No. 9 Service Flying Training School Summerside

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Wednesday, August 11, 2010

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C-12347 pg. 1400 -

https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/databases/canada-gazette/093/001060-119.01-e.php?document_id_nbr=8742&image_id_nbr=330260&f=g

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With creation of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in 1939, surveying began across Canada to find suitable locations for air training facilities. One site had been located near the village of Centralia. It was decided that the facility would house RAF Service Flying Training School (No. 42). In the meantime, on Canada's East Coast, another Service Flying Training School site was to be built near Summerside, P.E.I. Designated No. 9 SFTS, the facility began training student pilots on January 6, 1941.While training at Summerside continued, the German U-Boat fleet was emerging as a major or threat to shipping in the North Atlantic. This lead to the expansion of air defence facilities along Canada's East Coast. It was determined the Summerside Station would better serve this expansion by converting over to a General Reconnaissance School. In this role the school would train crews for coastal duties with Eastern Air Command. Marge (Birch) Larson recalls an unusual experience she had while stationed at Summerside. One night while she was on duty the teletype machine began to jump up and down. A German plane was over the island. “If he'd have dropped a bomb he'd have sunk us lock stock and barrel. I raced to the switchboard and so help me the switchboard operator was in the can.” Larson pulled and pushed plugs on the switchboard and recalls, “I think I had every phone going! I got the CO, Adjutant and SAO and felt I was in for it. That’s how No. 9 moved to Centralia in ten days and Summerside became a GRS.” Changes in war meant changes in training. Thus the Centralia facility which was purchased and construction paid for by the RAF suddenly became the new home of No. 9 SFTS. The massive task of moving a complete air training school was carried out in stages. The Advance Party arrived at Centralia on June 8, 1942. Their role was to receive the initial issue of equipment and make necessary arrangements with regard to accommodation, messing and services for the remainder of the school. Under the leadership of S/L G.M.A. Monteith, the personnel worked diligently through mud, dust and time restrictions to prepare the new Station for arrival of the Main Party.F/L George Wegg was Senior Equipment Officer at Summerside. “I was placed in charge of the advanced party to Centra1ia to take the station over from the civilian contractor. With a party of 30 equipment assistants our job was to prepare the property for the main party to move into the station from Summerside. I believe the first intake of students was scheduled for September - a most interesting summer." On July 4, 1942 a special parade was held on the station parade ground in order to give the people of P.E.I. the opportunity to say good-bye publicly to the Commanding Officer and the personnel of No. 9 SFTS, on their departure to Centralia. Short addresses were made by the Premier of Prince Edward Island, the Honourable Thane A. Campbell, Mayor Lidstone, on behalf of the Town of Summerside, Mr. E.P. Foley, Member of the Legislative Assembly and Major Arthur Roland Brennan, on behalf of the RCAF Cadet Squadron. A suitable acknowledgment was made by the Commanding Officer, Group Captain E.G. Fullerton. The parade of personnel, numbering four hundred and eighty eight were presented with a small traveling box containing an apple and an orange, a box of twenty five cigarettes, a package of gum and a box of candy. The expense of the presentation was divided between the Province of Prince Edward Island and the Town of Summerside. The boxes were packed by the women of the Red Cross in Summerside, and distributed by the Air Cadets, who also attended the parade.

Flying Instructors

(J/3108) John Gavin Showler; (C387) Gledhill; (C1075) G. Hill; (C/475) George Frederick Kimball, +(J10973) Gerald Frederick Maffre - 434 Sqn. (posted to No. 9 SFTS March 23, 1941); (J/7758) John Moore Weston - POW 80 Sqn.; (C1669) Reese James Richards; Jack Morgan, Calgary; Squadron Leader N.S. Anderson, Flight Commander; Wing Commander E.M. Mitchell, Chief Instructor; (J/3105) John Francis Leeper - DFC 160 Sqn.; (C1697) Hugh Charles Trainor - DSO, DFC & Bar 402/411/401 Sqns., PoW; Eric Taylor Webster; (J/4886) Wallace Angus Grayton McLeish, Hamilton; (R/62975 - J/14020) Howard Lenly Spinney, Yarmouth, N.S.; (J/14017) Lester (Cyril) Johnston, Fortune Bridge, P.E.I.; (R/58829) N.F. Brown; (C1605) R.B. Edwards; Sgt. Brodsky; (R/53945) Sgt. G.N. Winter; E.K. McGuire; +(J/5036) Clayton Keith Barrett - 432 Sqn. (Co. 19 2 SF); (J/5102) Roy John Lawlor - DFC 427 Sqn., Pictou, Nova Scotia (Co. 16 8 SF); +(R/52052) Joseph Albert Larocque - 3 Sqn.

