reads DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF THE 315 AIRMEN AND AIRWOMEN KILLED WHILE SERVING WITH NO. 22 OTU WELLESBOURNE MOUNTFORD AIRFIELD DURING WORLD WAR TWO. Two Sarnians were among the 315 names—Rex Gammon and John Duncan (included in this Project).

Twenty-five-year-old Rex Gammon is buried in Ohlsdorf Cemetery, Hamburg, Germany, Grave 4A.E.14. On his headstone are inscribed the following words: SON OF JAMES AND RHODA GAMMON SARNIA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

The Gammons had lost one son and were anxious about William. They had learned on October 8, 1942, that Rex’s younger brother, RCAF Warrant Officer William “Bud” Gammon, was reported as Missing after air operations, believed to have been rescued after having been shot down at sea. Three weeks later, they received a message from the International Red Cross Society that German sources had reported that their son William was as a prisoner of war in Germany, confined to Stalag 344.

In May 1944, the Gammons received a letter from William, dated February 2, 1944, and posted at Stalag 344. In it, he praised Canadian organizations that had been sending supplies to those interned by the Nazis, and he announced the transfer of some of the Sarnia prisoners. He wrote You certainly have to hand it to the different organizations in Canada in regard to looking after us. All Canadians received about two pounds of chocolate and the other day a shipment of plates, cups, forks and spoons, etc., came in. The Dieppe prisoners left for a new camp last week, including Ward, Date, Demary and the rest of the fellows from Sarnia. I was sorry to see them go, however, it will be a change for them.

In mid-February 1945, the Gammons received a telegram from Ottawa informing them that their son WILLIAM ARTHUR GAMMON WARRANT OFFICER SECOND CLASS RCAF WHO IS A PRISONER OF WAR IN GERMANY HAS BEEN PROMOTED TO WARRANT OFFICER FIRST CLASS.

William wrote his parents another letter, dated April 23, 1945, that they received in early May. His news was exciting to say the least. In it, he provided details of his escape from the Germans and subsequent treatment at No. 4 Canadian General Hospital after meeting up with American troops. William revealed that five other prisoners and he had escaped while the camp’s personnel were being marched to another area. His friends and he fled into the woods, where they remained for several days until they ran across units of the American Army. Eventually they returned to the Canadian forces and were hospitalized. William Gammon was able to return to Sarnia after the war.

The patriarch of the family, James Gammon, didn’t outlive his son Rex by much, passing away from a heart seizure on November 7, 1945, at the age of 56. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia, alongside his wife Rhoda Mae, who passed away in October 1956. Also inscribed on the Gammon headstone are the following words: FLT. SGT. REX T. GAMMON – RCAF. KILLED IN ACTION OVERSEAS JULY 29, 1942.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Arthur Gander was born in Sarnia on August 15, 1923, the son of Arthur Edward Sr. and Gladys Genevieve Edith (nee Browne) Gander.

During World War I, 29-year-old Arthur Edward Gander (born October 23, 1888 in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England) was drafted under the Military Service Act of 1917, Class One. After undergoing his medical examination in Sarnia on October 4, 1917, Arthur Edward was called to service on April 16, 1918, reporting to the 1st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment in London, Ontario. He stood five feet seven-and-a-half inches tall, had grey eyes and brown hair, was single and was residing at 350 Confederation Street in Sarnia at the time. He recorded his occupation as machinist/munition worker and his next-of-kin as his mother, Mrs. Ada Jane Gander, of Stonehan Road, Hove, Sussex, England (at enlistment, he did not know if his father was alive). Two weeks later, Private Arthur Gander was transferred to the 1st Battalion Canadian Garrison Regiment.

Arthur did not see any overseas service. Less than two months after reporting to duty, on June 6, 1918, he was discharged in London, Ontario. Despite being assessed “very good” in both conduct and character, he was discharged deemed “being medically unfit not due to service” but because of some heart irregularities. The Great War ended five months later.

On April 5, 1920, Arthur Edward Gander married Gladys Genevieve Browne (born in Brighton, Sussex, England) in Brighton, Sussex, England. The young couple returned to Sarnia where Arthur supported his wife as a labourer at Imperial Oil.

Soon, they had more mouths to feed at their home at 405 South Mitton Street as they were blessed with six children including four sons: Arthur Jr. (born 1923); Victor (born 1928, and served in the Korean War); Douglas (born 1934); and Norman (born 1936). Their two daughters were Margaret Edith (born 1921), and Esme.

Arthur Jr. was educated in Sarnia at Devine Street Public School from 1929 to 1935 and then at Sarnia Collegiate from 1935 to 1940. His interests ranged from playing such sports as hockey, basketball, and baseball, to collecting stamps. After graduating from SCITS at the age of 17, Arthur found work as a machinist at Goodisons Company in Sarnia from 1940 until he enlisted in 1942.

Perhaps his father’s experiences in the Great War influenced 18-year-old Arthur Gander to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force on June 30, 1942, in London, Ontario. At the outbreak of World War II, the military set requirements for volunteers, one being that they had to be, at minimum, 18 years of age. For overseas service, the minimum age was 19. Arthur stood five feet ten inches tall, had blue eyes and light brown hair, was single, and requested flying duties with a preference to be a pilot.

Before departing overseas, Arthur had extensive training. From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto and then #4 Manning Depot in Quebec City, he received air training at #5 Initial Training School (ITS) in Belleville, followed by a stint at #10 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Pendleton, Ontario. Arthur then headed east to #1 Air Gunners Ground Training School (AGGTS) in Quebec City and then to #9 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Mont Joli, Quebec. He graduated from #9 B&GS in Mont Joli, where he received his Air Gunner’s Badge on July 9, 1943. One month later, on August 3, Arthur Gander left New York bound for Scotland.

From #3 Personnel Reception Centre in the U.K., Arthur was first posted to #1664 Conversion Unit. On September 5, 1943, Arthur became a member of the RCAF #427 Lion Squadron whose motto was “Ferte Manus Certas” (Strike Sure). No. 427 Squadron was part of Bomber Command and Arthur Gander held the rank of sergeant-air gunner.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

No. 427 Squadron was formed in November 1942 as the 8th of 15 RCAF Bomber Squadrons formed overseas, and becoming part of No. 6 (RCAF) Group. The squadron initially flew twin-engine Wellington aircraft out of RAF Croft, Yorkshire, and in May 1943, relocated to RAF Leeming, and converted to four-engine Handley Page Halifax bombers that they flew for the majority of the war.

On May 24, 1943, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) adopted #427 Lion Squadron and allowed the names of such stars as Judy Garland, Lana Turner, Greer Garson, Joan Crawford, Hedy Lamarr, and others to be displayed on the aircraft. Legend has it that MGM went so far as to provide all members with a lifetime pass to its theatres across North America. In addition, MGM presented a bronze lion to the squadron. This gift, and the affiliation with the MGM lion mascot, strengthened the squadron’s nickname. Another highlight was the presentation of a lion cub, named Mareth, by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

While overseas, Arthur Gander wrote a letter home every week to his family. Following are portions of several of those letters:

August 20, 1943 (Letter #1)

            Well I finally got here safe and sound. I have strict orders not to say anything concerning the trip so about

all I can say is it was very dull and uneventful. The weather was very calm and hardly anybody got seasick including

me. The first couple of nights we nearly roasted to death as the port holes all have to be kept closed on account of the blackout… When we landed they had a small Scottish band out for us. Coming through Scotland the country seemed very hilly and much the same as Englands except for the heather which was very plentiful. The country over here is very nice and some of the fields are so green and short that they just look like lawns. One thing that struck me as very picturesque is the miles and miles of stone fence in certain sections of the country. The weather over here is very cool and it seems just like autumn to me instead of the middle of summer.

            At present I am living like a king or at least as good as anybody is. We are billeted in former hotels which are the flashiest barracks I have slept in yet and the food we get is not a great deal different from back home except there is not so much variety and not so much of it… So far nothing much has met with my distaste in this country. I imagine I would have liked to spend a vacation at this place in peacetime…. Things in general are very modern around here especially the uptown section. The shows here get some of the semi-latest American pictures although most of them are British films. They are quite expensive according to our standard of prices… At first I found the English money quite complicated and I got rooked once but I have got it figured out fairly well now.

The night before I got here this place had an air-raid but since I have been here all has been quiet… I will write once every week to let you know how things are going. They tell me if you move around fast enough in this country your mail never catches you. Well I guess that’s about all I have to say right now especially since I have about a mile to walk for my supper and not much time to do it in. Nobody ever eats breakfast here as they don’t get up early enough to walk that mile there and a mile back.

September 16, 1943 (Letter #8)

            … At present it is raining outside as it does at least half of every day. Even the Englishmen here say the weather around this section is as bad as you’ll find anywhere in England. Its plain to see why the English were so kind about letting all the Canadian squadrons situate around here…. Last night I made my first trip over enemy territory. I don’t remember the name of the place but it is in France near Germany. Our target was a rubber plant about ten times the size of the one at home. It was a fairly long trip about 7 ½ to 8 hrs but considered a fairly easy one. The jerries had quite a few search lights out and quite a bit of light flax but our kite didn’t encounter any night fighters which are far the more dangerous. On the whole things ran fairly smooth and I think a good job was done by the look of the fires and by the cloud of smoke.

On leaving the target our kite got caught in the smoke at 9000 ft and for awhile we were tossed all over the sky. Sitting in a cramped up position for 7 ½ to 8 hrs is no cinch especially when you can hardly move for clothes and yet you still feel cold. Coming back I went to take a bite out of a chocolate bar and nearly broke my teeth. It was frozen solid. Tomorrow I think I will go over to stores and draw a electrically heated flying suit. I think most of the planes got back safely although one of ours was forced down at another station. Fellows who have flown over places like Munich or Berlin considered that trip a “piece of cake”. Well I’m afraid that’s all for tonight as I’m pretty tired. I only had five hrs sleep this morning.

September 25, 1943 (Letter #9)

… Since I last wrote you I haven’t been on any more “ops” as the runways on this station are sinking and all this week we have been moving to a nearby station until they are repaired which I expect will be a couple of months. If everything had gone according to schedule we should have been bombing Jerry tonight but for some unknown reason take off was either postponed for a couple of hours or put off entirely. I don’t know which yet as I am sitting in the crew room with half my flying clothes on waiting to get the latest “gin”… I still haven’t wrote to Uncle Vic yet but I suppose I’ll have to soon as I get leave from Oct 9 to the 15th and I might drop in and see him for a couple of days if the rest of the crew don’t try too hard to convince me to spend it in London with them….

September 28, 1943 (Letter #10)

I’ve just finished my supper or maybe I’d be more correct to say my only meal today. It seems to me I just haven’t been around when the eats were passed out today the reason being I was on “ops” last night and I just haven’t been on any station at meal hours. Last night we raided Hanover. It was a pretty hot target and with the weather against us before we started it made things even tougher. When we left base it was completely clouded over and farther out we ran into an electrical storm which put our radio on the blink. After awhile we found we were off track and when we crossed the coast we ran into a heavily defended area. There were hundreds of searchlights wandering around and all of a sudden the “master” beam caught us and then all the rest of them turned on us. Immediately the skipper began throwing the plane all over the sky and after about five minutes of dodging heavy flak we escaped with only a couple of holes in the side of the fuselage and a memory of what a close shave we had.

Farther on we bombed the target which was already in flames. We were lucky we never got coned by the searchlights for long over the target but we saw several kites that were really caught badly by searchlights and we saw one plane explode in mid-air. Coming home we ran into the electrical storm again and a call came threw from base that the weather was too bad to land there so we were to land at another station. By this time some of our instruments were unserviceable and we weren’t able to find the station they had instructed us to land at so we came down through the clouds assisted by two search lights and asked permission to land at a strange station. When we got down we found about six other planes that had got lost and had landed there. By this time it was about four A.M. and after having several cups of tea and a sandwich I found myself a chair and went to sleep in front of the fire place as there were no beds available. Next morning just after it got light we took off and flew back to base in rain and fog. About ten minutes ago a news report said that the bombing of the target was very concentrated and successful. We lost 38 bombers. Well I’m afraid I haven’t got room for much more. So long.

November 12, 1943 (Letter #17)

            Today I received my second letter from Uncle Vic. He seemed rather anxious to know if I was all right as I

haven’t answered his first letter yet so I guess I’ll have to drop him a few lines in the near future. There’s not much

news this week. I haven’t been on any more ops lately. Its gradually getting colder over here, this afternoon it hailed fairly hard and the meteorologist forecast snow for tonight. I suppose by this time you have had a couple of nice snowfalls… I expect another leave at the end of this month and I shall try to look up Daddy’s mother. This week our squadron held a big party at which everybody had a good time and the next day some of the big shots from M.G.M. studios were here to look the place over and present us with a squadron crest. I read a piece in the paper about our crew the other day but I can’t enclose it as they won’t allow it in this type of letter. There are two other fellows besides myself from Sarnia on this station but I never knew them. They are both ground crew. I was glad to hear that Norman was such a good boy when he had his teeth out and was proud to hear that Esme did so well in the quiz contest. Well I’m afraid I’ll have to quit before I freeze to death. At present I am sitting on the edge of the bed with no fire going as we left the ashes in the fireplace this morning and have no wood to start the fire. As you know most rooms over here are heated by fireplaces and it seems to me one of the biggest comforts is to draw a nice chair up close to the fire and sit and drink hot tea. Don’t get the idea I’m getting like these cherrpers as I’m not its just that it’s the only way to get warm. So long for now.

Arthur Gander made seven successful trips with his squadron over Germany.

On the night of November 18, 1943, six days after writing the above letter, Arthur, as part of his 7-man crew, was aboard Halifax V aircraft LK976 (markings ZL-Z) for the crew’s 8th mission. They took off from the Leeming aerodrome at approximately 16.30 hours with orders to carry out a night bombing mission on Mannheim, Germany. They were due back the next morning, but when they didn’t return, their base knew something drastic had happened, especially since no wireless communication was received from the missing Halifax.

It was presumed that their aircraft had crashed in the English Channel. Killed along with Sergeant Arthur Gander, on the given date of November 19, 1943, were WO. Percy George Jolliffe; FS. Robert Dixon; F/Os Francis William Winter, Patrick J. Kennedy and Sgt. Walter Riddell (RAF); and FS. Geoffrey Cyril Harper (RAF). The body of F/O Francis William Winter was washed ashore and buried in Cayeux Sur Mer Parish Cemetery, Somme, France. The remaining six crew members were never located.

There were 395 aircraft involved in the Mannheim operation, one of the larger diversionary raids, and 23 aircraft were lost (5.8%). By comparison, the main raid on Berlin registered 2.0% losses.

While overseas, Arthur Gander had written home once a week for 17 weeks. When his family did not receive an 18th letter, his parents knew that something was wrong. Initially, they had received a telegram from the RCAF Casualties Officer in Ottawa informing them that their son SERGEANT ARTHUR FREDERIC GANDER IS REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION AFTER AIR OPERATIONS OVERSEAS AFTER A RAID OVER GERMANY.

In late November 1943, #427 Wing Commander R.S. Turnbull wrote this letter to Arthur Sr. in Sarnia:

It is with deep regret that I write to you this date to convey to you the feelings of my entire Squadron. We lost an excellent crew when this aircraft did not return from this operation and we count its loss a most severe blow to this Squadron. Although Arthur and the other members of his crew had not been long members of this particular

Squadron, in the short period of time that he was with us he carried out his duties in cheerful and energetic manner. 

Arthur was popular with all ranks of this Squadron’s personnel and it is indeed a pity that his career with us should be terminated so abruptly by this tragic event. There is always the possibility that Arthur may be a prisoner-of –war, in which case, you will either hear from him direct, or through the Air Ministry, who will receive advice from the International Red Cross Society. Your son’s effects have been gathered together and forwarded to the Royal Air Force Central Depository, where they will be held until better news is received, or in any event for a period of at least six months before being forwarded on to you through the Administrator of Estates, Ottawa. May I now express the great sympathy which all of us here share with you in your grievous anxiety, and I would like to assure you also how greatly we all honour the noble sacrifice your son has made, so far from home, in the Cause of Freedom, in the Service of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Nine months later, in August 1944, the Ganders received another letter from the R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer:

It is with deep regret that, in view of the lapse of time and the absence of any further information concerning your son, Sergeant Arthur Frederic Gander, since he was reported missing, the Air Ministry Overseas now proposes to take action to presume his death for official purposes.

Arthur Gander was later officially recorded as Previously reported missing on active service with the R.C.A.F., now for official purposes, presumed dead. After her son was declared dead, Gladys Gander wrote the following poem:

Sometimes the note of his favourite song.

Brings a thought of him.

Of times the sound of a passing plane.

Is a temptation to speak his name.

A token of love and remembrance.

Of a son we shall never forget.

His memory is a treasure.

His loss a lifetime regret.

In July 1945, Arthur Sr. and Gladys received a War Service Gratuity of $162.30 for the loss of their son. In November 1946, Gladys received the following letter from the R.C.A.F. Wing Commander for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa:

Dear Mrs. Gander:

            It is a privilege to have the opportunity of sending you the Operational Wings and Certificate in recognition of the gallant services rendered by your son, Sergeant A.F. Gander. I realize there is little which may be said or done to lessen your sorrow, but it is my hope that these “Wings”, indicative of operations against the enemy, will be a treasured memento of a young life offered on the altar of freedom in defence of his Home and Country.

Almost seven years after Arthur Gander was lost in action, in October 1950, the Ganders received the following letter from the Wing Commander, RCAF Casualties Officer:

Dear Mr. Gander:

            It is with regret that I refer to the loss of your son, Sergeant Arthur Frederic Gander. A report has, however, been received from our Missing Research and Enquiry Service concerning your son and members of his crew.

            This Service has located the grave of Flying Officer Winter, your son’s Navigator, in the Parish Cemetery at

Cayeux-Sur-Mer in the Department of Somme, France. It was ascertained that his body had been recovered from the sea near Brighton, Department of Somme. Although this area has now been swept by search teams, unhappily, no information could be secured on any other member of the crew. In view of the above, therefore, it must be regretfully accepted that all members of the crew with the exception of Flying Officer Winter lost their lives at sea and have no known grave.

Due to the extreme hazards attending air operations there are, unhappily, many thousands of British aircrew boys who, like your son, do not have a known grave, and their names will be commemorated on General Memorials that will be erected at a number of locations by the Imperial War Graves Commission (of which Canada is a member), each Memorial representative of a theatre of operations. One of these Memorials will be erected at Runnymede, England and the names of your son and the other members of his crew will appear on that Memorial. A detailed announcement concerning these General Memorials will be made at a future date.

I realize that this is an extremely distressing letter and that there is no manner of conveying such news to you that would not add to your heartaches, and I am fully aware that nothing I may say will lessen your great sorrow, but

I would like to take this opportunity of expressing to you and the members of your family my deepest sympathy in the

loss of your gallant son.

Twenty-year-old Arthur Gander has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Runnymede War Memorial, Surrey, United Kingdom, Panel 186.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Curtis Goring was born in Sarnia on September 16, 1914, the eldest son of William Curtis (born in Petrolia, Enniskillen Township, a farmer) and Amanda Flora (nee McLean, born in Alvinston) Goring of 133 Richard Street, Sarnia. He was also the nephew of Sarnians Mr. and Mrs. O.E. Mannen of Richard Street and Mr. and Mrs. Moses Hallam of 359 Wellington Street, later 162 Richard Street. The Gorings were blessed with seven children that included sons Curtis (born 1914); Ralph Archibald (born in Detroit, 1917); Keith Emerson (born 1918); Francis Carlyle (born September 1921, see below); and Scotty Ross (born September 1924). They also had two daughters, Marion (born 1919) and Blanche (born 1927). Four of the Goring boys served in the Armed Forces—two of them made the supreme sacrifice.

Curtis was educated at Point Edward Public School from 1921 to 1928 and then attended Petrolia High School from September 1928 to mid-February 1930. He had a balanced education in high school where in his final year he studied English, French and Latin, as well as algebra, art, agriculture, geography and history. Curtis kept himself active outside the classroom by participating in baseball, rugby, golf, bowling, hockey, swimming, sail boating, and rifle shooting. He was also involved in High School Cadet training.

In 1930, tragedy struck the Goring family when their mother, Amanda, passed away. After her death, Curtis, 16, was unable to attend school. Instead, he moved from Petrolia to live with his uncle and aunt, the Mannens, on Richard Street. From 1930 to 1936, Curtis worked for George Bell in Sarnia as a delivery truck driver. He was looking to get ahead, however. Between 1937 and 1940, Curtis resumed his education at Sarnia Collegiate where he took night courses in auto mechanics, typing, and business. From 1936 until he enlisted in 1941, Curtis worked with St. Clair Motors of Sarnia Limited, first as a registered mechanic for two years, and then as the manager of the Parts Department. His postwar plan was to return to St. Clair Motors.

Twenty-six-year-old Curtis Goring enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force on February 20, 1941, in London, Ontario. Perhaps he was influenced by his brother Francis (see below), seven years his junior, who had enlisted in the RCAF the previous month. Curtis stood five feet seven-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, and was single at the time. He was living at home with his father on Richard Street, Sarnia. Curtis requested flying duties, with a preference for the position of air gunner.

To be an air gunner required extensive training at a series of training centres throughout Canada. From #2 Manning Depot in Brandon, Manitoba, Curtis received his training at #4 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Saskatoon; at #2 Wireless School (WS) in Calgary; at Composite Training School (KTS) in Trenton, Ontario; and at

#5 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Dafoe, Saskatchewan. Nearly a year after he enlisted, Curtis was awarded his Air Gunners Badge on December 8, 1941, in Dafoe. Four days later, he was posted to #1 Y Depot in Halifax, where his brother Francis had been posted six days earlier.

The two Goring brothers embarked overseas for the United Kingdom on January 7, 1942. From #3 Personnel Reception Centre, Curtis continued his training in the U.K. at #7 Air Gunners School (AGS), and then at #22 Operational Training Unit (OTU). In late July 1942, he became a member of #115 Squadron and later RCAF #419 Squadron, part of Bomber Command.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

On October 12, 1942, Curtis Goring became a member of RCAF #405 City of Vancouver Squadron, Pathfinder Force. The squadron’s motto was “Ducimus” (We lead) and Goring earned the rank of warrant officer Class II-air gunner. RCAF #405 Squadron was formed at RAF Driffield in April 1941. Soon after they were outfitted with Vickers Wellingtons, they completed their first bombing operation in Germany. Converting to Handley Page Halifax bombers in 1942, from October 1942 to March 1943, the squadron assisted Coastal Command in North Africa. In March 1943, the squadron returned to Bomber Command, and in April 1943, was selected to join the elite No. 8 (Pathfinder) Group, based at Gransden Lodge Airfield, with which it served until the end of the war. It was the only Royal Canadian Air Force squadron that was a part of the Pathfinder Group.

The Pathfinder Force was made up of experienced, hand-picked crews from bomber squadrons with elite navigational abilities. These aerial rangers, equipped with the latest target-finding technologies, were the spearhead of the bomber stream. They arrived first over the target and dropped coloured flares to pinpoint and to highlight the area to be bombed by the follow-on force.

During his time overseas, Curtis experienced and survived two mishaps. First, he was injured in a crash landing in England and spent some time in hospital; and another time, his warplane was forced down in the North Sea where he and other members of the crew were rescued after drifting for some time on a rubber raft.