March 28, 1941: F/O G.G. Wagner, after having a forced landing at the reserve field at Ellerslie on the 22nd, took off from the uncompacted field, using children's toboggans as skis, returning safely to the Station. F/O W.H. Lewis, Station Aeronautical Engineer, having prepared aircraft for takeoff.

June 11, 1942: F/S Spinney pilot of Harvard 2893 and pupil pilot R/133661 A/Cpl. R.G. McCutcheon being unable to recover from a spin, bailed out. Flight Sergeant Spinney landed safely and was uninjured. A/Corporal McCutcheon's chute fouled the aircraft and he was killed.

May 19, 1942: Don Messer and his Islanders gave free entertainment and supplied dance music for Airmen in the Recreation Hall. It was a good show and much appreciated.

Misc. Courses

Robert John Schiffhouer, Roland Edward Shevenall, William Ballard Smith, +(R/127776) Milton Eldon Soules - 403 Sqn., Orillia; Raymond Harold Stanford, Theodore John Vahl, Elmer Boyer Vaughters, (R/84145) Francis Ziombeck, Harold Bud Williams; +(R/78411) Hugh Allan Grant - 232 Sqn., Toronto; +(R/56386 - J/23022) Percy Lloyd Buck - AFC KIA 426 Sqn., Outremont, Que.; +(R/76041) Hugh Douglas McPhie - 129 Sqn.; (R/56418) F.P. Clarke; (R/105476) H.R. Chambers; Harvey Leonard Eakes

Course 17 - January 6 - April 16, 1941

Course 17 - January 6 - April 16, 1941

April 16, 1941

"Wings" Parade was held on the taxi strip in front of #2 and #3 Hangars.

Wings were presented by Colonel The Honourable J.L. Ralston, Minister of National Defence. He described the graduates as “No. 9’s first installment of bad news for Hitler.

"The fact that you are here, that you have won these wings, is a guarantee that you will bring honor to yourselves and honor to the country you come from."

Ralston also noted this was the first course to graduate from No. 9 SFTS Summerside. He also commented on the speed with which the Commonwealth Air Training Plan had come together.

"Canadians themselves cannot possibly realize the size of the job they have done."

(J/5220) Thomas James Murray Reid, Leamington *; (J5221) Arni Gregg Arnason - FI 4 SF, Riverton, MB; (J/5222) G. Parker Aitken; +(J/5224) John Cayley Wilson - 408 Sqn., Toronto/Aylmer West, Ont.*; +(J/5225) Frederick Arthur Scott - 30 Sqn., Montreal; +(J/5226) Norman Nelson Powell - 12 Sqn., Montreal; +(J/5227) William Beaumont Brown - 408 Sqn., Victoria*; (J/5228) John Carson Lee, (J/5230) J. Watts, Morden, MB; (J/5231) F. Ian Gilbert, Asbestos, Que.; +(J5233 - R/58361) Henry ‘Hank’ Birkland - POW 72 Sqn. – executed, Calgary; +(J5234) Robert Alfred 'Count' Haywood - 19 Sqn., Vancouver*;

Back Row L to R: +(J/5225) Frederick Arthur Scott - 30 Sqn., Montreal; Fred Fell Pease, Victoria*; (J5221) Arni Gregg Arnason - FI 4 SF, Riverton, MB; Jack Tarnow, Toronto*; (798518 - 143674) Eric Martin Gosse, Spaniard's Bay, Newfoundland*; (798532) Hubert Blackall 'Herb' Morgan, St. John's, Newfoundland*; (R/67059) William Harry Stephenson - DFM 213 Sqn. PoW, Belleville, Ont.*; +(R/64800 - J/16953) John Preston Barlow - 419 Sqn., Wellington, P.E.I.; +(R/69771) Melville Spencer 'Bud' Lee, - 213 Sqn., Owen Sound*; Peter Palmer, Bedford, Que.; F. Ian Gilbert - 238 Sqn. DAF, Asbestos, Que.; +(R/62799) Joseph Fernand Paul Vezina - 419 Sqn., Shawingian Falls, Que.; W.Z. Woods, Halifax; McQuade, Fredericton; Vern Rutherford*; P.D. Meyers, Vancouver*; John "Red" Conover, Windsor, Ont.*; +(J5234) Robert Alfred 'Count' Haywood - 19 Sqn., Vancouver*; Sgt. Filler, +(798501) Lawrence Banikhin - 136 Sqn., St. John's, Nfld.

Middle Row: (798548 - 143675) Rex Tilley, Elliston, Newfoundland*; +(J/15048) Edward Henderson ‘Ted’ Viens - 113 Sqn., Ottawa; +(J/5226) Norman Nelson Powell - 12 Sqn., Montreal; W. D. Clarke, +(798550 - 146339) Walter Cyril Vatcher - DFC 174 Sqn., Rose Blanche, Newfoundland; (R/54372) Thomas Jackson Layne *; +(R/62632) James Francis Paul Stuart, Cornwall, Ont.; +(R/67563) Frank Pikula - 419 Sqn., Windsor*; John ? Timmins, (J/5222) G. Parker Aitken; Clifford Thorpe - PoW; (R/64429) Fred George Turner - 19/403 Sqns., Acton, Ont.*; +(R/54365) William Robert Finlay, Ottawa; (798519) John Gordon 'Jack' Green, St. John's, Newfoundland; +(R/67061 - J/27053) Gerdan Frederick Snyder, Kingston*; C.E. Brown, Moose Jaw; (J/15538) Fred Alexander Ashbaugh - DFC 104 Sqn., Vancouver; Grant R. Bishop - 30 Sqn., Montreal; George Gerald Bate - 30 Sqn., Saskatoon; +(R/59759) Albert Samuel Hemphill, Winnipeg

Front Row: +(R64826 - J/15314) Robert Bruce 'Duke' McIntyre, Kamloops, B.C.*; +(R/56347) Archibald Boyd Cameron - 37 Sqn. DAF, Verdun, Que.; Donald William Quinlan, Grand Falls, Nfld.*; N. Burden, Medicine Hat; +(J/5227) William Beaumont Brown - 408 Sqn., Victoria*; (R/54486) George J. Gauthier, Kirkland Lake; +(R/65339) Charles Withers McLeod Burns - 229 Sqn., Lancaster, New Brunswick; (J/14864) Lloyd William Brown, Winnipeg; J. Watts, Morden, MB; (R/65355) Daniel William 'Danny' Almon - PoW 274 Sqn., Sydney, N.S.; (J/39855) Kenneth Armond Galloway - PoW 261 Sqn., Milton, Ont.*; (R/68124) Guy G. Peters, Chatham, Ont.*; (798526) William James Learning, St. Johns, Nfld.*; +(798504 - 102062) Arthur Brown - 258 Sqn., St. John's, Nfld., +(R/66160) Kenneth Lindsay Shonk - 59 OTU, St. Catharines, Ont. *; (J/5228) John Carson Lee, +(J/5224) John Cayley Wilson - 408 Sqn., Toronto/Aylmer West, Ont.*; Thomas James Murray Reid, Leamington *; (R66043) Roswell Frank 'Strip' Tees - 59 OTU interned in Ireland 1941-3, Thorold, Ont.*; Alexander 'Alec' Moran, Windsor

Not pictured: (R/69035 - J/16709) Anton (John) George Van Rassel - DFC & Bar 40/405 Sqns.; Harry William Johnson, Calgary

March 20, 1941: (R/58529) LAC William Strongren Murray, Chilliwack, B.C., was killed in flying accident. He was piloting Harvard 2907 during a formation exercise. He flew into high ground near Sussex, New Brunswick during a blinding snow storm.