Just over two years after enlisting, on September 1, 1943, Curtis Goring was aboard Halifax aircraft HR915 (markings LQ-O) that took off from RAF Gransden Lodge on a night operation targeting Berlin. The Halifax bomber failed to return from the operation and the cold truth emerged later—HR915 had been shot down by a night-fighter and crashed near Berlin. Canadian Squadron Leader Pearson and four other non-Canadian crew members were captured and became prisoners of war; but sadly, Gunner Curtis Goring and WO1 Edwin Matthew McArthur were killed.

On September 3rd, 1943, William Goring on Richard Street received a telegram from Ottawa informing him that his son FLIGHT SERGEANT CURTIS ALBERT GORING WAS MISSING AFTER AIR OPERATIONS OVERSEAS.The telegram did not indicate the date on which his son was reported missing. His aunt, Mrs. Mannen, had not heard from Curtis for a number of few weeks.

In early October 1943, William received another telegram which confirmed that his son Curtis was now listed as PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING AFTER AIR OPERATIONS NOW FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES

PRESUMED DEAD OVERSEAS (GERMANY).No details of the action in which Curtis had lost his life were

given. Reports were later received that on September 1st, of the 622 aircraft involved in the operation, eight Canadian bombers were included in the total of 47 Allied planes lost in a 45-minute raid on Berlin. The RCAF incurred some of its heaviest losses of the war in this September raid on Berlin.

At the time of Curtis’ death, three of his brothers were in the aerial division of the armed forces: Sergeant Ralph A. Goring was overseas with the U.S. glider infantry; RCAF Flight-Lieutenant Francis Carlyle, who went overseas with Curtis, was in England; and brother LAC Scotty Ross Goring, was stationed at an RCAF base in Quebec.

In October 1945, William Goring received a War Service Gratuity of $518.52 for the loss of his son Curtis. For widowed father William in Sarnia, he would lose a second son in the war, Francis Carlyle of the RCAF, less than one year later. 

Twenty-eight-year-old Curtis Goring has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Runnymede War Memorial, Surrey, United Kingdom, Panel 179.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Lyle Goring was born in Brigden, Ontario, on September 19, 1921, the son of William Curtis (born in Petrolia, Enniskillen Township, a farmer) and Amanda Flora (nee McLean, born in Alvinston, Brooke, Lambton County) Goring of 133 Richard Street, Sarnia. He was also the nephew of Sarnians Mr. and Mrs. O.E. Mannen of Richard Street and Mr. and Mrs. Moses Hallam of 359 Wellington Street, later 162 Richard Street. The Gorings were blessed with seven children that included sons Curtis Albert (born September 1914, see above); Ralph Archibald (born in Detroit, 1917); Keith Emerson (born 1918); Francis Carlyle (born 1921); and Scotty Ross (born September 1924). They also had two daughters, Marion (born 1919) and Blanche (born 1927). Four of the Goring boys served in the Armed Forces—two of them made the supreme sacrifice.

When Lyle was only nine years old, he lost his mother, Amanda, who passed away in 1930. Lyle’s education included attending Johnston Memorial Public Elementary from 1930 to 1935 and then Sarnia Collegiate from September 1935 to June 1940. Lyle was interested in the military at a young age. While attending Sarnia Collegiate, Lyle was a member of the Cadet Corps for five years, and his hobbies included building model aircraft, and revolver and rifle shooting. He was one of the leading marksmen there in revolver and rifle shooting. He was very active in sports, particularly hockey, football, swimming, and baseball, along with softball, tennis, golf, lacrosse, and basketball. After leaving Sarnia Collegiate, Lyle worked as a clerk at a drug store owned by A.E. Sole from July through September 1937. Later, he was employed as a clerk with Howard & Mundy Sheet Metal Works at 130 Ontario Street. He worked at this job for approximately six months until he enlisted.

Nineteen-year-old Francis Lyle Goring enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on January 4, 1941, in London, Ontario. One month later, his 26-year-old brother Curtis (see above) also enlisted in the RCAF. Lyle stood five feet seven inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, was single, and recorded his occupation as student. He was residing with his aunt and uncle at the time, Mr. and Mrs. Moses Hallam of 359 Wellington Street. Lyle recorded his next-of-kin as his father William, and his address as, William Goring in care of J. Youngbloot, R.R. #1 Woodstock, Ontario (farmer). Lyle requested flying duties, with a preference to be a pilot or air gunner. After the war, Lyle planned to return to school towards the goal of working as a pilot, or administrator of an airline or doing aeronautical research work.

His training in the RCAF was extensive. From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, he was transferred to #1 Auxiliary Manning Depot in Picton. Lyle received his training at #6 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Mountain View, Ontario; and then at #1 Initial Training School (ITS) in Toronto. Later, he attended #3 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in London and #6 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Dunnville, Ontario. He was awarded his Pilot’s Flying Badge on December 5, 1941, at Dunnville, where he graduated as a sergeant pilot. On

December 6, 1941, Lyle was posted to #1 Y Depot in Halifax. Six days later, his brother Curtis also arrived at Y Depot, Halifax. Not long afterwards, on January 7, 1942, Lyle and Curtis embarked overseas for the United Kingdom.

From #3 Personnel Reception Centre in England, Lyle continued his training at #1 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) until early March 1942 when he became a member of #296 Squadron. Approximately four months after arriving overseas, Lyle experienced the thrill of being introduced to Their Royal Majesties. While stationed in England, Lyle shook hands with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth when they paid a surprise visit to the squadron. In August 1942, Lyle was discharged from the Royal Canadian Air Force on appointment to Commissioned Rank in the R.A.F. In January 1943, he was posted to RAF Chilbolton.

In March 1943, Lyle was promoted to flight lieutenant and made a flight commander in the R.C.A.F. In September 1943, he celebrated his 22nd birthday “somewhere in England,” as a member of #41 Operational Training Unit (OTU). During that same month, he learned that his brother Flight Sergeant Curtis Goring was missing after air operations. A month later, he learned that his brother Curtis was now for official purposes, presumed dead in Germany.

This devastating news was followed by happier news. On November 29, 1943, Lyle Goring married Joyce Pamela Jones in Reigate, Surrey, England. Joyce was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF). The couple had one daughter together, Christine Mary, born June 15, 1944. They resided first at Wray Park Road, Reigate, Surrey, and later Meadvale, Redhill, Surrey, England. After the war, in March 1950, Joyce Goring’s address was recorded as 588 Cromwell Street, Sarnia.

On March 21, 1944, Flying Officer-Pilot Lyle Goring became a member of RCAF #430 City of Sudbury Squadron whose motto was “Celeriter certoque” (Swiftly and surely). No. 430 Squadron was initially created in January 1943 as an army co-operation squadron, and in June of that year, was re-designated as a fighter reconnaissance unit, originally equipped with Curtiss Tomahawks, and later with North American Mustangs and Spitfires.

In March 1944, Francis Lyle Goring was part of a group of eight members of the Royal Canadian Air Force that were given the opportunity to visit a coal mine in North Wales. Arrangements had been made by the British Council, a national organization devoted to fostering goodwill. The eight members of the RCAF were outfitted with overalls, helmets, and lanterns and descended the half-mile to the pit bottom so quickly that ear-drums clicked. Lyle Goring expressed the common thought: “Whooee, just like a power dive.” As the RCAF fliers debarked from the cage, they were met by the “onsetter,” Freddie Edwards, and shouted a cheery “Ullo chaps.”

His 16-year-old assistant grinned through a layer of coal. The assistant had chosen this job when he became

eligible for compulsory employment in one of several industries. In the muffled darkness of the mine the fliers met muscular Britons toiling at the coal face. The Canadians and the miners were soon engaged in a friendly discussion as to the merits of working “above” versus “below” the earth’s surface, and each opined his job was the easiest. The fliers walked up slants and down steep grades, churning the dust and puffing audibly, surrounded by the deafening clatter, screeching and rumbling sounds inside the mine. One RCAF flier stated, “We’ll take a nice quiet war anytime.”

The Battle of Normandy began for the Canadians with the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Juno Beach. After breaching the “Atlantic Wall” of “Fortress Europe”, Allied armies began their break out from the narrow Normandy bridgehead to carve out a foothold on the French mainland. To accomplish this took a whole summer of tenacious fighting that saw the Canadians pushing against fierce and ruthless German forces to advance east across France. In a brutal campaign of attrition, the Canadian army, supported by the navy and air force, faced fierce battles and vicious counterattacks as they clawed their way forward to liberate villages and towns including Bretteville, Carpiquet, Caen, and Falaise.

RCAF #430 Squadron, then operating as a fighter reconnaissance unit, carried out photo reconnaissance missions in support of planning for the Normandy landings. On D-Day, it provided support for the 2nd British Army, and after D-Day, missions included support for ground forces during the Battle of Normandy, and before-and-after photography of attacks on V-1 flying bomb launch sites.

On August 12, 1944, two months after the birth of his daughter, Francis Lyle Goring was aboard his Mustang aircraft AG455 that was engaged on a reconnaissance mission with one other plane. His aircraft was shot down over Culey Le Patry, between Falaise and Vire, France, during the Battle of Normandy. Lyle was killed in the attack on his Mustang. Local residents were able to extract his body from the wreckage for burial.

Approximately one week after the crash, William Goring in Sarnia received a telegram from R.C.A.F. Headquarters in Ottawa informing him that his son FLIGHT LIEUTENANT F C GORING WAS REPORTED MISSING AFTER AIR OPERATIONS OVERSEAS ON AUGUST 12.The telegram also stated that a letter would follow. Not long before receiving this telegram, William had received a letter from his son Lyle stating that he expected to be returned to Canada soon.

At the time of Lyle’s death, three of his brothers were in the aerial division of the armed forces: Sergeant Ralph A. Goring was overseas with the U.S. glider infantry; RCAF Flight-Sergeant Curtis Albert Goring, who went overseas with Lyle, had been killed in action one year earlier; and brother LAC Scotty Ross Goring was stationed at an RCAF base in Quebec.

            In late August 1944, Lyle’s wife Joyce in Reigate, Surrey, England, received the following letter from the Wing Commander, for Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, RCAF, Overseas:

Dear Mrs. Goring,

            It is with deep regret that I must confirm the communication you have recently received which stated that your husband, Flying Officer Francis Carlyle Goring was reported missing as a result of air operations on the 12th August, 1944.

            Your husband, piloting an aircraft took off for a tactical reconnaissance flight over France, and failed to return. This does not necessarily mean that he has been killed or wounded as it is possible he may be a prisoner of war or even free which I hope may prove to be the case.

The request that no information be given to the press is made in order that your husband’s chances of escape

will not be jeopardized by undue publicity if he is still at large. This does not mean that information is available concerning him but is a precaution adopted in the case of all personnel reported missing.

            I can assure you that enquiries are being made through every available source and any information which may be forthcoming will be communicated to you at once. Please accept my sympathy with you in your great anxiety.

In mid-June 1945, William received the following letter from the Air Vice-Marshal, Air Member for Personnel in Ottawa:

Dear Mr. Goring:

            It is with deep regret that I must inform you that advice received from the Royal Canadian Air Force Casualties Officer, Overseas, states that your son, Flying Officer Francis Carlyle Goring, is now for official purposes presumed to have died on Active Service on August 12th, 1944.

            I realize that this letter will be a blow to the hopes you have entertained for so long, and in your sorrow I offer you my deepest sympathy. May the same spirit which prompted your son to offer his life give you renewed courage.

In January 1946, a Search Officer of the No. 1 Missing Research & Enquiry Unit, RAF, submitted his report on an investigation of a crash scene to the Air Ministry in London, England. Following is a portion of those findings:

Aircraft Type: Fighter                                       Date Reported Missing: 12th August, 1944

Place of crash: Noron l’Abbaye                         Crew: One unidentified Pilot

… I proceeded to the village of Neron l’Abbaye where I contacted M. Georges Martin a resident of the village and mentioned in the file as one of the “Temoins a consulter”. M. Martin accompanied us to the scene of the crash approx. 1 kilometre to the west of the village. Here we found the wreckage of a single engine fighter aircraft. It was badly smashed and we were unable to find the engine but found 5 machine guns, two of .5 calibre and 3 of .303 calibre. The numbers of these were as follows… Also on a part of the fuselage there could be discerned in large black lettering a number finishing with 55.

            We saw the grave which had been dug at the side of the crash and which had housed the remains up till some 2 months ago when it was removed by English Army personnel… the body had been exhumed (on October 10, 1945) and reburied at Banneville British Cemetery where it is in plot 4, grave 3, row C, and is marked as an “Unknown British Airman”. The concentration report disclosed that the coffin contained only a few bones, that it was buried beside a small aircraft which bore the number 6579 on a strut of the undercarriage. No other means of identification were found.

In January 1947, Joyce in Meadvale, Redhill, Surrey, England received the following letter from the Wing Commander for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa:

Dear Mrs. Goring:

            It is a privilege to have the opportunity of sending you the Operational Wings and Certificate in recognition of the gallant services rendered by your husband, Flying Officer F.C. Goring. I realize there is little which may be said or done to lessen your sorrows, but it is my hope that these “Wings”, indicative of operations against the enemy, will be a treasured memento of a young life offered on the altar of freedom in defence of his Home and Country.

In April 1947, Joyce, now living at 133 Richard Street, Sarnia, received a letter from the R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mrs. Goring:

            After a great deal of investigation it has been decided that the evidence found proves conclusively that your husband, Flying Officer Francis Carlyle Goring, is buried in Banneville British Cemetery, Calvados, France. The Missing Research and Enquiry Service, on visiting the scene of the crash at Noron L’Abbaye, stated that on a part of the fuselage there could be discerned a number finishing with 55. The only other fighter aircraft missing the same date as your husband has been accounted for and as the registration number of your husband’s aircraft was AG455 it is quite evident that this was his aircraft.

            The Dominion Marksman gold ring which your father-in-law stated that your husband owned was similar to the one found at the scene of the crash. The Dominion Marksman Headquarters in Montreal have confirmed this… I am enclosing the ring in question for your retention. It will be noted that the ring has the name “J.R. Gaunt” inscribed inside. This of course, is the name of the manufacturer.

            … The reverent care of the burial places of all who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force is the task of the Imperial War Graves Commission and these graves will be supported and sustained by the Dominion of Canada. I

hope that it may be of some consolation for you to know that your gallant husband’s grave is in sacred care and

keeping. May I again, at this time, offer you my deepest sympathy in your great loss.

Francis Carlyle “Lyle” Goring was later officially recorded listed as Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas (France). He left behind his newlywed wife Joyce Goring and their 2-month-old daughter Christine. For widowed father William back in Sarnia, this was the second son he lost in the war, having lost his oldest son Curtis of the RCAF, less than one year prior.

In 2005, the wreckage of Francis Lyle Goring’s plane was rediscovered.

Twenty-two-year-old Francis Lyle Goring is buried in Banneville-La-Campagne War Cemetery, Calvados, France, Grave IV.C.3. On his headstone are inscribed the words IN BELOVED MEMORY NEVER FORGOTTEN.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

The boys’ parents were Arthur Howard and Florence “Florrie” (nee Burfield) Graham. Arthur was born on November 3, 1894, in Tara, Bruce County, Ontario, and Florence was born in Wellingborough, England. They married in Windsor, Ontario, on September 26, 1917. Less than one year after getting married, in July 1918, under the Military Service Act of 1917, Arthur enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in London, Ontario. The married 23-year-old was residing at 58 Aylmer Avenue in Windsor at the time where he was employed as a city fireman. He became a member of the 1^st Depot Battalion, Western Ontario Regiment based in London, Ontario. Fortunately for him, with the war ending in November 1918, Arthur did not have to serve overseas, and he was discharged in January 1919. By then, he was already the father of one.

The Graham family lived in Windsor for a time, then Chatham briefly, before moving to Sarnia by 1938 where they resided at 144 N. Vidal Street. Arthur Graham was employed with the CNR as a fireman and engineer. A couple of years after the war, the Grahams moved to 1084 London Road, R.R. #1 Sarnia. Arthur and Florence had three children together, all boys: William Richard (born July 26, 1918 in Windsor); Jack Howard (born June 30, 1920 in Windsor); and Lloyd Thomas (born March 1, 1923 in Chatham).

The oldest boy, William, enlisted along with his brother, Jack, in September 1939 in Windsor, both becoming members of the Essex Scottish Regiment. After training at Camp Borden, they were sent to England for training on the Isle of Wight. In October 1942, the youngest Graham boy, Lloyd, wanting to follow his brothers, became a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Prior to enlisting, Lloyd’s two older brothers, Jack and William, were both serving overseas in the Canadian Army with the Essex Scottish Regiment. In August 1942, only days after the August 19 Dieppe Raid (where the Essex Regiment played a central role), parents Arthur and Florence in Sarnia received word that their middle son Jack was listed as missing in the Raid, but they had heard nothing official regarding eldest son William’s fate in the Raid. In that same week, determined to get into the thick of things, 19-year-old Lloyd decided to enlist. Just days before enlisting, Lloyd said, “I applied for the R.C.A.F. two weeks ago. I want to be an air gunner, but mother would prefer to see me in the navy. I’ll make up my mind in a day or so.” 

Lloyd stood six feet tall, had hazel eyes and light brown hair, and was single when he completed his Royal Canadian Air Force Attestation Paper on August 10, 1942, in Windsor, Ontario. He recorded his next of kin as his mother, Mrs. Florrie Graham of 144 N. Vidal Street, and his occupation as a tool and dye apprentice. He requested flying duties with a preference to be a wireless air gunner. He underwent his RCAF medical on August 17, 1942, and became an active enlistee on October 15, 1942. The recruitment officer who interviewed Lloyd recorded that he was a Good type, alert, cooperative, sincere, enthusiastic, keen to fly and be of service, has 2 brothers in the army – one of whom is reported missing after Dieppe action, should make good material for aircrew (A.G.).

From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, Lloyd received training at #4 Wireless School (WS) in Guelph; and at #4 Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) in Fingal, graduating as a wireless operator/air gunner (WAG) from Fingal on September 20, 1943. His parents were there at the graduation to witness Lloyd receive his newly won wings. Lloyd continued his training at #4 Air Observer School (AOS) in London, Ontario, and at #3 Aircrew Graduate Training School (AGTS) in Three Rivers, Quebec. On March 15, 1944, Lloyd was posted to #1 Y Depot in Lachine, Quebec. Lloyd Graham embarked from Halifax overseas for the United Kingdom on March 25, 1944.

Lloyd arrived in the United Kingdom on April 2, 1944. From #3 Personnel Reception Centre, he initially served with #6 (Observer) Advanced Flying Unit (AFU); and then with #22 Operational Training Unit (OTU). On November 7, 1944, Lloyd became a member of RCAF #419 Moose Squadron “Moosa aswayita” (written in Cree, not Latin, means “Beware the moose-a ferocious fighter”), part of Bomber Command.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

RCAF #419 Squadron was formed at RAF Mildenhall, England, in December 1941 and was named after its first commanding officer, Wing Commander John “Moose” Fulton. The unit moved to various bases throughout the war, including Leeming, Topcliffe, Croft, and Middleton St. George. Initially operating Wellington bombers, in November 1942 the squadron converted to Handley Page Halifax bombers before flying Avro Lancasters in March 1944.

Only one month after becoming a member of #419 Squadron, on his seventh mission into the industrial heartland of Germany, Lloyd Graham lost his life. On December 6, 1944, he was aboard Lancaster X aircraft KB779 (markings VR-B) that left Middleton St. George, England, at approximately 16.40 hours for a night attack against Osnabruk, Germany. Its estimated time of return was 22.40 hours; however, nothing further was heard from the aircraft after it left the base. A total of 453 aircraft took part in the operation, the first major raid on this target in more than two years. Sixteen Lancasters from Moose Squadron took part in the night operation in horrible weather. It was recorded that 18 bombs remained hung up in the bomb bays of various Moose aircraft because of the cold (a dangerous situation for the crews carrying them—aircraft had been lost when they attempted landings with bombs still hung up in the racks). The cold weather would have caused electrical contacts to contract, resulting in loose connections to the fusing circuits and release mechanisms; therefore, the crews would not know if they had properly set them back to SAFE mode. What exactly happened to Lancaster KB779 and her crew on that night may never be known.

The Lancaster aircraft may have encountered severe icing conditions or may have been shot down during the night attack against Osnabruk. Perishing with Pilot Officer-Wireless Operator/Air Gunner Lloyd Graham were F/Os Bruce Douglas Hyndman, and Gordon Roy Cheesman; P/Os George Edward Smith, Ezra Mulloy Hansen, and Douglas Lloyd Marcellus; and Sgt. Ronald Dennis Ovis (RAF).

In mid-December 1944, Arthur and Florence received a telegram informing them that their son FLIGHT SERGT LLOYD THOMAS GRAHAM RCAF IS MISSING OVERSEAS AFTER AN OPERATIONAL FLIGHT FROM ENGLAND.They received the telegram almost simultaneously with a letter from their son Corporal Jack Graham, a veteran of Dieppe, who was then a prisoner of war in Germany.

In mid-December 1944, Florence on N. Vidal Street, also received a letter from the Wing Commander, Commanding 419 (RCAF) Squadron, “Moose Squadron”. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mrs. Graham:

            I regret to confirm the telegram you have already received notifying you that your son F. Sergeant Lloyd Thomas Graham, is missing from an attack on Western Germany on the night of December 6th. This was a very heavy and concentrated attack which has since proved very successful but unfortunately, nothing has been heard of your son’s aircraft or crew since they took off and their loss can only be attributed to enemy action. There is still quite a possibility that all or part of the crew may be prisoners of war, but news of this could not be expected for some considerable time yet.

            During the month your son was with us, he took part in seven attacks on the enemy. All of these were directed against the main German industrial regions and in each attack Lloyd proved himself worthy of his position. He set a very high standard of excellence as a Wireless Operator and that, combined with his friendly nature made him a very popular lad whom we can ill afford to lose….

            May I convey my sincere sympathy to you in this trying time of waiting and hope with you that better news may follow.

Also in mid-December 1944, Arthur received a letter from the R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mr. Graham:

            It is with deep regret that I must confirm the information conveyed to you by the Royal Canadian Air Force Chaplain, informing you that your son, Flight Sergeant Lloyd Thomas Graham, is reported missing on Active Service.

            Advice has been received from the Royal Canadian Air Force Casualties Officer, Overseas, that your son and the entire crew of his aircraft failed to return to their base after taking off at 4:40 P.M. on December 6th, 1944, to carry out air operations over Osnabruck, Germany.

The term “missing” is used only to indicate that his whereabouts is not immediately known and does not necessarily mean that your son has been killed or wounded. He may have landed in enemy territory and might be a Prisoner of War; and should you receive any card or letter from him please forward it at once to the Royal Canadian Air Force Casualties Officer, Air Force Headquarters, Ottawa. Enquiries have been made through the International Red Cross Society and all other appropriate sources and I wish to assure you that any further information received will be communicated to you immediately.

            … Your son’s name will not appear on the official casualty list for five weeks. You may, however, release to the Press or Radio the fact that he is reported missing, but not disclosing the date, place or his unit. Permit me to extend to you my heartfelt sympathy during this period of uncertainty and I join with you and the members of your family in the hope that better news will be forthcoming in the near future.