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No. 11 EFTS, Cap de Madeline, Quebec (Co. 13): 39 trainees - Ashbaugh; Birkland

No. 12 EFTS, Goderich (24): Stephenson

Ceased training: (R/56322) LAC J.E. O'Connor; (R/56377) LAC W.J.H. Armory; (R/71743) LAC Jack Tarnow

Course 20: February 9 - May 3, 1941

23 graduates

(J/5210 - R/74021) Allan Johnstone - 118/132/441 Sqns.; (J/5211 - R/56423) John Ernest McLurg - DFC 107 Sqn., Montreal; +(J/5212) Thomas Edmund Du Broy - 418 Sqn., Ottawa - brother also killed; (J/5213) Victor Charles Aylett - FI 14 SF 200 Sqn.; (J/5214) Walter Howard 'Wally' Forrest; (J/5215 - R/56421) Eugene Helms Hodgson - PoW 272 Sqn. Malta, Westmount, Que.; +(J/5216) Donald B. Graham; (J/5217) Eric Kenneth Jones; (J/5218) C. Fletcher; (J/5219) John Carleton Wade - DFC 162 BR Sqn., Oronocto, N.B.; (J/5220) T.J.M. Reid; +(J/5226) Norman Nelson Powell - 12 Sqn., Montreal; +(J/5227) William Beaumont Brown - 408 Sqn., Victoria

(J/15958) Robert George Middlemiss - DFC 41/249 Malta/403 Sqns., (J/15156) Edward McDonald Bishop - 65 Sqn., (J/14017) Lester (Cyril) Johnston, Fortune Bridge, P.E.I.

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No. 11 EFTS: Wade

No. 13 EFTS, St. Eugene (48): McLurg, Aylett, Middlemiss

March 19, 1941: (R/54360) LAC W.S. Dubroy ceased training

Course 22

Course 22

Course 22: March 5 - May 27, 1941

21 aircrew trainees received their wings.

(J/5484) William Archibald McMureby; (J/5485) Philip Cranstoun Musgrave; +(J/5486) Rogers Dennis Crozier, +(J/5487) Robert Moses Dorrien Robinson - 407 Sqn., Ft. William, Ont.; (J/5488) Frederick Patrick Clark - AFC; (J/5489) Wellington Bart Hay - 111/238 Sqns. RAF DAF/417 Sqn. RCAF; +(J/5490) Lawrence Malcolm Leech - 214 Sqn., McAdam, N.B.; +(J/5491 -R73766) James Basil Doak - 111/412 Sqns., +(J/5492) James Donald Blanchard Hall - 429 Sqn., St. Lambert, Que.; +(J/5493) Aubrey Fenwick Izzard - KIFA 39 Sqn. Malta, St. John, N.B.; (J/5494 - R/58687) Ernest Smylie McDonald (FI 6 SF); (J/5495) Alfred Morrison Bell; +(J/5496) Ralph Ellard Holder - 25 Sqn., Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.; +(J/5497) Donald Warren Brubaker - 149 Sqn., Kitchener

+(J/15775 - R68323) Donald Hill Bootsma - 77 Sqn.; Robert Frank Nelson, (J/14030) Hartland Ross Finley - DFC 403/443 Sqns.; (R/62993 - J/14032) Arthur Gordon Plummer - DFC 420 Sqn., St. John, N.B.

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No. 4 EFTS Windsor Mills (25): Bootsma

No. 11 EFTS Cap de la Madeline (5): Plummer

Ceased training: (R/78174) LAC MacGillicuddy; (R/74373) LAC P.A. Ballerino; (R/72502) LAC R. MacLean

Course 25: April 10 - June 20, 1941

Air Commodore G.V. Walsh, M.B.E., presented wings to 42 graduates.

(J/5825) Percy Collins Toft - POW; (J/5826) Douglas Pengally Hall - 414 Sqn., (J/5827) William Ross McAllister AFC FI 2 SF; (J/5829) Rodney Boyd Larson - PoW 115 Sqn., Penzance, Sask.; (J/5830) Donald W. Hayworth - 416 Sqn.; (J/5831) John Rutherford Sterne DFC; +(J/5832) Alward Elmer Scott - 47 Sqn.; (J/5833) Paul Bissky - 400 Sqn., Saskatoon; +(J/5834) John Allen Crimmins - 412 Sqn.; (J/5835) N.S. Clark; +(J/5836) William James Smith, Toronto

(R/67710) Alonzo Roberts, +(J/15673) Arthur Reginald Carter - DFC 153 Sqn. - KIFA 409 Sqn., Toronto; +(J/23033) Charles Cyril Drew - AFC 2 SF, KIFA 540 Sqn.; (J/14038) Elliott Maynard Franklin - DFC 408 Sqn., (J/23014) Allan Whitley Moore - AFC; (J/17977) James Murray Phillip O'Brien - DFC 514 Sqn.; (J/15509) Gordon Charles Semple - 411 Sqn. Dieppe DFC, Toronto; +(R/78411) Hugh Allan Grant - KIFA 232 Sqn., Toronto; +(R/78147 - J/15510) John Roy Mowbray - 411/229 Sqn. Malta, Brooklin

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No. 1 EFTS, Malton (6): Grant; Carter

No. 4 EFTS Windsor Mills (11):

No. 10 EFTS Mount Hope - Co. 19: Semple; Mowbray

No. 11 EFTS

No. 13 EFTS St. Eugene (8):

Course 27: May 2 - July 14, 1941

Wings presented to 53 graduates by Wing Commander E.M. Mitchell

(J/6277) John Franklin Weber, Waterloo; (J/6278) Grant Weldon 'Bus' Brown; (J/6279) William James Bracken - DFC 681 Sqn., Seeley's Bay, Ont.; +(J/6280) Jerrold Alpine Smith - 152/601/126 Sqns. Malta, Regina, SK; (J/6281) E.B. Barrew; (J/6282) Gordon Walton Appleby; (J/6283) John Crawford Morden - 37 Sqn. DAF; (J/6284) John Eric Wilson Bythell, Campbellford, Ont.; +(J/6285 - R58693) Arthur Douglas John Salt - 37 Sqn. DAF, Vancouver; (J/6286) Donald Cameron MacLean, Victoria, B.C.; +(J/6287) Lloyd George MacLeod - 62 Sqn., Sydney Mines, N.S.; +(J/6288) Edward Henry Hill - 92 Sqn., (J/6289) Jackson Eddie Sheppard - DFC 401/412 Sqns.; +(J/6290) William Richard Percival Sewell - 81 Sqn. DAF, Sewellville, N.B.; +(J/6291) Kelts Colfax Baker Jr.; (J/6292 - R/69184) Thomas Gordon Foley - KIFA 229 Sqn., Malta

+(R/74315 - J/15739) Basil Wilfred Andrews 607/185 Sqns. Malta - KIFA 53 OTU; (R/54487) Clifford Mehrhof - 32 Sqn. Dieppe; (R/72326) Ralph Glen Buckner; (J/23040) Victor Henry John Le Gear - DFC 439 Sqn.; +(J/22450) Donald Elliott Hicks - 76 Sqn., Centralia; (J/16925) Bruce Evans Innes - DFC 402 Sqn., Battleford, Sask.; (J/16282) John Robert MacDonald - DFC 98 Sqn.; +(R/67906) Donald George Reid - 152/412/161/601 Sqns. DFM 185 Sqn. Malta; Q.W. Harting, Camrose, AB; W.N. McBain, Edmonton; K.J. MacDonald, Edmonton; J.A. Campbell, Edmonton; T.M. Percival, Edmonton; +(R/70719) Sgt. Daniel James Hartney - 417/411/185 Sqn. Malta, Drinkwater, Sask

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No. 3 EFTS Crumlin (Co. 20): Bythell, Innes, Salt, Foley

No. 7 EFTS, Windsor (Co. 20): Buckner, Sewell, Baker, Andrews

No. 9 EFTS, St. Catharines, (Co. 21): MacLean, Mehrhof, MacDonald, Bracken, Hill, Hartney

No. 10 EFTS, Mt. Hope: Sheppard, Smith, Reid

Course 29: May 26 - August 8, 1941

Wing Commander Elmer Fullerton presented wings to 43 graduates

(J/6707) Walter James Hill; +(J/6708) Davis Hamilton Perry - 427 Sqn., London, Ont.; +(J/6709) Louis Vernon Longley, No. 3 C & FF St. Hubert, Paradise, N.S.; (J/6710) Wilfred Davis - AFC; +(J/6711 - R/74790) Donald Patrick McDonald - KIFA 142 Sqn.; +(J/6712) John Alan Burkitt - 6 SF/58 Sqn., Brandon; (J/6713) Kenneth Alexander Mackenzie; (J/6714) Allen Perkins Spaulding; +(J/6715) Richard Archibald Dunbar - 260 Sqn. DAF, Edmunston, N.B.; (J/6716) Harlow Ralston Hollis; (J/6717) Harvey Kavaner; (J/6718) William Irvine 'Rocky' Gordon - 127 DAF/403/416 Sqns., Saskatoon; +(J/6719) William Zoochkan - 403 Sqn., Rainy River; (J/6720) Clifford Borden Hess - DFC 432 Sqn., Iroquois, Ont.