In June 1945, Florence received a letter from the Group Captain for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mrs. Graham;

            I have the honour to forward, herewith, the Royal Canadian Air Force Officer’s Commission Script for your son, Pilot Officer Lloyd T. Graham. This script, which is being forwarded to you for safekeeping, represents the authority vested in Pilot Officer Graham, as well as the trust placed in him by His Majesty, The King.

Also in June 1945, Arthur received the following letter from the R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa:

Dear Mr. Graham:

            I greatly regret that since my letter of December 22nd, 1944 no further information has been received concerning your son, Pilot Officer Lloyd Thomas Graham. Every effort is still being made to trace your son although due to the lapse of time it is now felt there is less hope of locating him. May I again assure you and the members of your family of my earnest sympathy.

In early August 1945, Arthur received another letter from the R.C.A.F. Casualty Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa. Following is that letter:

Dear Mr. Graham:

            It is with deep regret that, in view of the lapse of time and the absence of any further information concerning your son, Pilot Officer Lloyd Thomas Graham, since he was reported missing the Air Ministry Overseas now proposes to take action to presume his death for official purposes.

            Will you please confirm by letter that you have not received any further evidence or news concerning him. The presumption of death will proceed on hearing from you, and on completion you will receive official notification by registered letter from the Chief of the Air Staff.

            May I extend to you and the members of your family my sincere sympathy in this time of great anxiety.

In August 1945, Arthur and Florence, then at R.R. #1, Sarnia, still held out hope about the fate of Lloyd. Following is a portion of their reply to the RCAF Casualty Officer, written by Florence:

Dear Sir,

            On behalf of Mr Graham and myself… we have received no word, other than what has come from your office, concerning our dear son Pilot Officer Lloyd Thomas Graham. We could only wish that we had heard something. We lost our oldest son, Lt. William Graham, in action on March 2nd of this year. So our hopes were pretty high that perhaps Lloyd would be found for us. But it isn’t to be that way I guess. Thank you for your kind expression of sympathy.

Though Lloyd had been reported missing in early December 1944, it was not until October of 1945, two

months after the war had ended, that his parents were notified that their son, Pilot Officer Lloyd T. Graham, was

officially recorded as Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas (Germany). Following is the letter received by the Grahams in October 1945, from the Air Marshal, Chief of the Air Staff:

Dear Mr. Graham:

            I have learned with deep regret that your son, Pilot Officer Lloyd Thomas Graham, is now for official purposes presumed to have died on Active Service Overseas on December 6th, 1944. I wish to offer you and the members of your family my sincere and heartfelt sympathy. It is most lamentable that a promising career should be thus terminated and I would like you to know that his loss is greatly deplored by all those with whom he was serving.

In January 1946, Arthur and Florence received a War Service Gratuity of $325.65 for the loss of their youngest son. In mid-February 1947, Florence received the following letter from the Wing Commander for Chief of the Air Staff in Ottawa:

Dear Mrs. Graham:

            It is a privilege to have the opportunity of sending you the Operational Wings and Certificate in recognition of the gallant services rendered by your son, Pilot Officer, L.T. Graham. I realize there is little which may be said or done to lessen your sorrows, but it is my hope that these “Wings”, indicative of operations against the enemy, will be a treasured memento of a young life offered on the altar of freedom in defence of his Home and Country.

            It was not until August 1951 that Arthur and Florence received another letter from the Wing Commander, R.C.A.F. Casualties Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mrs. Graham:

            It is with regret that I refer to the loss of your son, Pilot Officer Lloyd Thomas Graham, who lost his life on air operations against the enemy, December 6, 1944, but owing to the lapse of time and the lack of any information concerning your son, his aircraft or any member of his crew since they left their base in England, it must be regretfully accepted and officially recorded that your son and his crew lost their lives and do not have a “known” grave.

Due to the extreme hazards attending air operations there are, unhappily, many thousands of British aircrew boys who, like your son, do not have a “known” grave and all will be commemorated on General Memorials that will be erected at a number of locations by the Imperial War Graves Commission (of which Canada is a member), each Memorial representative of a theatre of operations. One of these Memorials will be erected at Runnymede, England, and the names of your son, Pilot Officer Lloyd Thomas Graham and the members of his crew will appear on that Memorial….

            I realize that this is an extremely distressing letter and that there is no manner of conveying such information to you that would not add to your heartaches, and I am fully aware that nothing I may say will lessen your great sorrow, but I would like to take this opportunity of expressing to you and the members of your family my deepest sympathy in the loss of your gallant son.

Lloyd Graham was posthumously awarded the 1939-45 Star, the France and German Star, the Defence Medal, the General Service Medal and the C.V.S.M. Award and Clasp.

Twenty-one-year-old Lloyd Graham has no known grave. He is memorialized at Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, United Kingdom, Panel 250.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand

Two months later, on August 19, 1942, Jack Graham, along with his brother William, took part in The Dieppe Raid. On that day, approximately 6,100 Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen, of which 4,963 were Canadian, landed on the beaches of Dieppe, a small town on the coast of France. Included in the landing crafts were 553 members of the Essex Scottish Regiment, tasked with carrying out a frontal assault directly on the town in an area designated as Red Beach.

Code-named Operation Jubilee, the mission hoped to achieve several goals: destroying radar and other military installations; damage enemy shipping and port facilities; seizing a neighbouring airfield; capturing a German divisional naval headquarters to acquire intelligence documents; and gathering information from prisoners. Jubilee would also serve as a test run for the future invasion of Europe and would take some pressure off the Eastern Front. Recently declassified documents have shown that at its heart was a “pinch” (British slang for “steal”) operation designed to capture cryptographic material for code breakers in Bletchley Park in England. The main goal of the raid was to capture German documents, code books, and a four-rotor Enigma encryption machine.

The raiding soldiers were intended to arrive early in the morning under the cover of darkness, but they were delayed, and there was inadequate supporting fire. As a result, they had to approach the cliffs of Dieppe fully visible to the German troops waiting for them in fortified buildings and bunkers atop the 75-foot-high cliffs. Many soldiers from the Essex Scottish, arriving a little after 5:00 a.m., died in the landing craft or in the water as they attempted to wade ashore through the maelstrom of enemy fire. By 6:30 a.m., the battle was effectively over for the Essex Scottish—they suffered at least 75% casualties, and Red Beach was a macabre scene of bloodied water, wounded men, and scattered corpses. By 11:00 a.m. the withdrawal began and, after two hours, approximately 400 Canadians were evacuated safely back to England—51 of them were Essex Scottish. The Dieppe operation was a disaster, and of the 4,963 Canadians that landed, 907 were killed, 2,460 were wounded, and 1,946 were captured.

One of those captured at Dieppe, by the middle of the day on August 19, 1942, was 22-year-old Corporal Jack Graham. Only days after the Raid, the Graham parents in Sarnia received the news that their son, Jack, was reported as missing, but no word was given on the fate of their other son, William. Later, they learned that William was one of the lucky ones. He survived Dieppe, returned to England, and prepared to fight another day. 

Two days after learning that Jack was missing, Arthur and Florence received a letter from him that had been mailed in the weeks prior to the raid. In the letter, Jack told of the strenuous training that the chosen Canadian troops had undergone over a protracted period in preparation for a “big scale raid on the French coast.” He also mentioned that there was a certain somebody in England whom he liked very much, but he had not got around to the point of asking about their future plans because of the uncertainties of the future (the “certain somebody” was an English girl by the name of Doris Tennesse Vera Dorrel). Jack also gave details regarding the commando course, and of how the troops had worked in close cooperation with the air force and the navy while making practice landings. He wrote The first month was the hardest, we worked in mud up to our necks. We were so tired during this time we seldom left the camp figuring sleep was more important. The men were up every day at 5 o’clock and lights were out at 9:30 o’clock.

The days following the Dieppe raid was a very anxious time for the Graham family and for thousands of Canadians. Initial reports throughout the country stated that the Dieppe Raid was a success; in fact, a subheading in the August 20 edition of the Sarnia Canadian Observer read “Every Goal Achieved in Nine-Hour Battle.” But in the ensuing days and weeks, as mounting casualty lists from Ottawa were published in newspapers, it became clear to Canadians that the outcome of the Raid was devastating.

It was not until Thanksgiving of October 1942 that Jack’s parents received the “happy” news that their son, Jack, previously reported missing at Dieppe, was a prisoner of the Nazis, confined at Camp Stalag 8B, Germany. Two other local families received the same news about their sons on that Thanksgiving Day. John Brown, of 281 Wellington Street, learned that his son, Sapper Albert William Thomas Brown, who was with the 11th Field Company, was in the same Camp Stalag 8B; and Mr. and Mrs. Dunn of 405 Michigan Avenue, Point Edward, learned that their son, Sapper Douglas Albert Dunn, also of the 11th Field Company, was in the hands of the Germans.

In February 1943, Arthur and Florence received a letter from Jack, dated December 6, 1942. In the letter, he wrote that he was well, but still looking for letters from his home in Canada, although he had received four letters from England. He also mentioned that he had met a boy from Sarnia in the camp, named Demeray [it was Norris

Demeray, also captured at Dieppe]. Jack said that he would like his parents to send him a pair of shoes and a pack of

cards.

            On a postcard dated November 29, 1942, he wrote that he had made himself a pair of warm mitts from the sleeve of a tunic. Five months later, in April 1943, Florence received another letter from Jack in the German prison camp. In that letter, he acknowledged the receipt of a parcel of dainties sent to him, along with the cigarettes from the Sarnia branch of the Red Cross. He was particularly pleased with several family snapshots that were included, stating that he enjoyed them more than “a whole parcel of chocolate.”

In mid-December 1944, Arthur and Florence received another letter from Jack, which arrived almost

simultaneously as a telegram that they received informing them that their son Flight Sergeant Lloyd Thomas Graham

was missing overseas. In Jack’s letter, he referred to others from the Sarnia district whom he had met in captivity, including Cecil Fowler, John (Bunt) Murray, Joe Barr of Point Edward, and another Essex Scottish man named Zink.

Jack Graham spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war. Approximately three years after the Dieppe Raid, Jack and his fellow prisoners were liberated by the British ‘Desert Rats’ in 1945, just prior to the end of

the war. In late April 1945, Arthur and Florence received a cable from Jack stating that he had been liberated from German prison camp, Stalag 357 (Stalag II-B) by the advancing troops of the United Nations. In early May 1945, Arthur and Florence received the following letter from the Deputy Minister, Department of National War Services in Ottawa:

Dear Mrs. Graham,

Honourable J.J. McCann, Minister of National War Services, has requested me to express to you his great pleasure at learning that your son, Cpl. Jack Howard Graham, A-21433, is no longer a prisoner of war and is now in safe hands.

It has been a privilege of the Prisoners of War, Next of Kin Division of this Department to serve you during the long period of anxiety through which you have passed and the Minister is anxious that you should know how much your cooperation and consideration have been appreciated. It is our earnest hope that your son will soon be restored to you to resume his place in civilian life.        

Following their liberation, Jack and his fellow POWs returned to England. Jack Graham, who stood six feet two inches tall, had his weight drop to approximately 100 pounds. Doris Dorrel, the “certain somebody in England” whom Jack liked very much, travelled by train to Brighton to be reunited with him on a train platform there. During the war, Doris had served with the Royal Air Force. Jack and Doris dated for a time, and were married on June 16, 1945, in Brighton, England. Jack had to return to Canada without his new “war bride”, but Doris arrived in Halifax on the troopship Mauretania on January 21, 1946.

Jack and Doris Graham lived on London Road in Sarnia for a time and then moved to Ripley, Ontario, for a couple of years before returning to Sarnia. They lived on Superior Street for many years and later moved to Point Edward. Jack and Doris had three children together: Lynne, Lloyd Richard, and their youngest Marsha. [Note –

Jack and Doris’ only son was named in honour of Jack’s two fallen brothers – Lloyd and (William) Richard].

            Jack worked for Union Carbide, and by the time their kids were in high school, Doris had been employed over the years at several Sarnia hotels, including the Village Inn, Drawbridge Inn, and the Canterbury Hotel. Jack worked for, and eventually retired from, Dow Chemical Limited in Sarnia. Their daughter Marsha (Guthrie) gave Jack and Doris two grandchildren: Lisa and Melissa Guthrie. After marrying, Lisa (Melanson) went on to have two boys: Jeff and Garrett Melanson, and Melissa (Stebbins) had two girls: Alexandra and Lauren Stebbins (four great grandchildren for Jack and Doris).

Jack Graham never spoke of the war. His children knew very little of his experiences, except that he did not like turnips, or even the smell of them (he ate plenty of them as a POW). Even after his young children, Lloyd and Marsha, found an old keepsake tin box of his in their attic containing some of his war memorabilia, Jack did not want

to talk about it—he would get too emotional. Two of Jack’s other keepsakes included a scrapbook and the diary he kept as a POW. He (and other POWs) received the scrapbook (referred to as a War-time log) on July 31, 1943, in Stalag VIIIB, part of War Prisoners Aid, from the World’s Alliance of Young Men’s Christian Associations based in Geneve, Suisse. Following is a portion of the instructions that came with the War-time log:

Dear Friend,

             …. These blank pages offer many possibilities. Not everyone will want to keep a diary or even a journal – occasional notes on the story of his war-time experiences. If you are a writer, here is space for a short story. If you are an artist (some people are) you may want to cover these pages with sketches of your camp, caricatures of its important personalities, whether residents or authorities. If you are a poet, major or minor, confide your lyrics to these pages. If you feel that circumstances cramp your style in correspondence you might write here letters unmailable now, but safely kept to be carried with you on your return. This book might serve to list the most striking concoctions of the camp kitchen, the records of a camp olympic, or a selection of the best jokes cracked in camp….

           You might want to do something altogether different with this book. Whatever you do, let it be a visible link between yourself and folks at home, one more reminder that their thoughts are with you constantly. If it brings you this assurance, the Log will have served its purpose.

                                                                                    War Prisoners’ Aid of the YMCA

Jack filled many of the pages of the scrapbook with drawings, sketches of the camp, and with poetry, including the following two poems that he wrote about his parents:

                 My Mother                                                               My Dad

No finer heart could be found,                                       So many years he’s toiled away,

Tho search the whole world you may;                            A sacred pledge he’s kept each day;

No sweeter smile could greet the morn                           He’s provided a home and comfort too:

And drive dull cares away.                                            For him – MY DAD – had lots to do.

No lovelier face could be my own                                  A loving husband; father too

To hold within my humble heart;                                               To wife and family; he’s been true;

                 CONTINUED OVER…                                                                              CONTINUED OVER…

A pulse that beats for me alone,                                     And now his hair is silvering grey,

Tho some day we must part.                                          Too soon – MY DAD – must go away.

Once golden hair; now silver grey,                                To you who’s kindly words and ways,

Adorns that head sublime;                                             Have helped me through so many days;

No patience strong could ere be found                           There’ll never be another one,

Or brought within an ace of time                                   I’m proud – MY DAD – to be your son.

I shall not need; I shall not have;                                   So when you’ve left this toil and strife

I’ll never find another                                                   To live in peace: the other life;

To take the place of one so kind                                     May I, your son, have strength to be,

GODS MASTERPIECE – MY MOTHER                        The man – MY DAD – you were to me.

Following is a poem that Jack wrote in his personal POW diary:

On the waves of sweetest music

Comes the lovely thought of you

In the whisper of the breezes

And the sparkle of the dew

With the beauty of the morning

And the quiet of the night

Comes the breath of memory

That stirs old dreams of past delight

In the horror of the black moments

When the heart is gripped with fear

When the soul seems gripped in darkness

Groping blindly you are near

Giving me fresh faith and courage

Through sunshine and shadows

Comes the lovely thought of you

One of Jack Graham’s great grandchildren would have a profound effect on him. A young Garrett Melanson grew up knowing his great grandfather fought in a war and saw him wearing his formal wear and medals each Remembrance Day. In late 2004, 10-year-old Garrett (at St. Joseph’s in Corunna) was given a school assignment to write a story about his hero. He chose his great grandfather, Jack Graham. Garrett interviewed Jack about his war experiences, wrote his story, and presented it to his classmates. Following that, the classroom teacher contacted Garrett’s mother and asked if Jack would be interested in speaking to the class. Jack accepted and began to open up about his war experiences.

Over several years, Jack spoke in other schools, at churches, and to various interested groups. His mission was to make sure that people always remembered those who fought and lost their lives for our freedoms. He always ended his speech talking about his heroes—his parents—who worried and suffered at home during the war with three sons serving and coped for the rest of their lives with the loss of two sons.

Jack Graham’s memories of that fateful Dieppe Raid morning included details such as his coming off the boat and being fired upon immediately; of men getting killed, with many of his comrades dead around him; and of the water—coloured red with blood. He also recalled that We had plenty of training under our belt and that training took over. We had practiced landing; however, the ramp went down and I found myself crawling over bodies, no training could prepare us for what lay ahead. I can clearly remember Pappy Beck shouting, ‘Keep your head down!’ I was carrying an E.Y. Rifle with a grenade on the end of the barrel. It was new to me and a bit top heavy. I recall getting it stuck in the stones once I reached the beach. Carnage was everywhere. It was a massacre.

Jack Graham was a prisoner of war in Germany for 34 months during which he spent time in four different POW camps: Stalag 8-B Lamsdorf (Germany); Stalag 2-D Stargard (Poland); Stalag 20-A Thorn (Poland); and Stalag 11-B Fallingbostel (in NW Germany). He recalled his wrists being tied in ropes and then with shackles for many months; he remembered subsiding on turnips, often rotten; and participating in forced marches. Some of his memories of the prisoner of war camps are given in the following: If you behaved yourself, you would survive. I was scared and I followed the rules. There was an occasion when I cleared my throat and spat. Unfortunately, two German officers thought I was being disrespectful to them. I spent seven days in the ‘cooler’ for my actions. As the war progressed, we were aware of the Allied Forces’ successes. Crystal radio receivers kept us posted and after 34 months I heard the bombs in the distance. That morning we climbed to the roof tops and could see the British 8th Army coming. The dogs and guards were gone and for the first time in nearly three years, we were free!

Following is a portion of Jack’s talk given to his great grandson Garrett’s class and to others:

I had two years militia before I went active on September 9, 1939… The Essex Scottish were a kilted regiment. During World War I, kilted regiments were nicknamed “The ladies from hell”. In 1942, the 2nd Division, including the Essex Scots were considered the best trained troops in Britain at that time, after nearly 2 years of extensive training with lots of commando training on the Isle of Wight.

We expected to raid Dieppe on July 4, 19422 but the weather and tides were against us so we returned to the mainland hoping no one would “shoot off their mouth” about our activities. On the night of August 18th, 1942, we embarked on the mother ships in a huge convoy leaving a few guys behind, thinking we were going on another scheme. But half way across the English Channel, we were told THIS IS IT – on our way to Dieppe! It was a little scary for a while until I realized – “What the heck, this is what I trained for all these years.” So I settled down to try to remember my training.

We landed on August 19, 1942, in assault landing crafts later than expected, due to a part of the convoy coming across some German patrol crafts. NOW THEY KNEW WE WERE COMING. By the time we got near enough to shore they threw everything they had at us – many of our men were lost before they had a chance to land, many were drowned. A regiment of Churchill tanks tried to land but they still had old tracks on – not ready for battle.

It was 8 hours of HELL on the beach, machine guns hiding in the cliffs on three sides, artillery shells from

inland, mortars too and German aircraft overhead – ALL in broad daylight. At last, we were told by our General

Roberts that the ships in the channel could not, after many attempts, get us off the beach, that “all was lost”. We took the bolts from our rifles, threw them as far as possible.

When we were captured, the Germans made us pile our helmets on the promenade. The Germans then marched us into town to a churchyard, surrounded by a high spike fence. After awhile, we were marched approximately 6 miles inland to an abandoned factory for the night. It was dark, I slept in a bed of stinging nettles. The next day we marched to a railroad station and were put on railroad box cars – 40 men to a car, much smaller than ours. There was a huge bucket for a toilet and a small pail of water and a cup in each car. They gave us each a ration of black bread. We could see through the cracks and had a window about 5” X 18” for air. There were guards on top of each car.

The next day we arrived at a holding camp in central France for interrogation, etc. and to gather our wits and see who was still alive. Three of four days later we were put back on a train for a long ride to a POW camp in (the) southeast corner of Germany. Camp #8B was our new home. We stayed the longest time here – it was the biggest camp in Germany. This is where we “Dieppers” had our wrists tied together with twine… for about 6 months. The Red Cross found out about it and made them put us in manacles – chains 18” apart, for approximately 6 months. All this for reprisals of treatment of their prisoners on the beach.

We did get parcels and mail from home. One Red Cross parcel each for awhile, then 2-1, then 4-1 and 8-1 – this was after D-Day. They had no way to get them to us. German rations were very small – turnip soup, black bread. We were supposed to get the same food as their troops. We were then moved to northeast Germany, Camp 2D. We saw lots of RAF bombing flights. There was a Russian POW camp near us – we watched them cart out the many, many dead.

We were moved again after a few months to the Polish Corridor, Camp 357 Thorun. We didn’t stay too long here because the Russian army was getting close. We could hear the battle noises from Krakow. So we moved again to 357 Fallingbostel in central Germany. Again lots of RAF bombing action. It was from here they force marched most of (the) allied troops away from any action. I did not have to go – the German doctor told me I was too sick to force march. I had a bad case of croupe.

I was left in charge of the compound. Food was getting scarce. We finally heard shells overhead all night. Next morning, (we) saw 8th Army troops and tanks coming across the fields and down the roads. Words cannot tell you how we felt at that time. They took over the camp and arranged our trip by plane to England. Remember, this was 34 months after the Raid on Dieppe!!… My Heroes of WWII were my parents – besides losing many pals, I also lost my older and younger brothers.

Jack Graham never returned to Europe. The war did not sour his outlook on life though. He was always happy and enjoyed life. He was a board member with the New Hope School in Sarnia, was active in ballroom and square dancing, and loved spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Every November was a somber and melancholy time for Jack. He always carried several poppies with him, and if he ever saw someone not wearing one, he would pin a poppy on his or her chest. He himself always wore a poppy, all 365 days of the year. Every November he would have signs printed that read, “Remember Dieppe”, which he posted around Corunna and in Sarnia. He walked each year in the Sarnia Remembrance Day parade, carrying a “Remember Dieppe” sign. He attended Remembrance Day ceremonies every year, no matter the weather, often accompanied by his daughter Marsha and granddaughter. The ceremonies themselves were deeply emotional experiences for Jack. In February 2011, Jack Graham passed away at the age of 90.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand

Twenty-one-year-old William Graham enlisted in the Canadian Army on September 19, 1939, in Windsor, Ontario, becoming a member of the Essex Scottish Regiment, R.C.I.C. His 19-year-old brother Jack (see above), enlisted with him in Windsor, and also became a member of the Essex Scottish.

William stood six feet three inches tall, had hazel eyes and light brown hair, and was single when he enlisted. He had been employed as a milk salesman/truck driver with Borden’s Milk Products in Windsor since November 1938. Prior to 1938, William recorded his occupational history as “odds jobs as salesman, office clerk, etc”. William was promised his job at Borden’s following his service, but he also expressed a desire to start in fruit wholesale.

William received his army training in Windsor, as a member of the Essex Scottish, until late May 1940. In early June 1940, William, along with his brother Jack, embarked overseas for the United Kingdom. William continued his training in the U.K. at the Canadian General Base Depot—training that included taking courses in London and Aldershot. His U.K. preparations continued until August 1942.

On August 18, 1942, Sergeant-Major William Graham, along with his brother, Jack, were part of a force of approximately 6,100 Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen, of which 4,963 were Canadian, tasked with landing on the beaches of a small town on the coast of France in an operation code-named Operation Jubilee. The Dieppe Raid was one of the darkest chapters in Canada’s military history.

The raiding soldiers were intended to arrive early in the morning on August 19 under the cover of darkness, but they were delayed, and there was inadequate supporting fire. As a result, they had to approach the cliffs of Dieppe fully visible to the German troops waiting for them in fortified buildings and bunkers atop the 75-foot-high cliffs. Many of the 553 soldiers from the Essex Scottish Regiment, arriving a little after 5:00 a.m. in an area designated as Red Beach, died in the landing craft or in the water as they attempted to wade ashore through the maelstrom of enemy fire. By 6:30 a.m., the battle was effectively over for the Essex Scottish—they suffered at least 75% casualties, and Red Beach was a macabre scene of bloodied water, wounded men, and scattered corpses. By 11:00 a.m. the withdrawal began and, after two hours, approximately 400 Canadians were evacuated back to England—51 of them were Essex Scottish. The Dieppe operation was a disaster, and of the 4,963 Canadians that landed, 907 were killed, 2,460 were wounded, and 1,946 were captured.

Only days after the Raid, the Graham parents in Sarnia received the news that their son, Jack, was reported as missing, but no word was given on the fate of their other son, William.

Corporal Jack Graham spent three years as a prisoner of war. William was one of the lucky ones. He survived Dieppe, returned to England, and prepared to fight another day.

In February 1943, Arthur and Florence received a letter from their oldest son William, dated January 1943. In the letter, he informed his parents that he had been in the Dieppe Raid, and that he had returned to England unwounded. He also stated that he had been recommended for a commission. And he enclosed a souvenir memorial card that had been produced in England, to the memory of those who did not come back from Dieppe. He wrote that he had difficulty trying to erase Dieppe from his memory, and that he had lived the raid over again repeatedly in his dreams.

By March 1943, William was a Company sergeant-major, part of the #3 Canadian Reinforcement Unit (CIRU), and attended the Officers Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) School. In April, he transferred from 3CIRU to Non-Effective Transit Depot (NETD). In early May 1943, William was one of a large party of Canadian soldiers who returned to Canada from England. In mid-May 1943, he made his way to Windsor to report to Essex Scottish headquarters. His mother Florence drove from Sarnia to Windsor to meet him.

On May 21, 1943, William married Dorothy Joan (nee Davies), the daughter of Capt. and Mrs. A. Davies of Newmarket, Ontario, in London, Ontario. William nicknamed his new bride “Doodie” and the couple lived at 20 River View Gardens, Toronto.

By the end of May, he was transferred to Officers Training Centre (OTC) in Brockville, Ontario. While in Brockville, he received further infantry training in tactics and small arms, and universal carriers. In mid-September 1943, while at the Officers’ Training School at Brockville, William and Doodie returned to Sarnia for a weekend to visit his parents. In mid-October 1944, he was transferred to the Canadian School of Infantry in Vernon, British Columbia, where he was to receive further training.

From January 3 to February 5, 1944, William continued training at No. 3 (Carrier) Wing of the Canadian School of Infantry in Vernon. The evaluator wrote of William that he had An excellent knowledge of all subjects, sound tactical sense and a superior knowledge of all P1 weapons. A good Instructor, reliable and inspires confidence. William returned to Brockville in March.

On September 3, 1944, William and Doodie had a baby girl, Susan Anne Graham, born in Toronto. The young family then resided at 38 Prospect Street, Newmarket, Ontario. In the fall of 1944, William returned to his training. He was able to spend some time visiting his family, which included posing for a photograph on October 15, 1944, holding his one-month-old baby daughter Susan.

In late October into November 1944, William returned to the Canadian School of Infantry in Vernon, for an Officer’s refresher training course. The evaluator wrote this of William: This Officer’s physical condition was good throughout the course and he was keen, alert and very enthusiastic. His tactics were sound and he displayed excellent qualities of leadership. He was quiet, not easily excited and confident while in command. His pleasant personality and humor made him well liked in the platoon. Recommendation: This Officer is capable of leading an infantry platoon in the field.

After obtaining his commission as lieutenant, William was recalled overseas, leaving for the United Kingdom on December 25, 1944. He arrived in England on January 9, 1945, and was initially posted with the Canadian Infantry Training Regiment (CITR).

While sailing for and after arriving in England, William wrote letters home often, sometimes every evening, to tell Doodie how much he loved her and to beg for news from back home, especially about their baby girl whom he barely knew. Following are excerpts from a number of his letters to Dorothy (Doodie):

Dec. 26, 1944: Well we are on our way darling. And the sea is really rough… The ship is really heaving, and from all indications my stomach is going to be doing the same soon.

Dec. 31: I could write and tell you what a wonderful year this has been darling and all the happiness you have given me. But I am trying to think of other things. If I don’t I’ll be weeping all over the place.

Jan. 1, 1945: Happy New Year darling… I didn’t even stay up for the celebrations… There is only one woman on board (the ship’s nurse…) and the fellows got her pretty high. She tried to dance with some of them but the rolling and the drinks only made it a comedy.

Jan. 4: Great excitement to-day. A baby whale was spotted. Unfortunately I didn’t see it. But we have something to talk about now.

Jan. 9: We land in a very few minutes. It has been a very interesting day. We saw two robombs exploded in the air. They were an awful long way away so we didn’t see the bombs themselves. But it was quite a reception.

Jan. 10 [Telegram]: DARLING ARRIVED SAFE ADDRESS LATER LOVE BILL GRAHAM

Jan 22: Your description of Susan’s first Christmas made me feel I could see all these things she received – and her Mummy got ‘tanked up’. And so did Granny! Shocking! I wish I could have been with you darling. But we were on the ship that day. I couldn’t let you know. We are under a security guard that was real.

Jan. 24: We have completed our move… we have a good bunch of fellows in the hut… We have started the S.P.C.E.L. – Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to the English Language. There is a fine of three pence for every cuss word.

Jan. 25: We just moved to another camp… It was two months yesterday that we left Vernon and we hadn’t done any thing in the meantime… Our quarters are better. No warmer I’m afraid, but at least there is a place to write and a shower… One thing I am happy to say – the food is good and plentiful.

Jan. 26: Everyone seems to think the war in Europe will be over by late Spring or early Summer. I hope so… (I just thought of something you can include in my parcels darling. Toilet-paper! This stuff is cruel, and not too plentiful.)…

Jan. 30: Oh happy day! I received two very wonderful letters from you my darling… Gosh – imagine our daughter 17 ¼ lbs!… There is no fun being so far away and depending on snaps to watch your daughter growing up.

Feb. 5: I don’t know what is happening to my mail darling… all the Toronto fellows got a stack except me. But I know it isn’t your fault darling. You are using the right address too. I don’t understand it.

Feb. 6: Oh happy day! I received a letter his evening… Believe me darling, I wish I was home too… Please godam war finish soon.

Following is a complete letter written by William, written on February 4, posted February 6, 1945, from Abergavenny, Wales, and addressed to his five-month-old baby daughter:

My dear little Susan,

I wonder is this the first letter you receive. Anyway I hope I shall be able to write you when you are older.

Your father is very proud of you. He and your grandfather were fortunate enough to have a few days together here. Your uncle Jackie was here at the same time.

I must thank you very much for the beautifully looking package we have just received from you sent by your grandpa. Your little ladyship showed wonderful discrimination in the choice of your gift to your aged ancestor.

In photographs we have received of your bonny self quite justify your fathers pride in you. Your g g ma will probably write you herself. She is laid up today with a severe headache.

Your uncle Jackie surprised us yesterday evening by paying us another visit on short leave before arriving from Greenwich to Cumberland.

Give your love to your mother Mrs. Graham & your aunt Marie & of course to your grandma and love to Susan.

Your affectionately,

G.G.Pa

Following are more excerpts from several of William’s letters to his wife Dorothy (“Doodie”):

Feb. 11: (I think) The pay-off battle has started in Europe. I hope to get over to the unit soon – very soon… I dreamed of you all last night. I hated waking up this morning. The terrible part of it was, we both knew it was a dream and we kept saying it was too bad that I’d be waking up in England.

Feb. 14: Valentines Day – but I don’t have to ask you to be my valentine, darling. I know you are mine… I am afraid you’ll have a break in your mail for a couple of days. But it is entirely out of my hands dearest… Please don’t worry about me. And I’m not out for any medals or promotions. I love you and Susan too much to take any unnecessary risks.

In mid-February 1945, Lieutenant William Graham returned to his unit, the Essex Scottish Regiment and flew into Northwestern Europe on February 17, 1945.

Feb. 19 [Datelined Belgium]: The people have made a very quick recovery. I expected to find the children, in particular, showing signs of the years under the Nazis. But everyone is very healthy looking. The women are not at all shapely by our standards. But their morals are shockingly and disgustingly low… Say – I just re-read the statements… don’t misinterpret them… I know you love me darling and it isn’t necessary for me to ask you to trust me… The day was spent censoring mail. That is a very distasteful job. I hate reading mail other than yours my darling… The hateful part of leaving England was the destroying of your letters. I couldn’t even put them in my trunk.

Post marked Feb. 27 [Letter’s date was blacked out by a censor. Datelined Germany]: At this moment I am in very dramatic circumstances. It is from such positions that wars are won. At least the movies lead one to believe it. I am in a ruined house with a candle in a bottle, artillery is roaring overhead and machine guns chattering in the distance. But don’t worry darling, it is quite safe. We are some distance back. I have my own platoon and they are a great bunch of fellows… I’ll be glad when this mess is finally finished and we can settle down as human beings. It will not be long now.

In February 1945, the Allies launched a great offensive, the Battle of the Rhineland that was designed to drive the Germans eastward back over the Rhine River. There would be two formidable thrusts: one by the Ninth U.S Army; and one by the First Canadian Army, strengthened by the addition of Allied formations. The resilient Germans had spent months improving their defences; winter rains and thaw had turned the ground into a thick, muddy quagmire; and the enemy fought fiercely to defend their home soil. During one month of fighting, the Canadians succeeded in clearing the Reichswald Forest, in breaking the Siegfried Line, and in clearing the Hochwald Forest. But victory came at a high cost—between February 8 and March 10, 1945, over 5,300 Canadians were killed, wounded, or captured.

Following is another complete letter written by William, mailed February 24, 1945, from “location unknown” [he was in Germany], addressed to Dorothy (Doodie). Their daughter Susan was then 5 ¹/₂ months old:

My Darling:

I am afraid my letters are going to be few and far between dearest. I am kept pretty busy. But you can bet I’ll do my best. I love you Doodie. And my letters will of necessity, be short. I can’t tell you anything about what is going on. Besides you know more about the war than I do. We look for newspapers to tell us about it, and they are a day or so late.

If this is hard to read darling, please excuse it. It is a little on the difficult side to write here. We are in a ruined house and the writing facilities have disappeared. I’m struggling along on a rickety table, by candle light and sitting on a box. But I have to tell you I love you my dearest. So you must put up with this.

How is our Susan? She is quite a young lady now, I’ll bet. Sitting in her high chair and eating grown up food. I’d sure like to see her. Does she miss her Daddy? The little devil probably gurgles and chuckles away to herself and is completely ignorant of my existence. But I love her just the same. I certainly miss her too, darling.

Have I told you that I love you yet my own Doodie? Well I do darling. More than you’ll ever know. I’ll certainly be glad when this is over. And I say that with more fervour that I ever thought possible. It will be so nice to

settle down and live peaceful, normal lives again. I adore you my own dear wife.

So long for now sweetheart. Take care of yourself and Susan. We’ll all be together soon. Kiss Susan for me darling. Give love to mom and the Burg’s. I love you my Doodie. Forever & ever.

You’re my own adoring

Bill XXXX

P.S. This last is German ink, if your interested. I love you.

Bill

*Note: from the word Burg’s on, the letter is clearly written with a different kind of ink.

           Lt. William Graham, daughter Susan and wife “Doodie”                William’s letter home – February 24, 1945

Six days after the above letter was mailed, on March 2, 1945, Lieutenant William Graham of “B” Company, Essex Scottish Regiment, lost his life in a mortar bomb attack in the Hochwald Forest, Germany, during the Battle of the Rhineland. His remains were buried at a location recorded on the Army Field Service Card as “Germany Unit plot 1/25,000 sheet Xanten Xanten M.R. 0325/4330 Plot 1 row 1 Gr. 7”.

His remains were later carefully exhumed and reverently reburied in Nijmegen Canadian Military Cemetery.

Four days after William was killed, a letter from his wife Doodie arrived for him bearing two small snapshots—one of a Christmas tree, the other of baby Susan—and news that the “Pablum Eater”, as he called her, had learned to roll over in her playpen. I love you with all my heart and Susan and I will be waiting right here for you, she wrote.

The letter was returned to Mrs. Graham stamped “Reported Deceased” with a Return to Sender label that read: “The Postmaster General deeply regrets the circumstances which make this necessary.”

In mid-March 1945, Arthur and Florence, as well as Dorothy, who was living in Newmarket, received word that Lieutenant William Graham had been killed in action, presumably on the Western Front. Arthur and Florence had received a letter from William only two weeks prior to his death and were unaware that he was in NW Europe. Approximately two months after William’s death, the war in Europe ended. William Graham was later officially recorded as Killed in action, in the field (Germany).

William left behind his parents, Arthur and Florence, who at the time had already lost one son, Lloyd, while another son, Jack, was a POW in Germany. William also left behind his wife Dorothy (“Doodie”) and their six-month old baby daughter Susan.

In 1950 (and again in February 1995), the Windsor Star printed an article written by Colonel A.J. Hodges, MC, of the Essex Scottish Regiment. In the article, he gave his eyewitness account of the regiment’s battle at Hochwald Forest. Following is a portion of that article:

Fighting for a toehold in a German forest

A week after the battle at Louisendorf, the Essex Scottish were in it again. And again, the price would be high

This is the Hochwald story. The Hochwald story is the story of Fred Tilston and the winning of a Victoria Cross. It is the story of some 400 Essex Scots, 138 of whom became casualties, who fought a bloody and successful battle 50 years ago March 1 for a bridgehead in the Hochwald Forest, a strongly defended section protecting the fortified town of Xanten, guardian of the Wesel Bridge escape route across the Rhine.

It is very difficult, even for one who was a participant, to picture to his readers, without becoming too

theatrical, the small groups of men walking slowly and deliberately, not running (for men geared for battle cannot

run very far), across 500 yards of flat, open ground.

At the other end are other groups of men, enemies, protected by obstacles of wire and mines, concealed in trenches, camouflaged to blend into the forest that formed their background, using with terrible effect the deadly weapons of modern war, with so much effect that many of the advancing men fall and lie still. Some fall and jerk convulsively in pain. One clutches his stomach with both hands, turns, stumbles, falls, but the group does not stop, it keeps going. Tennyson best described it, when writing of another such battle: “Stormed at with shot and shell, Into the mouth of Hell.”

The story of the battle actually begins on the night of Feb. 28, 1945, when the Essex Scottish, under Lt.-Col. J.E.C. Pangman, spearheaded a Canadian drive toward the Hochwald Forest, advancing on a two company front. On the right, A Company, commanded by Maj. Ken MacIntyre; on the left, B Company, under Capt. Alf Hodges.

Both companies took their objectives, which were just short of the Hochwald, with comparative ease. When the companies were settled, B was instructed to move a platoon forward into the woods… They quickly ran into opposition, and, impeded by wire defences, pinned down by merciless machine-gun fire, were forced to withdraw, leaving most of their equipment behind. On the right, an A Company patrol had a similar experience. During the night, the battle plan was drawn up. C and D companies were to attack, assisted by artillery and tanks. D Company’s objective was a group of buildings on the edge of the forest; C Company, on the left, was to gain a foothold on the outskirts of the Hochwald.

In the early morning hours of March 1, C and D Companies advanced forward to their objectives, supported by the 25-pounders of the Fourth Field Regiment, who boomed out a creeping barrage, the mortars of the Toronto Scottish and Essex Scottish Platoon, and the tanks of the Sherbrooke Fusiliers. They were met with German machine gun fire, enemy shells, mortars, and grenades, as they moved over knee-high wire and the threat of anti-personnel mines. The companies successfully cleared two lines of defended trenches that included hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and grenades. During the battle there were many casualties and many individual acts of bravery that went unnoticed.

Both companies were now on their objectives and still in contact with the enemy. Lt.-Col. Pangman at this point decided to throw another company into the forest, to take some of the pressure from C and D. B Company was instructed to pass through C and occupy some 300 to 400 yards of the woods in front of C and D Company. The plan this time was slightly different. Instead of a creeping barrage, the artillery and mortars were to lay down fire on likely enemy gun and mortar positions picked from the map. Tanks were not considered, as owing to the softness of the ground they had not been able to be of much assistance thus far.

B Company moved off, led by No. 12 Platoon on the right under Lieut. Bill Graham of Windsor; 10 Platoon left under Lieut. Harold Boer of Edmonton… Intense machine-gun fire was experienced from the German right flank and 25 men were hit before the woods were reached. Maj. Tilston greeted B Company, on the edge of the Hochwald, with the classic remark, “Keep going fellows, they’ve only a few rifles and grenades.” A moment later, a shell landed beside this intrepid officer and he became a casualty. Lieut. Charles Gatton, the only remaining officer took over command of C Company and for his bravery and display of leadership that day was awarded the Military Cross.

B Company, after considerable mopping up, during the course of which many prisoners were taken, dug in on its objective… The attack was over and the Essex Scottish had their toehold on the Hochwald. A weary night was spent under fire, repelling counter attacks. An intense enemy artillery bombardment the following morning claimed the lives of three more of B Company – Capt. Leslie Bond, second-in-command; Lieut. Bill Graham, who had done a wonderful job during the attack; and Pte. Hutchings, a recruit signaler, who had performed miracles in maintaining communications during the night.

Another 24 hours were spent in the forest holding. Then relieving battalions arrived and the Essex Scottish moved back to prepare for the attack on Xanten. More than 100 prisoners, numerous German casualties, three captured heavy guns as well as numerous mortars and automatic weapons, attested to the value the enemy placed on this stronghold and the desperate tenacity with which he defended it.

Maj. Fred Tilston won the Victoria Cross, then the military’s highest award for bravery, as commander of C Company during the Hochwald battle. Despite being wounded three times during the fighting, he continued to direct his troops and helped to carry grenades and ammunition forward when supplies ran low. He lost his legs below the knees as a result of his wounds…

Many years after the war, Colonel Alfred J. Hodges of the Essex Scottish Regiment, who had witnessed William Graham’s death, wrote a letter to William’s cousin (Mrs. Branch) after visiting William’s grave. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Mrs. Branch,

            Thank you for your very kind letter, referring to Bill Graham’s grave. I had a particular interest in visiting it and also that of Capt. Les Bond. They were killed by the same mortar bomb at the Hochwald Forest on the morning of Mar. 2, 1945.

            I had first met Bill in Sept. 1942, when I joined the Regiment as a young lieutenant after Dieppe. Bill at that

time was Sgt. Major of Support Company, and I was much impressed by him. He left the regiment to return to

Canada for his commission. Les Bond and I had gone thru OCTU together and he joined the regiment sometime later.

            In late Feb. 1945, Bill reported to “B” Company, which I was commanding, shortly after the Louisenberg battle and was placed in command of a platoon. Les Bond was company second-in-command. He had been wounded in Normandy.

            The Regiment proceeded towards the Hochwald, A & B Coys leading, followed by C & D. We all had objectives just short of the forest. I lost Bill’s platoon in the dark, after taking our objective, and eventually found him forward, on C Coy’s objective. So here we stayed while C Coy under Fred Tilston, remained on ours. Because of this Fred’s coy was first into the Hochwald, where Fred won the V.C. (I used to tell him it was because of Bill’s fine leadership).

            Anyway, we followed C Coy into the forest, had a very rough time, Bill and I spent the night together in a slit trench. In the morning, (we) were moved back to part of the Siegfried Line, where a mortar bomb dropped between Bill and Les. Both were fine and brave officers. I am mentioning this to you, because when Bill’s wife visited me after the war, I believe she thought I was embellishing things. Not so – he was killed instantly and suffered no pain…

Twenty-six-year-old William Graham is buried in Groesbeek Canadian War Cemetery, Netherlands, Grave

XXI.E.4.

For the parents of Lloyd, Jack and Bill—Arthur and Florence Graham—they lived long and healthy lives, but no doubt the war and the loss of two sons cast a dark shadow over their lives. They didn’t dwell on the war or what had happened to their boys. Pictures of their three sons, in uniform or in civilian clothes, graced the walls and the cabinets of their home. They didn’t speak often of Bill and Lloyd, other than to reminisce occasionally about what they had done as younger boys or how they behaved in their childhood. Arthur passed away in 1989 at the age of 95; and Florence passed away in 1996 at the age of 99. Both are buried in Tara, Ontario.

On May 3, 2005, The Globe and Mail printed a story to mark the 60th anniversary of V-E Day that featured William’s moving tale and his final letters (story by journalist Jill Mahoney). In Sarnia, Jack Graham “pretty near fell over” when he saw that on the front page of the newspaper was a photograph of his older brother William, who had died 60 years earlier. He stated that the photograph “really brought back good memories, and bad memories along with them. But I was so pleased and so proud to see that picture there, that somebody is remembering him besides me.”

He learned that members of Doodie’s side of the family had recently discovered William’s steamer trunk, which contained his wartime personal effects. He also learned that Doodie had died in the late-1990s. Jack Graham and his family, with the support of The Globes Jill Mahoney, then launched a mission to connect the Grahams with Todd Taylor in Toronto (William’s great-nephew who had the trunk), and to locate Susan.

Though the family members had somehow lost contact over the years, they were successfully reconnected. In June 2005, Jill Mahoney was able to track down and to interview William Graham’s daughter Susan, then named Susan Davies, in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Susan had been married, had two children, and took her mother’s maiden name after being divorced. Following are portions of Jill Mahoney’s story on Susan Davis:

Susan Davies knows her father only through stories. As a child, when the power would go out, she would sit on the floor with her mother and listen to candlelight accounts of her daddy who died when she was just six months old. He desperately wanted a baby girl and was so excited when her mother became pregnant that he paraded her up and down the streets of Newmarket, Ont. When the baby was born with a nose so squished it seemed to be missing, her mother cried but her father couldn’t have been more proud. And in letters that Ms. Davies learned about justweeks ago, she discovered that her father, a soldier during the Second World War, referred to his baby girl as the Pablum Eater and was desperately homesick.

As a child, Remembrance Day was the most difficult time for Ms. Davies. “I’d always bust into tears at Remembrance Day because the other kids, most of them, their fathers had come home and mine hadn’t.” But she had a largely ordinary childhood, full of stories about her father. It was just like he was sort of still part of the family.” She and her mother moved in with her grandparents and uncle, who she worshipped; she was told her uncle was much like her dad, funny and mischievous. Her mother worked as a telephone operator and eventually became an assistant hospital administrator. Doodie, who once visited her husband’s gravesite in Holland when Ms. Davies was little, deeply missed her Bill but didn’t dwell on her loss.