(R/74385 - J/19827) William Francis Stock - 609/124/411/242 Sqns.; F. Costello, +(R/74317) Patrick Redmond Roach, 17 Sqn., Kirkland Lake; Hazen Smith Anderson - PoW; +(R/78316) Harold Joseph Fox - 66/249 Sqn. Malta; (J/14086) William Haworth Hall - DFC 15 Sqn., Winnipeg; (J/23020 - R/75805) Ross Armer - AFC, Hamilton; +(R/75615 - J/18125) Stuart Pennington - DFM 426 Sqn., Dundas, Ont.; A.E. Roberts - 250 DAF Sqn., Calgary; +(R/77267 - J/15737) James Emmett McNamara 416 Sqn.- 1435 Flt. Malta - KIFA 421 Sqn.; +(R/74829) Billy Orin Gates - 214 Sqn.

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No. 10 EFTS, Mt. Hope: Armer

No. 11 EFTS Cap de Madeline (Co.24): 25 pupils. Hess, Fox, Spaulding, Pennington, McNamara

No. 13 EFTS St. Eugene: 3 pupils

No. 17 EFTS Stanley, N.S. (Co. 23): 27 trainees. Stock, Hall, McDonald, Gates

Course 31: June 21 - August 30, 1941

Group Captain Fullerton presented wings to 55 graduates.

(J/7229) Theodore Thompson 'Ted' Scovill; (J/7230) John Frederick McElroy - DFC 249 Sqn. & Bar 421/416 Sqns.; (J/7231) John Samuel McKendy - 416 Sqn. Dieppe, PoW 1943 Bathurst, N.B.; +(J/7232 - R/66332) Gordon Murray - 603 Sqn. Malta; , (J/7233) John Garn Wright - DFC 112 Sqn., (J/7234) George William Wiley - POW 112 Sqn. Great Escape murdered, London, Ont.; +(J/7235) Robert Jack Turp - 416 Sqn. Dieppe died in 1943, Aurora; (J/7236) Bruce Edward MacPherson, St. Thomas; +(J/7237) John Hunter Murchie, Toronto; (J/7238) Joseph Wilfrid Paul Baril - 185 Sqn., Malta

+(R/84138) Eugene Edward Warnick - 114 Sqn.; +(R/82285 - J/17115) Lewis Johnston Burpee - DFM 106/617 Sqns. Dambuster Raid, (R75870) Frank Shafer - 92 Sqn. DAF; +Jack Edgecomb Blackledge; (R/82045 - J/15982) Joseph William Edwards Belec - 33/145 Sqns. DAF, Timmins; (R/76385) Edward Harold Boutilier - DFC 115 Sqn.; (R/85778) John A. Nugent - PoW 25 OTU Essen 2nd pilot, Lindsay, Ont.

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No. 4 EFTS, Windsor Mills, Quebec (Co. 27): 26 pupils. McElroy, Shafer, Nugent, Murray, Junod

No. 13 EFTS, St. Eugene (Co. 27): 10 pupils. Belec, Burpee

No. 17 EFTS, Stanley, N.S.: 26 pupils

Course 33: July 15 - September 25, 1941

Wing Commander Fullerton presented wings to the 53 graduates

(J/7757) William Robert Wilson - AFC FI 2 SF, Toronto; (J/7758) John Moore Weston - POW 80 Sqn., (J/7759) Richard Murray Barclay; (J/7760 - R/83171) Robert Frazer Mead - KIA 431 Sqn.; (J/7761) John Maxwell Hill, (J/7762) Keller Jack Wagner; (J/7763) Kenneth Charles Mason; +(J/7764) Edward William Gillespie, (J/7765) Manville Bancroft Pepper - 400 Sqn. Dieppe; (J/7766) William Thomas Hicks 'Bill' Gill - DFC 73 Sqn., Toronto; (J/7767) David Alexander Doherty, (J/7768) Donald Munro Iverach; +(J/7769) Lewin Henry "Bunny" Curphey - KIA 112 Sqn., DAF, Ottawa; +(J/7770) Francis Wilbert Henderson, (J/7771) Joseph Aldard Walter Gunn - 255 Sqn., 611 Sqn. Malta; (J/7772) Thomas Perry McElhanney - DFC 417 Sqn.; (J/7773) Ronald Waterman