After her husband’s death, her mother had no interest in dating. But when she and Susan moved to Oakville, she started to see a man across the street. Susan and his children got along well and helped orchestrate the marriage of their parents, both avid ballroom dancers. On their wedding day, her mother presented Susan, then 14, with the gold wedding band Bill had given her. Ms. Davies said that while her mother was “terribly fond” of her second husband, it was “never in the same sort of passionate way” as with Lt. Graham, whom Doodie had only known two or three years before he died. “It’s because they had so little time together that that first kind of passionate love had never settled down into the sort of comfortable old-married type love.”

During a visit a few years before her mother died, she noticed Ms. Davies wearing her old wedding band. “She said, ‘Oh my God, I remember the day that was put on my finger.’ And then she burst into tears and rushed out into the garden to have a little private cry, and I thought she’s still just as in love with him as she ever was even though she remarried.” Ms. Davies mother (Doodie) died of lung cancer in the late 1990s, and her stepfather passed away in 2000. And when she dies, Ms. Davies has told her children she wants her ashes scattered on her dad’s grave, “so that my father and I will be together.”^8S

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand

Roy Grainger was born in Kingston, Ontario, on December 4, 1916, the youngest son of James Francis and Edith Mary (nee Ford) Grainger, of 24 Walton Street, Port Hope, Ontario. James and Edith were married in January 1906 in Toronto, and their union produced seven children: three sons—Francis Raymond (born November 7, 1907); James Norman (born February 9, 1911, but died August 15, 1911 a result of chronic indigestion); and Roy (born 1916)—and four daughters: Dorothy (born 1909, later Mrs. Melville McCall); Eileen Edith (born June 7, 1912, later Mrs. John Donald Hogg); Marie (born 1918, later Mrs. L. Wilson); and adopted daughter Rose Marie (born around 1941, later Mrs. R. Austin). In 1921, the Grainger family now resided in Kingston included parents James (37) and Edith (34), and their children Francis (13), Dorothy (12), Eileen (9), Roy (4) and Marie (3). James Grainger supported his family by working as a machinist at a foundry.

Roy completed two years of high school at Peterborough High School. At some point, he moved to Sarnia. On November 27, 1941, Roy, age 24, enlisted with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in London, Ontario. At the time, he was residing at 145 Davis Street and was employed as a meat manager at Loblaws Groceteria. He stood five feet seven-and-one-quarter inches tall, had blue eyes and auburn hair, and was single.

He training included time on several ships, including the Prevost (December 27, 1941 – January 4, 1942); York (January 5 – March 2, 1942); Stadacona (March 3 – December 11, 1942);and Niobe (December 12, 1942 – February 3, 1943). On February 4, 1943, Roy Grainger became a member of HMCS Athabaskan where he served as a supply petty officer.

Beginning on the opening day of the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic would be the longest continuous campaign of the war, and one in which Canada played a central role. The Royal Canadian Navy, along with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Canada’s Merchant Navy, played a vital role in defending the country’s eastern coast and escorting convoys of ships carrying men and essential machinery, arms, fuel and basic resources between North America and Europe.

HMCS Athabaskan (G07) was a destroyer of the Tribal class, built in 1940-41 and commissioned by the Royal Canadian Navy in February of 1943. She was plagued by mishaps during her very short service life. She had to be repaired due to weather-induced stress and was involved in two minor collisions that required repairs. The Athabaskan drew some good luck in her early days. On August 27, 1943, she was heavily damaged by a German Henschel glider bomb during an anti-submarine chase in the Bay of Biscay. During that incident, a “Chase me Charlie,” as the gliders were known, had struck and, fortunately, the Athabaskan had passed through it without exploding. The ship HMS Egret was sunk in the same incident.

During English Channel operations in early 1944, RCN Tribal class destroyers Haida, Huron, Iroquois, and Athabaskan were involved in a series of battles along the French coast. In February 1944, the destroyers were engaged in Operation Tunnel—anti-shipping sweeps which Canadian sailors described as “fooling around the French coast.”

After about 20 operations, in the early morning hours of April 26, the Tribals Huron, Haida, and Athabaskan intercepted three German torpedo boats near St. Malo. A running gun battle ensued. The Tribals illuminated the sea with star shells while the Germans laid a smokescreen and fired their torpedoes. As the Tribals closed the distance, they launched a salvo of shells that hammered the enemy vessel T-29. The other enemy vessels barely survived their full-tilt flight from destruction. The victory was a boost to morale, and T-29 was the RCN’s first enemy surface vessel sunk.

Three nights later, in the early hours of April 29, 1944, HMCS Athabaskan and her sister ship, HMCS Haida, were ordered to intercept a German force steaming towards Morlaix River off the coast of Brittany in the English Channel. Just before 4:00 a.m., the Athabaskan made radar contact with two German Elbing destroyers, T-24 and T-27, and an E-boat. Closing range to 4300 yards, the Athabaskan fired a volley of 4-inch star shells. Upon being illuminated in the darkness, the enemy created a smokescreen, fired their own star shells and their big guns. A fierce clash ensued, with the enemy firing shells and torpedoes while the two Tribals blasted away with their guns. As both Canadian ships opened fire, they turned their bows directly towards the German destroyers, to present as little silhouette as possible and to avoid torpedoes fired at them. Unfortunately, an enemy torpedo from German boat T-24 hit the Athabaskan at 4:17 a.m. The damage was catastrophic as flames soared 10 meters high and ammunition exploded below deck.

The Haida laid a smokescreen to cover the wounded Athabaskan and continued to pursue the enemy. Within 10 minutes of the first torpedo strike, Athabaskan’s magazine exploded, shooting 200-metre-high flames that were witnessed from over 40 kilometres away. Fires were raging fiercely above and below decks. Slowly, Athabaskan upended and slid under the surface, as steam and escaping air hissed her death knell. Survivors were scattered—some in boats, others clinging to floats, and still others supported only by their life jackets in the freezing water, many of them barely alive. As the ship went down, darkness shrouded the last resting place of the destroyer, with only the red blinking lights on the life jackets providing some indication of the sailors’ location in the water. Dozens of crew members died in the burning oil that polluted the surface water or succumbed to the freezing cold.

Haida had continued the chase and was able to punish T-27 with accurate gunfire until she was run aground by her crew, with the other T-boat fleeing. Haida then returned to assist Athabaskan, even though the destroyer was vulnerable. Since the German-held French coast was five miles away, U-boats were likely converging on any possible rescus ships. When Haida arrived, she came across life jacket lights bobbing and blinking in the dark, many of the men barely conscious. The Haida dropped all of her life rafts and floats, scramble-nets were lowered over the side, and her own men went down them to drag up dazed and exhausted survivors. Her motor cutter (power launch) also went over the side, manned by a party of three volunteers. With the tide pulling at the destroyer and dawn raising the probabilities for an imminent air attack, the Haida had limited time to rescue survivors.

After being stopped for 10 minutes, word was passed along that the ship would have to go ahead in five minutes. The warning was repeated at one-minute intervals to the rescue parties labouring along the side and on the quarter-deck. Sixty seconds after the last warning, the order “slow ahead” was given. After 15 minutes, and after rescuing as many as she could, the Haida was forced to make a run for it. The Athabaskan captain, Lieutenant Commander John Stubbs, in the water with the other survivors, declined rescue by Haida to swim back for more crew members.

Following is a portion of an account of the events from William Sclater’s 1947 book Haida:

Just then there came a cry, “Athabaskan’s been hit,” which made every head on Haida’s bridge turn around. They could see her plainly… From somewhere aft of the bridge, a great column of flame was shooting up, outlining her foresection in bold relief. Even as they looked her B gun fired. From the enemy ships there came a frenzied burst of gunfire as they sighted the burning destroyer and turned all their guns on her in an endeavor to give her a knockout blow… In Athabaskan, after the crash and explosion aft there was no panic. That the propellers had ceased to function was evident and the ship was being carried forward only by her own impetus… There was fever activity now on the crippled ship’s decks….

(Early damage reports included heavy damage aft, Y gun collapsed, after pump was gone, after steering position was out of action and ship was settling by the stern). The young Captain nodded. “All hands stand by their Abandon Ship stations,” he said. “I’ll let Haida know.” Obedient to the order the crew started to file off the bridge… The captain remained on the bridge, watching them go…. down there on the maindeck the men still worked desperately to bring the pump into action (to deal with the rising flames behind them). It was almost ready. The Chief Engineer turned to put the feedline overboard and the Gunner T was fixing up the fairleads to the starter when a sudden rumble in the fire presaged disaster.

A great roar of flame went blasting skywards and the after part of the ship became a holocaust. The deck on which they stood tilted crazily and then collapsed as internal explosions blew it out… Great blobs of burning oil were falling everywhere, over the forward section of the maindeck and the bridge. Men standing by the boats…covered their heads with their arms and dashed blindly forward, trying to find shelter under the boats, away from the burning oil. Many plunged headlong into the sea… The ship lurched violently and most of those who were left went tumbling over the side… “Abandon Ship!” came a shout…

The Athabaskan was going. She had righted and now the bow was rising. Up, up it came until it was nearly perpendicular and the ship was clear of the surface almost back to the first funnel. She seemed to poise there a moment and then slipped swiftly backwards, down into the engulfing waters. The brightness disappeared and darkness came down over the sea…

(After pursuing and punishing T-27, Haida turned back to where the Athabaskan had been). B gun fired and

a starshell burst over the spot where the Athabaskan had been. Under it the black clusters of survivors could be seen. There were three or four groups and numbers of small, separated figures… As Haida closed, the flashing lights of the survivors’ lifejackets could be seen more than three miles away. Heading for the largest clusters, the captain let the ship glide to a stop among them… It was an eerie scene in the dim, predawn gloom. Lifejacket lights were flashing and survivors were shouting and blowing their whistles in the adjacent waters as the rafts and boats were dropped and lowered away… The sea was heavy with fuel oil and those who reached the ship’s side were covered with it from head to foot. Few had the strength left to climb up the scramble nets or the ladders, and Haida’s people went over the side and helped them in… Soon rescuers and rescued alike were filthy with the thick, slippery oil. Spreading on the decks it made men flounder and fall…

The minutes were going fast. The allotted quarter of an hour passed, by a long margin, when the call went out for the men to man their stations to get the ship under way again. From the bridge came telephone warnings at five, four, three, two and one minutes to go now, and then the ship started slowly ahead… Daylight was imminent and attack from land and air could be looked for at any moment here. It was time to go.

Forty-four oil-soaked Athabaskan crew members were picked up out of the water by her sister ship HMCS Haida. Eight Athabaskan crew members were able to climb into a lowered Haida motor cutter and slowly made their way to safety. Three German torpedo boats picked up 83 survivors in the water, and they were sent to prisoner-of-war camps. A total of 129 of the crew were lost in the sinking of the Athabaskan that April 29 night, among them, the Athabaskan Commander John Stubbs, and Petty Officer Supply Roy Grainger of Sarnia.

On May 2, 1944, Edith Grainger in Port Hope received the following letter from the Secretary, Naval Board:

Dear Mrs. Grainger:

            It is with deepest regret that I must confirm the telegram of the 1st of May, 1944, from the Minister of National Defence for Naval Services, informing you that your son, Roy James Grainger, Leading Supply Assistant, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, Official Number V-17877, is missing from H.M.C.S. “ATHABASKAN”.

            According to the report received from overseas, your son’s loss occurred when H.M.C.S. “Athabaskan” was torpedoed and sunk by enemy action on the 29th of April, 1944, in the English Channel. Further particulars of this Naval disaster are being published in the newspapers.

            While Leading Supply Assistant Grainger is reported as “missing”, there is a possibility of his survival. It is understood that a number of the crew have been taken prisoners of war by the enemy. The Red Cross have been informed and are attempting to obtain from the German Government a list of those taken. Please be assured that as soon as any further information respecting your son has been received you will be informed.

            Please allow me to express the sincere sympathy of the Minister of National Defence for Naval Services, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Officers and men of the Royal Canadian Navy, the high traditions of which your son has helped to maintain.

Five months later, in October 1944, Edith received another letter from the Secretary, Naval Board. Following is that letter:

Dear Mrs. Grainger:

            I must regretfully inform you that since your son was reported missing no further information has been received of his survival or that he is a prisoner of war. I wish to assure you, however, that the Department makes every endeavor to discover the fate of missing men and draws upon all likely sources of information about them.

            In the case of men who are believed to be prisoners of war continuous efforts are made to speed up the machinery whereby their names and camp addresses can reach this country. The official means is by lists of names prepared by the enemy government. These lists take some time to compile, especially if there is a long journey from the place of capture to a prisoner of war camp. Consequently “capture cards”, filled in by the prisoners themselves soon after capture and sent home to their relatives, are often the first news received in this country that a man is a prisoner of war.

            Very slight hope is now held, however, that your son is a prisoner of war as the total number of names of

men who are known to be prisoners from H.M.C.S. “ATHABASKAN” coincides with the number which the Germans claim to have captured from this ship. Even if no news is received that a missing man is a prisoner of war, endeavours to trace him do not cease. Enquiries are pursued, not only among those who were serving with him, but also through diplomatic channels and the International Red Cross Committee in Geneva. The moment reliable news is obtained from any of these sources it is sent to the Department and is immediately passed on to the next of kin.

            Should no information be received to the contrary your son will be presumed dead by the Canadian Naval Authorities at a later date. May I extend my sincere sympathy in this time of anxiety.

Three months later, in mid-January 1945, Edith received a final letter from the Secretary, Naval Board. Following is that letter:

Dear Mrs. Grainger,

            Further to my letter of the 10th of October, 1944 I regret to inform you that in view of the length of time which has elapsed since your son, Roy James Grainger, Supply Petty Officer, Official Number V-17877, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, was reported missing from H.M.C.S. “ATHABASKAN”, and as no news has since been received to the contrary, the Canadian Naval Authorities have now presumed his death to have occurred on the 29th of April, 1944.

            May I again express sincere sympathy with you in your bereavement on behalf of the Minister of National Defence for Naval Services, the Chief of the Naval Staff, and the Officers and men of the Royal Canadian Navy.

Roy Grainger would later be officially recorded as Missing, presumed dead, when H.M.C.S. ‘ATHABASKAN’ was torpedoed and sunk by enemy action in the English Channel.

Roy left behind his parents James and Edith, his brother and sisters, and his four-year-old daughter, Rose Marie Diana Grainger. Before he went to war, Roy had what was then termed “an illegitimate daughter” with a married woman. Roy financially supported Rose and had the normal paternal anxieties over her well-being—he cherished and loved her. Rose was adopted by his parents, James and Edith Grainger in Kingston, in late October 1943, while Roy was aboard the Athabaskan.

In July 1945, James and Edith received a War Service Gratuity of $403.98 for the loss of their son. Years later, on June 2, 1962, Rose Marie Grainger married RCAF Flying Officer R.R. Austin at RMC in Port Hope, Ontario. They later made their home in California.

Twenty-seven-year-old Roy Grainger has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia, Canada, Panel 12.

Years later, there was speculation that the Athabaskan may have, in fact, been lost to a friendly fire incident after being torpedoed by a British motor torpedo boat, or that she had suffered some sort of catastrophic internal explosion in number one boiler room. Due to the poor condition of the wreck, and the poor record keeping and incomplete logs of other ships in the area at the time, neither of these theories has yet to be confirmed.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Harold Green was born in Sarnia on April 23, 1921, the youngest son of George Seymour and Annie (nee Lee) Green. George (born April 14, 1876 in Oxfordshire, England) and Annie (born in 1885 in Watlington, Oxfordshire, England) were married in Watlington, Oxfordshire, England. George Green was a World War I veteran. On February 2, 1916, at the age of 39, George enlisted in the Canadian Over-Seas Expeditionary Force in Forest, Ontario. He stood five feet six-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and black-grey hair, and lived at R.R. #1 Camlachie, Ontario, with his wife (and next-of-kin) Annie. He recorded his trade or calling as blacksmith and bandsman. He became a member of the Lambton 149th Battalion with the rank of private.

George Green only saw service in Canada, due to his persistent health issues. In mid-August 1916, he was admitted to Kapuskasing Hospital diagnosed with chronic appendicitis. He was discharged from hospital 10 months later, in mid-June 1917. One month later, he was admitted to Base Hospital in Toronto where he was diagnosed with mucous colitis and hospitalized for three weeks. In mid-April 1918, he was admitted to London Military Hospital, still suffering from colitis. He was later transferred to Guelph Military Convalescent Hospital, and in late June 1918, was released from hospital. Despite undergoing two operations in Toronto and receiving continual treatment, he still suffered from mucous colitis. Though his conduct and character while in service were graded as “very good”, on July 2, 1918, he was discharged from the military in London and declared “medically unfit due to service, although fit for employment in civil life.”

After George was discharged, the Green family lived at 398 George St., and later 259 Elgin St., Sarnia. George and Annie Green had two children: George Edwin Green, born in 1909 (he later lived at Manor Apartments, Christina Street), and Harold (born 1921). George Sr. supported his family working as a blacksmith.

Harold was educated in Sarnia and was a member of Canon Davis Memorial Church. Prior to enlisting under the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA), Harold was employed at the Sarnia Elevator Company as a labour foreman.

Twenty-one-year-old Harold Green enlisted in the Canadian Army on June 29, 1942, in London, Ontario. He stood five feet eight-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and brown hair, was single, and lived at home with his parents at the time. He was initially posted to #1 District Depot, attached the 30th Reconnaissance Battalion (Essex Regiment) in Windsor, Ontario.

In October 1942, he continued his training as part of Canadian Armoured Corps (CAC), with the rank of trooper, in Dundurn, Saskatchewan. He continued training in New Westminster, British Columbia in May 1943; then in Vernon, B.C. in September 1943; and later in Courtenay, British Columbia in November 1943. While in B.C., Harold was a member of the 31st (Alberta) Reconnaissance Regiment, the Royal Canadian Armored Corps Division. Just prior to his death, Harold had been expecting to come home to Sarnia on a furlough. Harold Green did not have the opportunity to serve overseas.

Harold did not have the opportunity to serve overseas. On April 24, 1944, while serving in British Columbia, Harold and three other men were riding in a Bren gun carrier that overturned, pinning the occupants beneath it. Trooper Harold Green and the three other men were seriously injured.

On the same day as the accident, Harold’s mother received the following telegram: FOLLOWING MESSAGE ADDRESSED MRS ANNIE GREEN 259 ELGIN ST SARNIA ONT DESPATCHED 1750 HRS 24/4/44 “SINCERELY REGRET INFORM YOU A606494 TPR GREEN HC REPORTED DANGEROUSLY ILL AS A RESULT OF FRACTURED SKULL IN MOTOR ACCIDENT STOP ADMITTED NORTH VANCOUVER GENERAL HOSP NORTH VANCOUVER BC STOP FURTHER INFORMATION FOLLOWS WHEN RECEIVED”.

Harold was transferred to Shaughnessy Military Hospital, Vancouver, where on May 2, 1944, at 0200 hours, he died as a result of the fractured skull and injuries he had received in the motor accident. The coroner’s report stated that the injuries he accidentally received during military maneuvers caused the death of Trooper Green.

Harold Green was later officially recorded as Universal carrier accident while on training, New Westminster, British Columbia. Harold’s body arrived in Sarnia by C.N.R. not long after his death. His funeral was held at the Robb Funeral Home, with a public service at Canon Davis Memorial Church before his internment.

Approximately three years after the loss of his youngest son, George Green passed away at Sarnia General Hospital on November 10, 1947, the result of enteritis. He is buried in Lakeview Cemetery. Annie Green passed away in 1983 and is also buried in Lakeview Cemetery.

Twenty-three-year-old Harold Green is buried in Sarnia (Lakeview) Cemetery, Sarnia, Ontario, Section E, Lot 106. On his headstone are inscribed the following words: REST IN PEACE. THERE IS COMFORT IN THE THOUGHT THAT A LOVING GOD KNOWS BEST.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Russell Green was born in Hamilton, Ontario, on August 24, 1918, the son of John Archibald and Gertrude Beatrice Green. John and Gertrude were married in Midland, Ontario, on July 5, 1917. When Russell was only four months old, his parents moved to Sarnia. The Green family lived at 194 Elgin St. (in 1936), at 244 Christina Street (in 1938-39), and later 106 North Brock Street, and then 254 Davis Street. (Russell’s father would be estranged from the family). Russell was of North American Indian (First Nations) descent, a member of the Iroquois. Russell was a year older than his half-brother, Louis Currotte. Louis also served in the Canadian Army, a member of the Winnipeg Grenadiers.

Russell was always active, although he seemed to do much more outside the confines of a classroom. He received his education in a Sarnia Public school but left school after grade seven at age 14. He participated in sports such as baseball, hockey, and lacrosse, and spent many hours hunting and riding. He was never afraid of work. From 1934 to 1939, he worked part time as a grain elevator helper at Sarnia Grain Company. During winters from 1936 to 1938, he was a foundry worker in Windsor and Walkerville. Every summer from 1936 to 1939, he was a tobacco farm labourer in Langton, Ontario.

The years 1939 and 1940 were pivotal in Russell’s life. On July 27, 1939, when he was still a young man in his early 20s, Russell married Eileen Marie, a young lady from Port Huron, Michigan, in her hometown. The young couple had one child together, Gail Patricia Green, born March 16, 1940.

Before Gail was born however, Russell, 21, had enlisted in the Canadian Army on September 9, 1939 in Sarnia. It was the day before Canada and Newfoundland declared war on Germany. He had been a member of the 26th Lambton Field Battery in Sarnia before that and joined the army out of a “sense of duty.” His ambition for after the war was to do mechanical factory work. Still, it must have been a tumultuous time for Russell. He stood five feet eight-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and dark brown hair, and Eileen and he were residing at 244 North Christina Street. Before departing for overseas, however, Russell and Eileen separated, and Eileen resided at 111 Penrose Street and later in Port Huron.

In Canada, Russell received his gunner/battery training in Sarnia, Guelph, and Petawawa. On August 21, 1940, he embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom, as a member of the Royal Canadian Artillery, 4th Field Regiment, with the rank of gunner. He continued his training in the U.K., and in August 1942, he celebrated his 24th birthday “somewhere in England.”

Almost four years after arriving in England, Russell Green embarked for front line action. He arrived in France on July 6, 1944, one month after D-Day. The Battle of Normandy began for the Canadians with the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Juno Beach. After breaching the “Atlantic Wall” of “Fortress Europe”, Allied armies began their break out from the narrow Normandy bridgehead to carve out a foothold on the French mainland. To accomplish this took a whole summer of tenacious fighting that saw the Canadians pushing against fierce and ruthless German forces to advance east across France. In a brutal campaign of attrition, the Canadian army, supported by the navy and air force, faced fierce battles and vicious counterattacks as they clawed their way forward to liberate villages and towns including Bretteville, Carpiquet, Caen, and Falaise.

As Russell advanced with the 4th Field Regiment, he rose to the rank of lance bombardier. On August 13, 1944, a little over one month after arriving in France, Russell Green was killed in action while fighting during the Battle of Normandy. His body was buried three days later at a location recorded on the Army Field Service Card as “France Brayen anglais E side Main Rd north of forks 100 yds M.R. 7F/3 073461.” His remains were later exhumed and reverently reburied in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery.

In mid-August 1944, Gertrude Green in Sarnia received word that her younger son, Private Louis Currotte of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, had been wounded in his ankle while on active service in France (he was wounded only a few days prior to Russell’s death).

Only a few days later, she received a telegram from the Director of Records in Ottawa informing her that her other son LANCE-BOMBARDIER RUSSELL RAYMOND GREEN HAS BEEN REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION IN FRANCE ON AUGUST 13.The message also stated that when further information became available, it would be forwarded to her.

In late September 1944, the Major-General, Adjutant-General wrote Gertrude, now living on Brock Street:

Dear Mrs. Green:

It was with deep regret that I learned of the death of your son, A17184 Lance Bombardier Russell Raymond

Green, who gave his life in the Service of his Country in The Western European Theatre of War on the 13th day of August, 1944.

            From official information we have received, your son was killed in action against the enemy. You may be assured that any additional information received will be communicated to you without delay.

The Minister of National Defence and the members of the Army Council have asked me to express to you and

your family their sincere sympathy in your bereavement. We pay tribute to the sacrifice he so bravely made.

Russell Green was later officially recorded as Overseas casualty, killed in action, in the field (France). In September 1945, the Children’s Aid Society in Sarnia received a War Service Gratuity of $972.86 for the care of Gail Patricia Green, on the loss of her father Russell Green.

In early April 1946, Gertrude, now residing at 254 Davis Street, received a letter from the Colonel, Director of Records, for Adjutant-General. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Madam:

Information has just been received from overseas that the remains of your son, A.17184 Lance Bombardier Russell Raymond Green, have now been carefully exhumed from the original place of internment and reverently reburied in grave 9, row G, plot 12, of Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian Military Cemetery, Bretteville-sur-Laize, France. Marked map is enclosed. This is a recognized military burial ground and will receive care and maintenance in perpetuity.

The grave will have been marked with a temporary cross which will be replaced in due course by a permanent headstone suitably inscribed. While it cannot now be stated when this work of permanent commemoration will begin, before any action is taken you will be communicated with and an opportunity will be given you to submit a short personal inscription of your own choice for engraving on the headstone…

Twenty-five-year-old Russell Green is buried in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, Calvados, France, Grave XII.G.9. On his headstone are inscribed the words A BEAUTIFUL MEMORY DEARER THAN GOLD OF A SON WHOSE WORTH CAN NE’ER BE TOLD. MOTHER.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

John (Jack) Hallam was born in London, England, on June 8, 1918, the only son of Cyril Francis (born in Marston, England) and Marjorie Laura (nee Park, born in London, England) Hallam. Jack had an older sister, Betty W. (born 1917), and a younger sister, Nancy M. (born 1921). Between June 1912 and August 1914, Cyril Hallam stayed in Canada before returning to England. In 1928, Cyril and Marjorie brought their young family to Canada for good. Jack was nine years old when the Hallam family arrived aboard the passenger ship Aurania that had left Southampton, England, and arrived in the port of Quebec on April 22, 1928. At that time, father Cyril recorded his occupation as a farmer, although he eventually became the manager of the Sarnia Riding Club.

Jack Hallam was an active and popular young man. He received his education at West Lorne Public School from 1927 to 1933, and when the Hallam family moved to Sarnia, he attended Sarnia Collegiate Institute from 1934 to 1938. At SCITS he took courses in woodworking, electricity, auto mechanics, and specialized in draughting. He was exceptionally popular among the young people of Sarnia. Jack was active in such sports as swimming, golf, riding, football, hockey, and baseball, and his hobbies included building model airplanes, rifle shooting, and sailing. While in high school, he was a member of the Air Cadets for five years.

Jack was a determined young man who knew what he wanted. After graduating Sarnia Collegiate, he was employed at Sarnia Bridge Company as an assistant draughtsman from 1939 to 1940. He left the Sarnia Bridge Company in July 1940, determined to join the air force. He was refused initially. When war was declared in September 1939, he was no less determined and went on his own initiative to Camp Borden with the idea that it might be possible to enlist there; however, he was told at Camp Borden, as he had been told earlier at London, that 25,000 men were already on the waiting list, and all that could be done was to take an examination and await a future call. He took the exam, passed it, and returned home. A year later he received a call.

On July 18, 1940, Jack, now 22, enlisted in the Canadian Air Force in London, Ontario. He stood five feet seven inches tall, had blue eyes and light brown hair, was single, and was residing with his parents at Sarnia

Riding Club at the time. Days later, he departed en route to #1 Manning Pool in Toronto of the Royal Canadian Air Force, along with fellow Sarnians John Murray and William Clark (William Clark is included in this Project).

In mid-August, Jack was posted to #1 Manning Depot in Trenton. He began his air training at #2 Initial Training School (ITS) in Regina in September 1940. In a letter to his parents from Regina, Jack mentioned Fred

Houston, “Bunt” Murray, Gordon Bracken, Harry Turnbull, and Doug Wilder, all Sarnia boys who were in the same air school with him. Jack continued his training at #12 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Goderich; and at #4 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Saskatoon. He was awarded his Flying Badge in February 1941 in Saskatoon. His intensive study and a natural talent for flying enabled him to attain exceptional proficiency in the air. In mid-March, he was posted to #3 Manning Depot in Debert, Nova Scotia.

On March 25, 1941, Jack embarked overseas from Nova Scotia bound for the United Kingdom. From #3 Personnel Reception Centre in Uxbridge, he was first posted with #13 Operational Training Unit (OTU) based in Bicester. Only weeks after arriving overseas, he was flying over the English Channel where he was engaged in active aerial warfare. On July 1, 1941, Jack became a member of RAF #82 Squadron “Super Omnia Ubique” (Over all things everywhere), with the rank of sergeant-pilot.

No. 82 Squadron was a light-bomber squadron equipped with twin-engine Bristol Blenheim aircraft, and later, Vengeance dive-bombers and de Havilland Mosquitos. The squadrons performed a variety of tasks over the course of the war: anti-shipping missions over the North Sea; anti-submarine patrols; attacking German forces; and supporting ground forces with targeted bombing.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war. There was no easy way to learn how to fly the heavy bombers, and training crews suffered a litany of disasters, crashes and deaths. By the end of the war, Bomber Command lost over 8,000 Allied airmen who were killed in training or by accidents alone.

On July 12, 1941, less than four months after arriving overseas, Jack Hallam was part of a crew aboard Blenheim IV aircraft V6524 (markings UX-) that took off from RAF Watton on a daytime training mission. Their aircraft went out of control in sea fog and crashed into the North Sea. Perishing with Sergeant-Pilot John “Jack” Hallam were RAF Sgts Herbert Hastings and Wilfred Leonard Hiscock.

No. 82 Squadron’s Operation Record Book recorded the following;

“12/7/41 – Three aircraft were detailed to carry out low flying practice over the sea and during this operation Aircraft No, 6524 C Sgts. Halam, Hiscock and Hastings was last seen emerging from sea fog three miles out at sea and no trace of it has been found. Two aircraft carried out operations with No. 21 Sqdn.”

On July 15th, Jack’s parents in Sarnia received an official cable, informing them that their son Jack WAS REPORTED MISSING OVERSEAS and that a letter would be following. In the newspaper story of Jack Hallam’s missing status, the Canadian Observer reported that “In the case of a missing flyer, there is the possibility that he might be a prisoner or that he escaped in some other way and had not been able to report to headquarters.”

In late August 1941, Cyril and Marjorie received another letter, this one from the R.C.A.F. Records Office, which provided some details relating to the previous official report that their son was “missing”. According to the letter, his squadron reported that “Jack’s” plane, the last time they had seen it, was flying “inverted” or upside down over the North Sea. The letter included a ray of hope when it noted that this did not rule out the possibility that the flyers had not perished even if the plane fell into the sea.

Whether Jack’s plane was damaged before it began the trip, or whether it was damaged in the attack over enemy territory, or it had been assailed by fighter-planes at sea, was not disclosed. Both Britain and Germany maintained floating first aid posts in the North Sea and many fliers, first presumed lost, had reached one of these floats and were rescued. Of note, the currents of the North Sea washed many airmen’s bodies up along the coast if they went down in the North Sea.

In early September of 1941, Sarnia Collegiate teacher Miss Mae Burriss received a letter that awaited her when she returned from her summer vacation. It was from Jack Hallam, the former student of Sarnia Collegiate, who at that time in September, was still reported as missing overseas. The letter was dated July 10, 1941 (two days before he was shot down). The letter was in acknowledgment of the receipt of copies of “School Daze,” the Sarnia Collegiate periodical, concerning which John wrote:

They seemed to bring back many pleasant memories of the times I had at the Sarnia Collegiate…. I am very comfortable here. Our squadron is living in a country mansion. Our hours are not as when I was training in Canada. The food is very good and we get plenty to eat. We have a garden here and we grow lettuce, carrots, beans, etc., which we use in the officers’ and sergeants’ messes. The garden is worked by us, in some of our spare time, so you see that flying is not our only task. I am not flying fighters as I had hoped to, but then someone has to fly the bombers, don’t they?

Note: The “country mansion” is called Cleremont Hall, and was the combined mess (for officers and airmen) who were based at Bodney which was RAF Watton’s satellite field. Bodney is about 6 miles from Watton and the Blenheim squadrons, though formerly based at Watton, operated from Bodney as well to ease congestion.

On September 17, 1941, Cyril and Marjorie Hallam received a letter from the Officer in Charge of records at the Royal Air Force headquarters in England. The letter stated that no further word had been received concerning

their son who was first reported missing in mid-July and whose plane might have fallen into the North Sea. There had been a report recently that a resident in the Sarnia district had heard a German short-wave broadcast in which a name that sounded like “Halsam” was mentioned as a prisoner in Germany, and Sarnia, Ontario, was given as the place of origin of the prisoner. Enquiries at Ottawa elicited only a response that this broadcast was not transcribed by the intelligence service there.

Any hopes that Jack Hallam had survived were dashed when he was later officially recorded as Previously reported missing during air operations overseas, now for official purposes presumed to have died, overseas. In May 1942, the Air Ministry in London, England, received this information through the International Red Cross: Sergeant John Norman Hallam Royal Canadian Air Force, was reported missing and is presumed for official purposes to have lost his life on active service on the twelfth day of July, 1941. Information received through the International Red Cross states that this airman is buried in Block L, Grave No. 5, in the Cemetery at Westerland, Sylt, Germany.

Almost one year after the war in Europe ended, in April 1946, Marjorie Hallam, then at Mallat Park, Sarnia, received a War Service Gratuity of $136.64 for the loss of her son Jack.

Twenty-three-year-old Sergeant Pilot John “Jack” Hallam is buried in the Kiel War Cemetery, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Grave 3.B.3. On his headstone are inscribed the words “GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN”.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Thomas Hamilton was born in Sarnia on July 24, 1916, the son of Alexander and Selena Hamilton, of R.R. #2, Sarnia. Alexander and Selena were married in Belfast, Ireland, on February 13, 1907. The Hamiltons had five sons: Thomas, Charles Jackson, Robert Alexander, James Henry and Herbert Jackson. The latter, at the time of Thomas’ death, was a private serving at Camp Borden.

Thomas attended public schools in Sarnia and then at Sarnia Collegiate Institute. Prior to enlisting, he worked as a machinist/core maker at Holmes Foundry. His life changed dramatically when, on July 21, 1934, days before his 18th birthday, Thomas married Blanche Tryphena Billard in Sarnia. Thomas and Blanche later resided at 386 Savoy Street, and they had one child together, Ann Hamilton, born August 20, 1937.

When a recruiting station was opened in Sarnia shortly after Britain declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, Thomas was among the first to enlist. Thomas joined the Canadian Army on September 9, 1939, in Sarnia. The next day, Canada declared war on Germany. Thomas, age 32, stood five feet ten-and-three-quarter inches tall, had hazel eyes and dark brown hair, and he, his wife, and their two-year-old daughter were residing on Cemetery Road (now Colborne Road) at the time.

Thomas embarked overseas from St. John, New Brunswick, bound for the United Kingdom on December 1, 1940, as a member of the Royal Canadian Engineers, 1 Field Park Company, with the rank of sapper. He continued his army training in the U.K., rising to the rank of corporal with the 1 Field Park Company. Three-and-a-half years after arriving in England, Thomas embarked across the Channel for front line action. On July 8, 1944, one month after D-Day, Thomas Hamilton disembarked in Northwest Europe.  

The Battle of Normandy began for the Canadians with the June 6, 1944, D-Day landings at Juno Beach. After breaching the “Atlantic Wall” of “Fortress Europe”, Allied armies began their break out from the narrow Normandy bridgehead to carve out a foothold on the French mainland. To accomplish this took a whole summer of tenacious fighting that saw the Canadians pushing against fierce and ruthless German forces to advance east across France. In a brutal campaign of attrition, the Canadian army, supported by the navy and air force, faced fierce battles and vicious counterattacks as they clawed their way forward to liberate villages and towns including Bretteville, Carpiquet, Caen, and Falaise.

As a member of the Royal Canadian Engineers (RCE), Thomas was part of the troops that enabled the army to move—they repaired and built roads, airfields and bridges; cleared mines and road blocks; and filled in craters and anti-tank ditches, all while working alongside combat troops at the front, and often while under fire.

On August 9, 1944, one month after Thomas arrived in France, he was killed by a mine explosion while fighting during the Battle of Normandy. His body was buried the following day at a location recorded on the Army Field Service Card as “Field Near St. Sur Orne 1/25000 – 05526012 Sheet 40/16 S.W. France”. His remains were later exhumed and reverently reburied in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery.

Shortly before his death, Corporal Thomas Hamilton had sent a letter home to his relatives in which he said

that he was in France, was getting along well, and told his family not to worry about him.  

In mid-August 1944, several hours after Blanche and their daughter, Ann, left for a vacation with friends in Royal Oak, Michigan, word from the Department of National Defence was received in Sarnia that CORPORAL THOMAS HAMILTON HAS BEEN KILLED IN FRANCE ON AUGUST 9 BY A MINE EXPLOSION.Members of his family communicated the news to Blanche and her daughter, and she returned home to Sarnia immediately. In late September 1944, Blanche, then residing at 386 Savoy Street, received the following letter from the Major-General, Adjutant-General:

Dear Mrs. Hamilton:

            It was with deep regret that I learned of the death of your husband, A18184 Corporal Thomas Hamilton, who gave his life in the Service of his Country in The Western European Theatre of War on the 9th day of August, 1944.

            From official information we have received, your husband was killed in action against the enemy. You may be assured that any additional information received will be communicated to you without delay.

            The Minister of National Defence and the members of the Army Council have asked me to express to you and your family their sincere sympathy in your bereavement. We pay tribute to the sacrifice he so bravely made.

(Note: the date of death was August 8, 1944)

Thomas Hamilton was later officially recorded as Overseas casualty, killed in action, in the field (France).

In December 1944, Thomas Hamilton was awarded posthumously the decoration C-in-C Certificate, for Good Service. In April 1945, Blanche received a War Service Gratuity of $1051.23 for the loss of her husband. In late March 1946, Blanche received a letter from the Colonel, Director of Records, for Adjutant-General. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Madam:

Information has just been received from overseas that the remains of your husband, A18184 Corporal Thomas Hamilton, have been carefully exhumed from the original place of internment and reverently reburied in grave 14, row E, plot 13, of Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian Military Cemetery, Bretteville-sur-Laize, France. Marked map is enclosed. This is a recognized military burial ground and will receive care and maintenance in perpetuity.

The grave will have been marked with a temporary cross which will be replaced in due course by a permanent headstone suitably inscribed. While it cannot now be stated when this work of permanent commemoration will begin, before any action is taken you will be communicated with and an opportunity will be given you to submit a short personal inscription of your own choice for engraving on the headstone…

Thomas left behind his parents, Alexander and Selena; his four brothers: Charles, Robert, James and Herbert; his wife of almost ten years, Blanche; and his seven-year-old daughter, Ann.

Twenty-eight-year-old Thomas Hamilton is buried in Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, Calvados, France, Grave XIII.E.14. On his headstone are inscribed the words LOVINGLY REMEMBERED BY HIS WIFE, DAUGHTER, PARENTS AND BROTHERS.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

John “Jack” Harris was born at Sarnia General Hospital on January 8, 1913, the youngest son of Michael George (born in Arahova, Sparta, Greece, immigrated to Canada in 1904) and Rosamond (nee Moore, born in Chatham, Ontario) Harris of 264 North Brock Street, Sarnia. Michael was working as a merchant when he married Rosamond on January 11, 1909, in Chatham. Michael and Rosamond had three sons together: George Michael (born 1910), James (born December 1911), and John “Jack” (born 1913).

When Jack was born, the family resided at 182 ½ Front Street, and Michael supported his family by working as a theatre owner and manager. A few years prior to Jack’s death, he and James had become partners in the operation of Sarnia’s National Club.

To say that Jack Harris was active would be an understatement. He attended local public elementary schools

and then Sarnia Collegiate from September 1925 until May 19, 1930. In high school, Jack participated in many

sports including sailing, shooting, baseball, hockey, tennis, golf, riding, and swimming. His many hobbies kept him busy, and they ranged from model aircraft building, designing, drafting, photography, to sailing.

Jack later learned to fly in London, Ontario, and he earned a civilian pilot’s license. He also had some military training in the U.S., as a member of the U.S. Army Air Force when he was a young teen in Honolulu from 1928-1930. Before leaving to join the war, Jack was employed at Harris Brothers, as a clerk-bookkeeper, from 1933 to 1940.

On May 10, 1940, Jack Harris enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in London, Ontario. The 27-year-old stood five feet eleven inches tall, had hazel eyes and light brown hair, was single, and was residing with his parents on Brock Street at the time. He recorded his occupation as tobacconist, and he requested flying duties, with a preference to be a pilot. One of the references Jack Harris obtained for his application into the Air Force was from Ross W. Gray, Member of Parliament for Lambton West. Mr. Gray’s wrote that I have known Mr. J. Harris all his life and I am very pleased to give him a very high character reference. I feel sure that this young man will make a very capable flying officer.

From #1 Manning Pool in Toronto, Jack was posted to #1 Initial Training School in Toronto for one month before being transferred to #1 Wireless School (WS) in Montreal. In November 1940, he continued his training at #1 Bombing and Gunnery School (BGS) in Jarvis, Ontario, where he was awarded his Air Gunners Badge on December 15, 1940.

On December 17, 1940, Jack Harris married Stella Matilda Logan, the eldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Logan of South Mitton Street, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. At the ceremony, Mrs. George Harris served as the maid of honour, and Jack’s brother, George, served as the best man. After the ceremony, an informal reception for immediate relatives was held at the home of the bride’s parents. Then the newlywed couple left on a short wedding trip. Jack and Stella Harris initially resided at 116 South Mitton Street and then later at 166 Queen Street, Sarnia.

On December 27, 1940, Jack Harris was posted to RCAF Station Rockcliffe where, because of his civilian pilot experience of 32 hours of solo flying, he was given a flying test at Rockcliffe Airdrome. On January 6, 1941, Jack returned to Sarnia on a nine-day leave. While at home, he referred to his love for the air force and his work.

Upon returning to duty, he took a special course at Picton Air Base where he received his wings and graduated as a sergeant-pilot. In mid-January 1941, Jack returned to duty at #1 Auxiliary Manning Depot in Picton. He was awarded his Pilots Flying Badge on February 22, 1941, and on March 6, 1941, John returned to RCAF #1 Wireless Training School in Montreal where he was stationed as staff pilot flying out of St. Hubert’s airport. One of his duties there was to fly new American built airplanes from Windsor, Ontario, to Montreal, Quebec. Stella Harris went to Montreal with him and resided at 1921 Boyle Street.

Jack Harris did not have the opportunity to go overseas and served less than one year before losing his life. On April 7, 1941, Jack was piloting his Menasco Moth aircraft #4824 while engaged in a two-hour wireless exercise.

Eyewitnesses reported that the plane had been stunting for about 20 minutes at 1000 feet when her engine stopped. The engine faltered twice and then stopped again at about 700 feet before the plane side-slipped towards the ground. Between Caughnawaga and suburban Chateauguay, near Montreal, his aircraft crashed and struck a 10-foot-high bush.

His flying companion, New Zealander LAC R.L.W. Orchard, escaped with bruises and was shaken up. Their aircraft was gliding down quite slowly and Harris tried to start the engine again; however, the engine stopped a few moments later before the aircraft crashed into the thick bush with her nose driving into the wet earth. A truckload of soldiers was first to the scene. LAC Orchard was able to walk away after soldiers removed him from the ship, but Sergeant Harris was pinned between the engine and the pilot seat. He was rushed to Notre-Dame Hospital in Montreal, but the prognosis was bleak. He was seriously injured, including a fractured skull, and a few hours later, he died as a result of his injuries.

Jack’s death was the first to occur in the ranks of Sarnians who were serving in World War II with the RCAF. His death was later officially recorded as Died in Notre-Dame Hospital, Montreal, as result of flying accident. Jack Harris had been scheduled to be overseas flying aircraft only weeks after the crash.

One day after the crash, John’s body was transported by train from Montreal to Sarnia for burial. Stella, his bride of not even four months, who had gone to Montreal to be with her husband only a short time prior to his death, also arrived in Sarnia, accompanied by her mother.

It was reported in the Sarnia Observer under the headline, “First Military Funeral of War Hero Held Here,” that a funeral with full military auspices was held at the Stewart Funeral Home. More than a thousand friends of Pilot Jack Harris and his well-known family paid their respects. At the crowded Stewart Funeral Home, Rev. Captain J.M. Macgillivray, minister of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, stated in his sermon that Jack Harris was a clean living boy, a keen sportsman and a general favorite with all who knew him. He was among the first in this community to answer the call. He was an experienced airman and had flown planes before the war broke out, and he offered his services in the capacity in which he could be of most use. He thought not of the danger – he was eager only to serve the cause of liberty. He shall be missed by a large circle of friends, but our deepest sympathy goes out to his young wife, so recently a bride, and his father and mother and brothers in their bereavement.

After the service, Jack’s casket, draped with a Union Jack upon which rested a wreath of Flanders poppies, was brought out of the funeral home. The casket was carried past an honor guard and a aircraft’s motor roared in the western sky. The Lambton Garrison Band, with muffled drums, played a funeral march as the procession moved along College Avenue. The casket in a flower-filled hearse was escorted by pallbearers along with officers of the 11th Field Company, the 26th Battery, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, members of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, and veterans of the last war represented by Sarnia Branch 62 of the Canadian Legion, and the American Legion, Port Huron. At the cemetery, a large throng gathered at the flower-banked graveside. As the ceremony concluded, the firing party’s three volleys rang out over the grave and “The Last Post” was sounded.

In May 1945, Stella Harris on Queen Street received a War Service Gratuity of $82.50 for the loss of her husband.

Twenty-eight-year-old John “Jack” Harris is buried in Sarnia (Lakeview) Cemetery, Sarnia, Ontario, Section E., Lot 176. On his memorial stone are inscribed the words SGT. PILOT JOHN M. HARRIS BELOVED HUSBAND OF STELLA M. LOGAN KILLED IN SERVICE OF R.C.A.F. 1913-1941 “PER ARDVA AD ASTRA”.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Victor Harris was born in Lambton County, Ontario, on December 5, 1918, the youngest child of John William Henry (born Dec 5, 1918) and Hannah Beatrice (nee Chappell) Harris, of Shadynook, Exmouth Street, R.R.#1 Sarnia. Both John and Hannah were born in England and, after both had immigrated to Canada, they were married in Sarnia on May 10, 1912. To support his wife and his family, John worked as a pipefitter/pumpman at Imperial Oil. John and Hannah had four children together: two sons—Bertrum John (born May 30, 1917, later resided in Fort Erie, Ontario), and Victor (born 1918); and two daughters—Vera Louise (born February 15, 1913, later married becoming Vera Archer, and resided in Fort Erie), and Beatrice Lillian (born December 25, 1915, later married becoming Beatrice Want, and resided at 113 Violet Street, Sarnia, later in Windsor). When Victor was three years old, the Harris family visited relatives in England, returning to Canada in July 1922 aboard the passenger ship Montrose. The Harris family lived at 254 Queen Street in Sarnia.