Donald M. Logan, St. John, N.B., (J/16761) George Christopher 'Chris' Armstrong (POW - 417 Sqn.), Richard Murray Barclay, St. Catharines; +(R/78864 - J/16540) Frank Cecil Bremner - 94 Sqn., brother David also killed with RCAF; (J18420) George Laughlin Craig - DFC 424 Sqn.; +(R/82184) James Albert Davis, +(J/16455) Leo John David DiMarco - 429 Sqn., Pt. Credit; Walter Edward Douglas, Kenneth Emond, Toronto;(J/40355) Norris Edmund Hunt - 421 Sqn., Ottawa; +(R/69266) Lloyd Henry Jones - 118 Sqn., North Bay; Robert James Lawlor - 403 Sqn., Niagara Falls; Jack Lawrence, +(J/15578) John Edward Leach - 410 Sqn., Toronto; (R/83181) Norman William Levasseur - PoW 20 OTU, Windsor; Kenneth Charles Mason, Patrick Arthur Houghton Matthewman, +(J/16366) Alexander Iver MacRae - (SP 10 (O) AFU); +(J/18934) Norman Walter Maybee - PoW 401 Sqn., Wellington, Ont.; +(J/17904) Thomas Patrick Quinn - 25 Sqn., Bainsville, Ont.; Frederick Henry 'Joe' Richards - 412 Sqn. Dieppe; (J/17656) Andrew Lloyd Sinclair - 401 Sqn. Diepe/185 Sqn Malta., Paris, Ont.; Donald Waterman, Hamilton, Ont.; Archibald Sydney Kent Watson, (J/17371) Francis Earl McLaren - DFC 104 Sqn.; +(R/77498) Frederick Orchard Cadham - (SP 1 (O)AFU); +(R/76357) Leonard Alfred Wadman - 405/78 Sqns., Five Islands, Nova Scotia; (R/83097 - J/15650) Grant Eugene Eichar - 133 Sqn.; +(R/69423) Claude Russell Moore, Wilkie, Sask.; +(R81021) Noel Patrick 'Pat' Julian - 58 OTU, New Westminster, B.C.+(R82292 - J.18745) Robert Edward Lee - 409 Sqn., Chelsea, Que.

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No. 4 EFTS, Windsor Mills, Quebec (Co. 29): 25 trainees. Sinclair, Curphey, Mead, Wadman, Bremner, Gill, Lee

No. 13 EFTS, St. Eugene (Co. 29): 29 trainees. Cadham, Armstrong, Craig, Eichar, Moore, Julian

September 16, 1941: (R/69423) Claude Russell Moore killed in night flying accident.

Course 35: August 8 - October 24, 1941

Wing Commander Elmer G. Fullerton, Officer Commanding No. 9 SFTS presented pilots wings to 61 trainees

+(J/8362) Robert Leslie Garvie, top student in the course

(J/8363) John Reid Carver; (J/8364) Earle Vincent Garman; (J/8365) William Quentin Dewar - 402 Sqn.; (J/8366) Robert Laird Borden MacKenzie; (J/8367) Joseph Lawrence Gilker Hitchon; (J/8368) William Brown Hunter Fry; (J/8370) John Clifford Bruner - (FI 1SF), Leamington; +(J/8371) Charles Woodward Smith - DFC 408 Sqn., Windsor; +(J/8372) Edward Earle Muffitt; +(J/8373) Robert Charles Schuren; (J/8374) Glenn Patrick Wilson; (J/8375) William Elias Foster, London; (J/8376) Stanley Handforth, Toronto; (J/8377) Alvin Bossenberry - DFC 408 Sqn., Grand Bend; +(J/8378) Wilbur Lewis Turner, +(J/8380) Arnold Raymond Herron, (J/8381) John Hartley Watlington, Bermuda