Victor attended SS #15 Public School from 1924 to 1932 and later Sarnia Collegiate from 1932 to 1937. Like

many youths his age, he found time to do many things. He delivered papers for five years to help support the family. Besides that, he was active in sports such as hockey, badminton, boxing, skiing, softball, and rugby—which he played extensively. He had eclectic hobbies which continued to occupy him after he graduated from SCITS. These included stamp collecting, rock study, first aid, flying, and photography. He also was part of St. John’s Ambulance Corps for four years. The Harris family suffered a great loss in 1934 when Hannah, age 46, passed away from heart problems on October 25 of that year. Victor was only 15 years old when he lost his mother.

After finishing high school, Victor attended Haileybury School of Mines, in Haileybury, Ontario, and completed courses in March 1938 in mineralogy, surveying, mapping, drafting, mining, and geology. Harris was part of a government-sponsored program in which tuition, books, and living allowances were supplied. The arrangement was part of the government’s plan to alleviate the shortage of qualified miners. His education and work experience, however, did not end there.

In April 1938, Victor began work with Moneta Porcupine Gold Mines Limited in Timmins, Ontario. He worked both in the assay office and underground where he was a machine helper, a load operator, and a drill runner. In September 1939, he attended Michigan College of Mining and Technology in Houghton, Michigan, in the Mining Engineering course and Plane Surveying course. He resided there until August 1940. When he completed his studies there, he had taken courses in surveying, mapping, topographical drawing, chemistry, trigonometry, engineering, geometry, physics, calculus, and analytical mechanics—all the while maintaining average grades in the high 80s and low 90s.

In August 1940, he returned to Timmins and Moneta Porcupine Gold Mines Limited and worked as a mucker underground, and later as an engineer’s assistant in his office. He was also a member of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, and resided at 67 Birch Street in Timmins.

On May 14, 1941, Victor, now 22, travelled over 225 miles to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force in North Bay. He stated that his reasons for joining the air force were “To receive the training offered and to do my part in the war effort.” Victor stood five feet eleven-and-a-half inches tall, had brown eyes and light brown hair, was single, and requested flying duties with a preference to be a pilot. At 11:15 that night, the RCAF had him board a train in North Bay bound for Toronto, where he arrived at 7:15 the next morning.

From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, then RCAF Station in Trenton, Victor began his training at #1 Initial Training School (ITS) in Toronto. His Commanding Officer wrote the following of Victor: A bright and enthusiastic student. Determined and has applied himself diligently to his studies. Is very willing and co-operative. Should make good aircrew material. Victor continued his training at #20 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Oshawa, where his Commanding Officer assessed the young Sarnian as a smooth flier and learns quickly… He is a very good and willing worker. Conduct and deportment excellent. Ability above average. Possesses definite leadership ability. Victor then continued his training at #16 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in Hagersville, graduating on January 10, 1942, and earning his Pilot’s Flying Badge.

On February 8, 1942, Victor embarked overseas from Halifax bound for the United Kingdom. From #3 Personnel Reception Centre, he was first posted to #12 Advanced Flying Unit (AFU) in April 1942. He later served with several other units including #26 Operational Training Unit (OTU); #218 Conversion Flight; #218 Squadron; and #1657 Conversion Unit. On December 13, 1942, Victor became a member of RAF #15 Squadron “Aim Sure” with the rank of flight lieutenant-pilot.

No. 15 Squadron began the war as part of the Advanced Air Striking Force, a mission that made it one of the first squadrons to be sent to France. Initially the squadron flew Bristol Blenheim aircraft, but it was later re-equipped with Short Stirling aircraft. The Short Stirling aircraft was a British four-engine heavy bomber. For a short time, the bombers were used in RAF’s efforts to “lean over the channel”, as bait for German fighters. After too many Stirlings were lost to anti-aircraft fire, the squadron turned to night bombing and mine-laying.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel.

The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war. 

Even though he’d seen action for only two months with #15 Squadron, Victor was an experienced pilot who was a veteran of many flights over Germany and other enemy occupied territories. He was the “skipper” of his ship, a Stirling Bomber R9279, stationed out of Milden Hall, Lincolnshire, England.

On February 26, 1943, Harris, on his 17^th sortie, and his crew, were aboard their Stirling I R9279 (markings LS-J) bomber that was detailed to attack a target in Cologne, Germany. After take-off, no news of the 8-man crew or their Stirling aircraft surfaced, and it failed to return from operations. Of the 427 aircraft involved in the night operation, there were 10 losses, including Stirling R9279.

Perishing with RCAF Flight-Lieutenant-Pilot Victor Harris were RAF crew members FS. Richard Ashdown, and Sgts Peter Rogers, Wilfred Shaw, Howell Rees Jones, Sidney Phillips, Jack Wratten, and William Roy Matthews (AUS).

A day later, John, now living on Exmouth Street, received a telegram informing them that his son, Victor Henry Harris, WAS REPORTED MISSING AFTER OPERATIONS OVER ENEMY TERRITORY.Days later, John received the following letter from the Wing Commander, RAF, Bourn, Cambs.:

Dear Mr. Harris

            You will by now have been informed that your son, J9742 Flight Lieutenant Victor Henry Harris, failed to return from an operational flight on the night of 26/27th February, 1943. I am writing to express my deepest sympathy with you in your anxiety, but also to encourage you to hope that he is safe.

            He was the Captain of an aircraft engaged on an important bombing mission over enemy territory, and after take-off nothing further was heard. It appears likely that the aircraft was forced down, and if this is the case, there is some chance that he may be safe and a prisoner of war. In this event it may be two or three months before any certain information is obtained through the International Red Cross, but I hope the news will soon come through.

            Your son had done excellent work in the Squadron and had successfully completed sixteen operational flights. He will be very much missed by his many friends in the Squadron. His personal effects have been safeguarded and will be dealt with by the Committee of Adjustment as soon as possible who will write to you in the near future.

            May I on behalf of the whole Squadron express to you our most sincere sympathy, and the hope that you will soon receive good news.

John Harris hoped desperately that his son was possibly a prisoner of war, knowing that many months could elapse before authorities could definitely determine the fate of one listed as missing. In late August 1943, he received the following letter from the Flight Lieutenant, RCAF Casualties Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff:

Dear Mr. Harris:

            It is with deep regret that, in view of the lapse of time and the absence of any further information concerning your son, Flight Lieutenant Victor Henry Harris, since he was reported missing, the Air Ministry Overseas now proposes to take action to presume his death for official purposes.

            Will you please confirm by letter that you have not received any further evidence or news concerning him. The presumption of death action will proceed after hearing from you, and on completion you will receive official notification by registered letter. May I extend to you my earnest sympathy in this time of great anxiety.

John Harris’ letter of response to the Flight Lieutenant was as follows:

Dear Sir

            Thank you for your kind message of sympathy. Victor was a splendid boy. As regards other information we have had no other evidence or news but we still keep hoping. Thanking you

                                                                                                            Yours Sincerely JW Harris

Some time later, John Harris received the telegram informing him that his son Victor was now officially listed as PREVIOUSLY REPORTED MISSING AFTER AIR OPERATIONS NOW FOR OFFICIAL PURPOSES PRESUMED DEAD OVERSEAS. In September 1945, John received a War Service Gratuity of $406.93 for the loss of his youngest child. In July 1946, Victor’s sister, Beatrice Want in Windsor, received the following letter from the R.C.A.F. Records Officer:

Dear Mrs. Want:

            It is a privilege to have the opportunity of sending you the Operational Wings and Certificate in recognition of the gallant services rendered by your brother Flight Lieutenant V.H. Harris. I realize there is little which may be said or done to lessen your sorrow, but it is my hope that these “Wings”, indicative of operations against the enemy, will be a treasured memento of a young life offered on the altar of freedom in defence of his Home and Country.

            In May 1952, the Wing Commander, R.C.A.F. Casualties Officer, for Chief of the Air Staff sent a final letter to John:

Dear Mr. Harris:

            It is with reluctance that after so long an interval, I must refer to the loss of your son, Flight Lieutenant Victor Henry Harris, but due to the lack of any information concerning him since he was reported missing, it must be regretfully accepted and officially recorded that he does not have a “known” grave.       

Due to the extreme hazards attending air operations there are, unhappily many thousands of British aircrew boys who do not have “known” graves and all will be commemorated on General Memorials that will be erected at a number of locations by the Imperial War Graves Commission (of which Canada is a member), each Memorial representative of a theatre of operations. One of these Memorials will be erected at Runnymede, England and the name of your son will appear on that Memorial.

            I realize that this is an extremely distressing letter and that there is no manner of conveying such information to you that would not add to your heartaches. I am fully aware that nothing I may say will lessen your great sorrow, but I would like to express to you and the members of your family my deepest sympathy.

Twenty-four-year-old Flight Lieutenant-Pilot Victor Harris has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Runnymede War Memorial, Surrey, United Kingdom, Panel 172.

His name was not originally on the “new” Sarnia cenotaph, rededicated in 1955 with the names of Sarnia’s World War II fallen. In November 2019, his name, along with 25 others, was added to the Sarnia cenotaph, engraved in stone to be remembered always.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

Hugh Hegarty was born in Culdaff, Donegal County, Ireland, on August 23, 1917. He was the son of Hugh Hegarty Sr. (a farmer, later gardener) and Catherine (nee Green) Hegarty. Hugh Sr. (born in Carndonagh, Donegal, Ireland) and Catherine (born Culdaff, Ireland) were married in Donegal, Ireland, in 1903. Hugh Jr. came to Canada

when he was just seven years old. He arrived in Quebec in 1924 with his mother aboard the passenger ship Saturnia.  

Hugh Jr. had four sisters: Kathleen (born 1900, became Kathleen Gallagher, lived in New Jersey); Mary Bridget (born 1906, became Mary Hubbard); Cecilia (born 1915, became Cecilia Bullock); and Margaret (became Margaret Mahoney). Hugh also had three brothers: Michael (would live in Wallaceburg for a time before returning to Sarnia); Bernard (died 1924); and James (Jimmy).

Hugh’s brother, Jimmy, later lived in the Philadelphia area of the United States. He married, had children, and served with the United States Army during the Second World War. Many years later, when his mother Catherine passed away, Jimmy returned to Canada for her funeral. Ironically, when he went to return to the U.S.A., border officials would not allow him to enter the country because he was not a citizen of the United States. He stayed with his sister Margaret (Mahoney) in Sarnia for almost a year while things were sorted out.

The Hegarty family lived at 417 Confederation Street, and later 279 Rose Street, Sarnia, during the war years. Hugh was a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Parish Youth Organization. He attended S.S. #2 Plympton School, 1924-1928, and then St. Joseph’s Catholic Elementary School, 1928-1931, before going on to high school at Sarnia Collegiate.

He was the only one of the Hegarty children to go on to secondary school, and family members often asked how he’d likely do on upcoming school exams. His standard reply was, “I’ll likely flunk’er”, and so he became known as “Uncle Flunker” to all his nephews. Hugh attended Sarnia Collegiate Institute in 1931, graduating in 1935. He was active in hockey, rugby, softball, tennis, soccer, and swimming. Hugh was also referred to as “Francie” by his family members, an Irish habit of adding “ie” to everyone’s name.  

After graduating, Hugh was employed as a mechanic for Howard Alward at Sarnia Motors from June 1935-September 1935. He left that job to become a truck driver for James Wynn of Vidal Street from September 1935-April 1936. He then went to work for W.H. Keelan Sports Store on Brock Street from April 1936 until he enlisted. At Keelan Sports Store, Hugh did general repair work as a mechanic on bicycles, outboard motors, marine service, acetylene welding, and sales.

One of Hugh Hegarty’s reference letters used in his application to the R.C.A.F. came from Rev. H.B. McManus, of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sarnia. Following is that April 1940 reference letter to the R.C.A.F in London, Ontario:

Dear Sirs-

            The purpose of this letter is to certify to the righteous character of Francis Hegarty who is anxious to join His Majesty’s Service in the R.C.A.F. I have known Francis for the past four years, and know him to be all that could be desired for one seeking service in the R.C.A.F. He has been steadily employed, and I know has been appreciated by his employer. He has no bad habits of which I am aware, but has always been a steady young man, doing the right thing at all times. Hoping you will find it possible to let him join the R.C.A.F.

Though some of his relatives opposed his enlistment, 22-year-old Hugh Hegarty had a lure for adventure. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on July 19, 1940, in London, Ontario. He stood five feet eight-and-three-quarter inches tall, had hazel eyes and dark brown hair, was single, and lived with his sister Margaret at 417 Confederation Street, Sarnia, at the time. He requested flying duties, with a preference to be an air gunner.

From #1 Manning Depot in Toronto, then R.C.A.F. Station Camp Borden, Hugh began his air training at #2 Initial Training School (ITS) in Regina in September 1940. He then continued at #2 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) in Fort William, Ontario, in November and December 1940, where he flew Tiger Moth aircraft. The EFTS Commanding Officer’s remarks on Hugh included: Ability as a Pilot – Above Average… Flying test was very satisfactory. Is very keen and works hard. Should develop into an outstanding pilot. Conduct on the ground was very good.

In mid-November 1940, Hugh wrote a letter from EFTS in Fort William to his sister Cecilia in Sarnia. Following is a portion of that letter. [Note: In his letter he refers to Leo (Bullock)—his brother-in-law who married Hugh’s sister, Cecilia, and his two nephews, Billy (age 6), and Calvin (age 3) Bullock]:

Dear Sister,

            “Hello Our Celia” – I sure was glad to hear from you, and I should have written you long ago but every time I thought about it, I didn’t know your address. But I guess its better late than never so here I am scribbling you a few lines to let you know that I received your kind and ever welcome letter glad to see by it that you are all well and hope you will always be the same… I really am glad to hear that you, Leo, Billy and Calvin are all fine.

I’m also glad to hear your sort of looking after Helen for me, I knew there must be at least one of the

Hegarty clan that would protect my interests. How is Leo getting along, I hope he’s getting along fine and I’m sure he will if he keeps on studying. I have six subjects to study myself, besides our regular classes we have to study after

six o’clock for eight hours a week. That’s what I’m supposed to be doing right now but I spend most of my study

periods writing letters, it passes the time far quicker. The trouble is we have to write examinations in Armaments, Airframes, Airmanship, Aero Engines, Theory of Flight, Navigation and Signals every week. But I haven’t been doing so badly so far as a matter of fact I managed to put the old Hegarty name at the top of the list on the last set of examinations. I had an average of 99% in everything put together.

            I haven’t been doing much flying on account of bad weather etc, but even if they can’t make a flyer out of me, I at least showed them I could do the ground subjects. Boy if I ever start navigating one of these contraptions over Sarnia you better climb under something real solid and stay there until I’m well out of the way, besides I’d be afraid to fly over Sarnia, those shotgun guards at the Imperial would probably shoot the wings off me, are they still parked around the plant? You talk about driving a car, these cursed contrivances do the goofiest things you ever seen or heard tell of, they have a bad habit of trying to go in three or four directions all at once, it sure is funny…

            One of the instructors took me up the other day and showed me how to do a spin, it’s the cat’s pyjamas, the ground and sky all start to go around in circles and its hard to tell whether you’re going or coming for a while, but I really enjoyed it. If there wasn’t so many things to watch and handle it really would be fun, by the time you have both feet on the rudders, one hand on the control column, the other on the throttle, and another one on the trimming gear if you have an extra one, you don’t have much time to enjoy yourself.

            Is Leo still thinking of joining the navy? Well just between you, me and the gate post I wouldn’t encourage him too much most of these services look a lot better from the outside than they do from the inside. I’m satisfied myself,… I haven’t got anyone depending on me but if I had a wife and kids I’d be keeping myself right where the parachute hangs if I had.

            Is Calvin’s hand completely all better, I sure hope it is, how is Billy getting along at school, he hasn’t started to play hookey yet has he. How’s old “Will” by the way also Leo’s mother I hope they are well. I guess I’d better stop before I make an essay out of this, give my regards to all the folks and write me again sometime. Well “So Long” for now and be good to Leo and the boys and don’t let them beat up on old Will too much. Save me the left hind leg of your Christmas turkey, if I don’t get home for Christmas. I’ll wrap one of these old crates around a telephone pole then they can send me home for keeps. Incidentally I saw them testing a “Hawker Hurricane” being tested up here, if I could climb aboard it, I could be home in a whiff. Love to you, Leo and Billy and Cal

                                                                                                                                    Flunker

Hugh continued his training at #7 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) in MacLeod, Alberta, where from mid-December 1940 until early March 1941 he flew Avro Ansons. In mid-January 1941, he wrote another letter to his sister Cecilia. Following is a portion of that letter:

Dear Sister,

Hello our Celia. Thanks a lot for the Christmas gifts how did you know I needed galloshes, these old ones I got from the service were a disaster with a white shirt. I’m glad to hear you, Leo, Billy and Calvin are all fine, tell Billy I didn’t happen to be flying that plane in the picture but I fly ones just like it, as a matter of fact I had one of them up by myself for the first time last Sunday… This place is just a few miles East of the Rocky Mountains and the wind really whistles through the Crow’s Nest Pass, we have gales quite often here of 50 or 60 miles per hour. All you have to do is point these old crates into the wind, pull up the anchor and away you go, one of the lads was chasing a pig up wind the other day, he said he had the motors wide open but the pig was gaining on him so you see its quite drafty out here. Otherwise the weather is swell, there isn’t any snow and its quite mild. I wish I had the patience to study like Leo has, the navigation we get here is slowly driving me bughouse, I dream about maps and charts etc.

But I’m going to do my damndest to get me a pair of wings even if I have to kill a prairie chicken to get them, will you sew them on for me. Thanks I knew you would… I’ve been feeling just the same as ever, once in a while I get sick of the whole business but I usually get over it, when I heard that I was being sent out here I felt like kicking the wings off one of the old Tiger Moths but I don’t mind it so much now that I’m here. Well Celia I’ve got to get over to the mess hall before the rush starts, give my best regards to Leo, Billy, Calvin and all the rest of the folks. Write me again soon I sure like to hear from you, but don’t think I’m stuck up if I don’t write back right away this is the toughest part of the whole course and if I manage to sneak through here I’ll finally get my wings in a month or so.

                                                                                    Good Bye with Love, Flunker

Hugh “Flunker” Hegarty graduated from #7 SFTS in MacLeod, on March 1, 1941, where he was awarded his Pilot’s Flying Badge and Wings. He then attended #31 General Navigation Reconnaissance School, Charlottetown, P.E.I., from mid-March through to late May 1941. It was here that pilots and air observers were trained in the techniques required for ocean patrol, the last stop before aircrews were assigned to operations. Hugh graduated #31 General Reconn. School with the top marks in his class. His Commanding Officer’s assessed Hugh as Above the average. This officer has proved himself an intelligent and reliable navigator… has worked hard, and produced excellent results… has displayed great keenness and application… a sound reliable Officer and has the makings of a good G.R. Pilot.

Hugh Hegarty embarked overseas on June 20, 1941. Before he departed, he left his black Plymouth with his sister Margaret who was responsible for covering the nine remaining monthly car payments. Bill Bullock, who was seven years old at the time, remembers saying goodbye to his uncle on the crowded train platform. Bill was excited but sad to see him go because, as he stated years later, “Uncle Francie was a great guy, a terrific uncle. He always made a fuss over the kids.” When the train pulled out of the station, Flunker’s older brother, Mike, said, “We’ll never see him again.”

Hugh arrived in the United Kingdom on July 2, 1941, and was attached to #3 Personnel Reception Centre. On July 15, 1941, he was assigned to RCAF #407 Demon Squadron “To Hold On High”, part of RAF Coastal Command, with the rank of pilot officer-pilot.

During the course of the war, one of this country’s most significant contributions was the approximately 50,000 Canadians who served with the RCAF and RAF in Bomber Command operations. Next to Britain, Canada was the largest contributor to Bomber Command, making up more than a third of all of Bomber Command personnel. The men who served in Bomber Command faced some of the most difficult odds of anyone fighting in the war.

RCAF No. 407 Squadron’s wartime history is divided into two parts. From mid-1941 to January 1943, it operated as a “strike” (bombing) squadron attacking enemy shipping. Hugh served with the squadron during this time. In late January 1943, it was re-designated 407 General Reconnaissance Squadron, protecting friendly shipping from the U-boat threat operating Vickers Wellington aircraft. 

No. 407 was one of seven RCAF units serving with RAF Coastal Command. It was based at RAF North Coates, then RAF Thorney Island, a North Sea Coast bombing post. Flying Lockheed Hudson twin-engine light bombers, they attacked enemy shipping and German motor torpedo boats. While Hugh Hegarty was a member, #407 Squadron had gone six weeks without a loss, while taking part in 104 operational sorties raiding German positions in the Netherlands, and 11 shipping attacks. It was as a strike squadron that it won its reputation and its nickname “The Demon Squadron”, due to its tenacity in carrying out attacks.

Flying reconnaissance patrol for German torpedo boats was known as a “Hoden Patrol”, and in October 1941, Demon Squadron was carrying out Hoden Patrols along the Belgian and French coasts from the Hook of Holland to the English Channel. Even in ideal conditions, it was risky business. The aircraft used flares to light the area—either to locate German torpedo boats or to discourage the Germans from nearing the convoys. Inside each Hudson aircraft were 24 parachute flares. To drop the flares, the pilot had to fly in a steady line while the flares were pushed manually through a flarechute. A lanyard acted as both a rip cord for the parachute and an ignition mechanism, so when the parachute opened the flares ignited, illuminating a large area of the sea below. The danger to the pilots and crew was that with the flares dropping in short intervals on a straight course, pilots exposed their position to any German night fighters in the vicinity.

In early October 1941, weather conditions were so nasty that Bomber Command grounded all planes. The weather was marginally better on October 10. On that date, besides the frigid temperature, there were intermittent rain squalls and gusting winds coming off the North Sea that created poor visibility for the crews and choppy seas hampered radar reception. Nevertheless, Bomber Command ordered the Demon Squadron to fly. 

During this blustery, rainy October 10 night, Hugh Hegarty and his crew flew Hudson Bomber AN586, nicknamed “T for Tommy” on anti-shipping patrol off the Dutch coast, carrying 4 X 250 lb. bombs. Hegarty piloted his bomber to a safe take off and the aircraft disappeared into the darkness. Sadly, “T for Tommy” failed to return, and the 5-man crew were presumed killed during the flying operation.

Their aircraft and crew were the first loss sustained by the #407 Demon Squadron Coastal Command, and the first aircraft reported missing from an R.C.A.F. Coastal Command in Britain. It is unknown whether the aircraft was downed by enemy fire, the turbulent weather, or a fatal malfunction. The Hudson Bomber with Hugh Hegarty and her crew was never found.  

Also, on board the aircraft was another Sarnian, Flight-Sergeant Charles John Frederick McCrum, the son of Mr. and Mrs. H.U. McCrum of Ottawa. The family, including CharlesMcCrum, lived in Sarnia for several years, where Charles attended Sarnia Collegiate. Charles’ father was the former chief inspector for the Canadian Immigration Service in Sarnia, and the family moved to Ottawa only a few years prior to the war when Mr. McCrum was transferred to the capital.

Shortly after the aircraft’s disappearance, the Globe and Mail printed a story with the headline “They Didn’t Come Back” that included the photographs of Sergeant C.J. McCrum, Ottawa; Pilot Officer Frank Hegarty, Sarnia; and Sergeant Don Mather of North Gower, Ontario. A portion of the story read RCAF Coastal Squadron Loses First Plane, Crew – On a cold, blustery night an R.C.A.F. coastal squadron plane took off from its airfield on the British North Sea coast-and failed to return. The three Canadians pictured above were lost with their craft somewhere in the North Sea. 

It was not until June 1942 that Pilot Officer Hugh Hegarty’s death was officially recorded as Previously reported missing after flying operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas. Perishing with Pilot Officer-Pilot Hugh Hegarty were FS. Don Stuart Mather; Sgt. Charles John McCrum; Flying Officer J.W. Renwick (RAF); and Sgt. Billy Smith (RAF).

On June 8, 1942, a requiem high mass was celebrated at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Sarnia for Hugh Hegarty. One month later, in mid-July 1942, Catherine, living at 279 Rose Street, received the following letter from the Air Marshal, Chief of the Air Staff:

Dear Mrs. Hegarty:

            I have learned with deep regret that your son, Pilot Officer Hugh Francis Hegarty, previously reported missing on Active Service Overseas is now presumed to have died on October 10th, 1941. I wish to offer both you and Mr. Hegarty my sincere and heartfelt sympathy.

            It is so unfortunate that a promising career should be thus terminated and I would like you to know that his loss is greatly deplored by all those whom your son was serving.

The following is a newspaper account of the night on which Hugh Hegarty’s aircraft went missing (Hamilton Spectator, October 31, 1941, by Douglas Amaron, Canadian Press):

RAID BY CANADIAN SQUADRON ENDS WITH ONE PLANE LOST

“T For Tommy” Does Not Return After Attack on French Coast

Is Awaited in Vain

Darkness settled down over the air field as the last plane took off for the Netherlands coast. It was a cold night, with the salty rain blowing in from the North Sea, and Flight-Lieut. C.M. Warren, of Toronto, medical officer of the Royal Canadian Air Force coastal command squadron at the station, was bundled up like an Eskimo in a fur-lined flying jacket. “You can’t keep too warm on a job like this,” he said. “I have to be here until after midnight and it can get mighty cold at that time of night.”

The Canadians, grounded all the previous week because of even worse flying conditions, were out almost in full force. Some were over the Netherlands coast looking for Nazi shipping, some were on cross-country training flights, and some were practicing night landings.

In the distance searchlights played against the low-hanging clouds and the sound of a gun brought the station defence crew to their sand-bagged posts. Flashes of anti-aircraft fire several miles away light the sky.

There were German planes in the area, but no one paid much attention to them. Raids in that district are almost a nightly affair and only a handful of people stayed out in the cold to watch the fireworks display which lasted less than 20 minutes. P.O. Bill Cameron, of Vancouver, brought his plane down for the night after a half dozen landings and muttered a few unkindly words about ground defences. He had flown through the barrage area and almost caught some of the shells meant for Nazi raiders.

“Damned indecent of them,” he said as he landed. “They told me there was an enemy craft about so I followed him in. Then what did they do but fire at me. A fellow isn’t safe anywhere these days.” More planes came back – P.O. Bill Shankland, of Vancouver, from a landing practice, P.O. John McCulloch, of Point Pleasant, West Va., from a cross country flight, and P.O. Bob Wadds, of Toronto, from a flight over the North Sea.

“T for Tommy,” with P.O. Frank Hegarty, of Sarnia, Ont., at the controls, and Sergts. Don Mather, of North Gower, Ont., and C.J.F. McCrum, of Ottawa, and an R.A.F. pilot officer in his crew, was the next plane due back.

An hour went by and there was no word from it. Sergt. Pilots Bob Mullen, of Ganora, Sask., and J.K. Abbott, of

Montreal, arrived almost together. They too had seen nothing but the night, and had heard nothing of “T for

Tommy.” P.O. Dale Cowperwaite, of Toronto, came in next after being reported several miles off course. “T for Tommy” was two hours overdue.

“A lousy night,” Cowperwaite said. “The wireless went haywire, my lights went out, ‘George’ the automatic

pilot wasn’t working, the compass went off. In fact the only thing that worked was the engines. And we didn’t see anything either.”

The crews huddled around a big kitchen stove, drinking hot tea, eating meat pies and cursing the blackness of the night – one of the few on which they had returned with nothing to report. Outside, Flight-Lieut. Warren stood on the edge of the darkened field beside his ambulance. The rain still beat down and the cold wind whistled around the low-lying buildings beside the sea.

There was still no word from “T for Tommy.”

They waited another hour – Cameron, Shankland, McCulloch, Wadda, Mullen, Abbott, Cowperwaite and the crews, and Warren. Then, wearily and saying few words, they piled into their transport and drove slowly through the blackout to the operations room to turn in their reports.

These were brief and to the point and the briefest was in the space reserved for three young Canadians and an Englishman. There, for the first time since the squadron was formed, went down the one word – “missing.”

“T for Tommy” didn’t come home.

In August 1945, Hugh Sr. and Catherine Hegarty received a War Service Gratuity of $160.92 for the loss of their son. In late-March 1946, Catherine, then at 412 Confederation Street, received the following letter from an R.C.A.F. Records Officer in Ottawa:

Dear Mrs. Hegarty:

            It is a privilege to have the opportunity of sending you the Operational Wings and Certificate in recognition of the gallant services rendered by your son Pilot Officer H.F. Hegarty. I realize there is little which may be said or done to lessen your sorrow, but it is my hope that these “Wings”, indicative of operations against the enemy, will be a treasured memento of a young life offered on the altar of freedom in defence of his Home and Country.

Hugh Hegarty was gone but his family members continued to honour his memory in their own way. To cope with their pain and loss, Hugh Sr. and Catherine rarely mentioned Flunker after his death, but in a tribute to their late brother, some of his siblings named their sons after him.

Bill Bullock was nine when his favourite uncle passed away. The two had forged a strong relationship despite Bill’s young age and Flunker’s early death. Flunker was Bill’s godfather and he never forgot him. Until he passed away in May 2019, Bill spent his entire life keeping the memory of his Uncle Francie alive.

Twenty-four-year-old Pilot Officer-Pilot Hugh Hegarty has no known grave. His name inscribed on the Runnymede War Memorial, United Kingdom, Panel 59. On the Sarnia cenotaph, his name is inscribed as H.F. Haggerty.

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand

Wallace Horley was born in Dewar Lake, Saskatchewan, on September 10, 1921, the son of Carman Walter and Rachel (nee Muirhead, born in Dumbarton, Scotland) Horley. Rachel Muirhead, along with her mother and six siblings, emigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1911 and initially settled in Saskatchewan. Carman Horley, born 1896 in Becher, Lambton, was the son of Joseph and Jane Horley, and the fifth of eight children. Their 50-acre family farm was hardly big enough for the size of the family. At a young age, Carman and an older brother travelled west to work on the farms in Saskatchewan. When World War I broke out, Carman enlisted in the army; however, he received a discharge to continue working on the farms. He started work with the Canadian National (CN) Railway in 1917 and as the rail-line was built westward, he moved with the company.

Carman Horley and Rachel Muirhead were married in Greene, Saskatchewan, on November 29, 1917. The Horleys later moved to Cochrane, Ontario, and in 1931, they settled on a farm south of Port Lambton. In 1935, the Horley family moved a couple of miles north of Port Lambton where Carman supported his family working road construction during the warm weather months and cutting wood in the bush during the winter months. In 1939, the Horley family moved to 114 John Street in Sarnia where Carman supported his large family by working in the processing department of Sarnia Refinery.

Carman and Rachel Horley had four daughters and five sons together: Evelyn Mary (born 1918 in Loverna, Sask., became Evelyn Dellow); Alistair James (born September 17, 1919 in Greene); Wallace Carman (born 1921); Floyd Arthur (born July 26, 1923 in Cochrane), Frances Rachel (born 1929, became Frances Godley); Joseph Robert (born 1931); Jane Isabelle (born 1933); Ruth Agnes (born 1935, became Ruth Sainsbury); and William Donald (born 1937). Three of the Horley boys served with the Royal Canadian Navy during the war.

Beginning on the opening day of the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic would be the longest continuous campaign of the war, and one in which Canada played a central role. The Royal Canadian Navy, along with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Canada’s Merchant Navy, played a vital role in defending the country’s eastern coast and escorting convoys of ships carrying men and essential machinery, arms, fuel and basic resources between North America and Europe.

The Royal Canadian Navy consisted of three organizations that were frequently lumped together with little distinction under the title of Royal Canadian Navy: the professional force, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), were sailors that had made naval warfare their profession and had been trained at the naval college and on Royal Navy ships; the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve (RCNR), drew upon the merchant navy and the pool of men who made their living as fishers; and the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve (RCNVR), the ordinary sailors from across the country who formed the bulk of the navy. The three categories of sailor were distinguished by the distinctive stripes on the cuffs of their uniforms: the RCN had broad straight stripes; the RCNR had criss-crossed stripes; and the RCNVR had wavy stripes, which led them to calling themselves the “Wavy Navy”.

That three boys joined the navy was no surprise to their brother Joe who noted, “They always felt at home on the water.” The first to join was Floyd who, in January 1941, became a Wireless Operator with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). He served off the west coast aboard the corvette HMCS Moncton and the River Class frigate HMCS Buckingham.

Alistair was the second to join in the fall of 1941. He became a Chief Petty Officer with the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve (RCNR) and served aboard the armed merchant cruiser HMCS Prince Henry in the Pacific and the “E” Class destroyer HMCS Gatineau.

Wallace was the third Horley boy to join the navy, when he became a member of the RCNVR. The eldest Horley daughter, Evelyn, married William “Bill” Dellow. He also served in the war with the Canadian Army, Elgin Regiment. Corporal Bill Dellow served with the Canadian Corps in Italy, was wounded there, and survived the war.

Growing up in Port Lambton, the Horley children spent a lot of their time sailing, swimming, and fishing in the nearby St. Clair River. Floyd, Alistair, and Wallace all worked for a time on Canada Steamship Lines (CSL) ships on the Great Lakes. For them, that familiarity and comfort in the water no doubt impacted their decision to join the Navy. Wallace attended school in Port Lambton, a one-room schoolhouse, along with the rest of his brothers and sisters. He quit school after completing grade eight to help support the family. Wallace enjoyed playing baseball and sailing, he had a girlfriend, and his family members described him as the “strong, silent type”.

Canada and Newfoundland declared war on Germany on September 10, 1939. Three days earlier, on September 7, 1939, Wallace Horley had joined the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF), the 11th Field Company, Royal Canadian Engineers in Sarnia. It was also three days before his 18th birthday. Wallace was a cement worker at the time, living in Port Lambton. Two months later, Sapper Wallace was discharged from the CASF when “his services were no longer required”. He then went to work at Imperial Oil Company as a pipe fitter and he lived with his parents at 114 John Street, Sarnia.

On March 19, 1942, Wallace Horley, age 20, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve in Windsor, Ontario. He stood six feet tall, had blue eyes and light brown hair and was single. He stated that he planned to return to Imperial Oil after the war. His initial training was in Windsor on HMCS Hunter until mid-May 1942. He then served on HMCS Cornwallis (May18-July 21, 1942), and HMCS Venture (July 22, 1942-January 13, 1944). On January 14, 1944, then Stoker Horley was assigned to the crew of HMCS Alberni (K103), a corvette of the Flower class. The Alberni was based out of Stadacona (Halifax) until April 21, 1944, when she was based out of Niobe (Scotland).

Corvettes were considered the backbone of the Canadian Navy. They had a simple design, based on that of a whaling vessel. Roughly 60 metres long with a top speed of 16 knots and a crew of between 60-100, they were made to sail close to land, and not intended for the wide-open ocean crossings. But that is where they sailed—protecting merchant ships in convoys on Atlantic crossings against the wolf packs of German U-boats. The tough and nimble corvettes were equipped with a 4-inch gun that fired 31-pound shells; and they carried 420-pound depth charges filled with high explosives. Their rounded hulls caused them to ride on top of the seas, floating like a cork, so the corvettes climbed the crests of waves, only to plunge into the troughs before battling up the crest again. A common saying was that “a corvette would roll in wet grass.” They were known as “wet ships”, as the seas broke over the decks, salt water seeped through the seams, hatches, and ventilators. Foul smelling sea water permeated the rolling, pitching ship with the crew members, often cold and drenched, crammed together inside.

As a ship’s stoker, Wallace Horley’s job was especially uncomfortable, exacting, and difficult. Working in the bowels of the ship, stokers were responsible for the day-to-day running of the ship as they were responsible for the actual working of the ship’s triple expansion engines, hydraulics, electrical, and firefighting systems.

Built at the Yarrows Limited shipyard in Esquimalt, British Columbia, and named to honour the town of Alberni on Vancouver Island, the Alberni had been commissioned for service by the Royal Canadian Navy on February 4, 1941. She arrived at Halifax in mid-April 1941, and just over a month later, departed for St. John’s to join the recently formed Newfoundland Escort Force (NEF). She was the first western Canadian corvette assigned as a convoy escort and played a prominent role in the Battle of the Atlantic when the depredations of German U-boats were at their peak.

In her illustrious career, the Alberni was credited with one probable sinking of a Nazi submarine; it assisted in several other kills; had shot down a Junkers 88 bomber; took part in Operation Torch, the British invasion of North Africa; and had rescued countless numbers of men from the sea after Allied ships were attacked. In April 1944, she was one of 17 RCN corvettes sent to the UK in support of Operation Neptune, the landings at Normandy in June 1944.

Wallace, like all the men on board the ship, relished the letters they received from family. In Sarnia, Rachel Horley was a letter writer and corresponded frequently with Wallace, Floyd, and Alistair. She also insisted that her daughters write letters to their three brothers overseas—something they did faithfully. In one letter Wallace wrote to his parents, he stated that he had participated in the invasion of Normandy, France, while aboard the Alberni.

On at least one occasion, Wallace and Alistair got to see each other somewhere in the Atlantic when the Alberni and Alistair’s ship, the Gatineau, were conducting exercises. As it turned out, Alistair was the last family member to see Wallace alive.

In June and most of July 1944, the Alberni, like other Canadian corvettes, escorted collections of landing craft, ships, barges, tugs, and floating piers and accompanied merchant ships between Southampton and the Normandy beaches. The Germans were desperate to stop them. The Alberni withstood attacks from the Luftwaffe, E-boats, and U-boats, and she faced the constant danger of lethal underwater mines.

Late in July, the Alberni, along with some other corvettes, was assigned to anti-submarine patrols in the English Channel. On July 26, the Alberni shot down a German Junkers 88 that attacked her close to sea level. Two days later, the corvette narrowly missed an aircraft-laid mine when a depth charge laid over an ASDIC contact set off another mine 200 yards off Alberni’s starboard beam. After some brief maintenance, in August, Alberni was ordered to relieve HMCS Drumheller on patrol for U-boats east of the swept channel leading to the Normandy beaches.

On August 15, Rachel wrote a letter that began with her usual “My Dear Wallace.” The big news was that Alistair was home on leave for a month and was extremely happy to be there. She updated Wallace about his siblings and relatives in Sarnia, the searing hot weather at home, a few tidbits about the war, and her thoughts on Wallace’s upcoming 23^rd birthday. She confessed she didn’t know what to send him for his birthday and had hoped that Alistair had some suggestions. Unfortunately, he didn’t. She signed it “Love from all, Mother.”

On August 21, 1944, she was steaming south in tough weather along the Isle of Wight at 14 knots. Her assignment was to escort a convoy in the English Channel southeast of the Isle of Wight. At 11:37 a.m. the “hands to dinner” pipe was sounded, calling many of the hungry sailors to the mess halls below deck. Four minutes later, with no ASDIC warning whatsoever, the Alberni was struck by a torpedo fired by German submarine U-480. Seventy-nine seconds after being fired by U-480, the acoustic torpedo struck the ship on her port side immediately aft of the engine room. Within moments of the attack the ship was awash from the funnel aft, listing to port. The stern sank first. The ship rolled to port, and then the bow went under. The Alberni disappeared in less than one minute.

There was a strong wind and heavy seas at the time, and with the speed of the disaster, there was no time to release the ship’s boats and Carley floats and many of the men didn’t have time to put on life belts. The surviving crew members were those positioned farther forward, but even many of them never reached the upper deck. The ship’s commanding officer, Ian Bell, at 24 the youngest man to command an RCN vessel, jumped out of his cabin when the explosion happened and started racing to the bridge. He didn’t get far before he was washed over the side as the Alberni floundered and sank. In media interviews later, Bell stated that “whatever hit us pretty much disintegrated the ship.”

Four officers and 55 members of the crew, representing 2/3 of the Alberni’s crew, were lost in the attack. For those dazed in the water, after 45 minutes of struggling in the heavy seas, 31 crew members were rescued by Royal Navy motor torpedo boats 469 and 470 and taken to Portsmouth. Wallace Horley was one of the crew members who lost his life in the attack. At the time, no cause was given for the loss of the warship. The Alberni was the 8th corvette and 18th Canadian fighting ship to be lost in World War II.

U-480 was an experimental vessel, considered by many to be the first stealth submarine due to its special synthetic rubber coating technology called “Alberich”. The 4-mm thick rubber shell that coated the metal exterior contained a series of holes that helped break up sound waves. This is why the Alberni, despite sweeping with ASDIC radar and sonar, had no indication the submarine was in the area.

The Alberni was determined to be the first allied vessel to be sunk by “Alberich” technology. Between August 21-25, 1944, U-480 sank two warships—HMCS Alberni and HMS Loyalty—and the merchant ships, Fort Yale and Orminister. On her second patrol, U-480 had sunk 14,000 tons of Allied ships and even though the Allies knew the stealth sub existed, they could not find her. Five months after sinking the Alberni, sometime between January 29 and February 20, 1945, U-480 struck a mine southwest of the Isle of Wight, sending it to the bottom and the entire crew of 48 was lost.

On August 23, Carman and Rachel on John Street in Sarnia received a telegram that read THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE FOR NAVAL SERVICES DEEPLY REGRETS TO INFORM YOU THAT YOUR SON WALLACE CARMAN HORLEY STOKER FIRST CLASS OFFICIAL NO V-31090 IS MISSING AT SEA LETTER FOLLOWS.No other details were provided.

Just days earlier, Rachel had mailed Wallace another letter in which she hoped that he was doing fine and that he “would be getting home after the Invasion.” In her letter Rachel confessed again that she still didn’t know what to send Wallace for his imminent birthday, but “if you have any suggestions, let me know.” Rachel signed it in her usual manner: “Lots of love from all, Mother.”

In late August 1944, Carman received the following letter from the Secretary, Naval Board:

Dear Mr. Horley:

            It is with deepest regret that I must confirm the telegram of the 23rd of August, 1944, from the Minister of National Defence for Naval Services, informing you that your son, Wallace Carman Horley, Stoker First Class, Official Number V-31090, Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, is missing at sea.

            The only information that can be given at this time is that your son is missing at sea when the ship in which

he was serving was lost by enemy action in the English Channel. As soon as further particulars can be released, you will be informed.         

Should you know the name of the ship in which he was serving, it is requested that, for security reasons, you will regard this information as confidential until such time as an official announcement is made. Please accept the sincere sympathy of the Department in your anxiety.

In mid-September 1944, Ottawa released the casualty list in connection with the sinking of the Alberni, and Stoker First Class Wallace Carman Horley was among those listed as missing from the lost warship. Information released from Ottawa revealed that two-thirds of the crew were either dead or missing after the sinking and that the attack occurred while the vessel was pursuing “invasion duties”. No cause was given for the loss of the ship.

About this time, Rachel received a thick envelope at her John Street home. Inside the envelope, she found her letter dated August 16 and her letter and birthday card dated August 22. They were unopened and stamped “Return to Sender. It is deeply regretted that the addressee is presumed missing.”

In December of 1944, Wallace Horley’s death was later officially recorded as Missing, presumed dead. He was serving in H.M.C.S. ‘Alberni’ which was sunk in the English Channel.

In early March 1945, Stoker First Class Wallace Horley, along with Army Private Russell Jolly (included in this Project), were honoured at a memorial service at Devine Street United Church. Both men were members of the congregation and both had died recently while on active service. In mid-June 1945, Carman and Rachel received a War Service Gratuity of $311.59 for the loss of Wallace.

In 1948, Carman and Rachel posted this brief “In Memoriam” in the Sarnia Observer: “In memory of our son Wallace Horley, who was lost at sea four years ago today, August 21, 1944, on the H.M.C.S. Alberni. O happy hours we once enjoyed. How sweet their memory still, But death has left a loneliness, the world can never fill. Ever remembered by mother, dad, brothers, and sisters.”  

Many years later, Frances Godley (nee Horley) recalled the day that the military men came to their John Street home to break the news. Then 15 years old, Frances remembered that what was on everyone’s mind was, “Which of them is it?” because three boys were serving at the time. Frances also recalled the time the Commanding Officer (CO) of the Alberni, Ian H. Bell, came to visit Carman and Rachel months after the sinking. “He cried”, Frances remembered, because she had not seen a man cry before.

His death was a devastating blow to the Horleys—one that his siblings later described as “the saddest day in our family’s history”. Carman Horley seemed to be the most impacted by the tragedy—Wallace was named after his father and, like Carman, he had the strong, silent, and stoic personality. Rachel was equally despondent but was determined to never let Wallace’s memory fade.

The Horley house on John Street was a second home to several grandchildren and Rachel mentioned Wallace often in her conversations and made sure Wallace’s name was part of pre-war reminiscences and childhood memories. Kathryn Godley, her granddaughter, spent a lot of time at her grandparents’ house growing up. She recalls that “I was always very aware as a little girl, that I had another uncle that I’d never gotten to meet. His name was as familiar to me as those of the aunts and uncles that I saw every week while growing up in Sarnia.”

Years later, Carman and Rachel travelled to Nova Scotia to visit the Halifax Memorial.

Twenty-two-year-old Wallace Horley has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Halifax Memorial, Nova Scotia, Panel 12. His name is also inscribed on the Sarnia Refinery Plaque. Unveiled in 1949, the plaque has the names of 24 Sarnia Imperial Oil employees who made the ultimate sacrifice in World War II.

Wallace’s parents are both buried in Lakeview Cemetery in Sarnia. On their gravemarker are inscribed the following words: HORLEY CARMAN WALTER 1896-1968  HIS WIFE  RACHEL MUIRHEAD 1899-1974  THEIR BELOVED SON WALLACE CARMAN 1921-1944  LOST AT SEA H.M.C.S. ALBERNI.  

Source: The Sarnia War Remembrance Project by Tom Slater

Editors: Tom St. Amand and Lou Giancarlo

More information on this soldier is available in

Valour Remembered: Sarnia-Lambton War Stories by Tom Slater and Tom St. Amand