(J/17155) John Wilburn Garland - DFC 80/127 Sqns., POW, Richmond; Kenneth Hunter Sutherland, Billings Bridge/Toronto; Roy Winnifred Cairns, Orillia; Thomas Elmer White - 260 Sqn. DAF, Collingwood; Edward William Edwards, Windsor, +Edmund Joseph Vital Levesque, +William Oswald Brite, John Francis Koplitz, Robert James Messenger, William Fray Livesey, Charles Clay Leaf, +Harley Curtiss Kempter, +George Carson Whitmore; Charles Bates Stewart, William James Anderson, Kinnburne; Clifford John Herbert, Windsor; Ralph Henry Burgess Jackson, Toronto; John Allen Wilcox, Cobalt; +(R/88687) John Beverly Kemp - 22 OTU, Oakville; +(R88743 - J/16586) Alexander Craig Aitken - 421 Sqn., Toronto; John Alexander Omand - 421 Sqn., Wellesley; Charles Bates Stewart, Carleton Place; Reginald William Lamont, Toronto; (J/18740) John Moore Hollingworth - DFC 426 Sqn.; +(R/77305 - J/16584) Philip Marcel Charron 93/126 Sqn. Malta - KIA 412 Sqn. 1944

and Kenneth Charles Gilmour, Braeside; Kenneth Caldwell Smyth, Shawville, Que.; Joseph Lawrence Hitchon, Belleville;

One graduate from Bermuda

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No. 4 EFTS, Windsor Mills, Quebec: Dewar

No. 11 EFTS Cap de la Madeleine (Co. 24): Charron

No. 14 EFTS

Course 37: September 1 - November 21, 1941

Group Captain Fullerton presented wings to 51 graduates in the Drill Hall.

(R/79129) LAC Samuel Meyer Levine awarded Pilot's Badge posthumously. He was killed in Harvard 2864 3 days before graduation off Point Prim.

(J/9261) Henry Paul Michael Zary - DFC 421 Sqn.; (J/9068) John Danforth Browne (DFC) - top in class; (J/9069) David Charles Fairbanks (DFC & Bar), (J/9070) David Beckwith Rodd (DFC), (J/9071) Robert Akim McDaris, (J/9072) John Alfred Westland (DFC), (J/9073) Joseph Robert Louis Avila Belisle; (J/9074) John Wilbur Keller - DFC 680 Sqn., (J/9075) Henderson Howard Marcou - 159 Sqn.; (J/9076) Gerald Haddon Bernier; +(J/9077) Frederick Castell Bertelsen, (J/9078) Kenneth James Fiset - DFC 439 Sqn.; +(J/9079) Ronald Strongman Kent (260 Sqn.); (J/9080 - R/90571) Robert Ingles Baldwin - PoW 250 Sqn. DAF, Charlton, Ont.; (J/9081) James Douglas Lindsay - DFC 403 Sqn., (J/9082) Merlin Robert Kehrer, (J/9083) Kenneth Andrew Brown

William Robert Fox, (R/95556) James Lacey Smith, (R/98282) William Franklin Dickson, Rouloff James Kiersted; (R/98137? - J/86164) James R. Moore, Windsor, Ontario - DFC 114 Sqn., Jack A. Morris, Ottawa; +(J/20738) Howard Pearson Ralph, Ottawa; (R/84487) John Dywan - PoW 428 Sqn., St. Catharines

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No. 11 EFTS, Cap de Madeline, Quebec: 27 trainees

No. 17 EFTS Stanley, N.S.: 6 trainees

No. 21 EFTS, Chatham, New Brunswick: 29 trainees. Levine


Course 37

Course 37
Merlin Robert Kehrer in Harvard

Course 39: September 25 – December 19, 1941

Group Captain Elmer Fuller presented wings to 50 graduates

(J/9479) Wayne Delmore Waller, (J/9480) Russell Camp Williams, (+(J/9481) Alfred (Carman) Strout - 582 Sqn., Delhi, Ont.; (J/9482) Patrick D’Arcy McGee - DFC 207 Sqn.; +(J/9483) Kenneth Stephen Sleep - 402/411 Sqns., Lindsay; +(J/9484) Henry Allan Hague - KIFA 418 Sqn., Ottawa; (J/9485) John Hamilton Woods - DFC 101 Sqn., St. John's, Nfld.; +(J/9486 - R/89567) Anthony (Joseph) LaBella; +(J/9487) Donald John Sterling, Ottawa; (J/9488) Robert Paul Doig, London; (J/9489) Daniel Francis Thomas, +(J/9490) Ralph Balkwill Delbridge - KIFA 401 Sqn., Exeter, Ont.; (J/9491) Robert Miller (FI 5 SF); (J/9492) R.A. Davis - (FI 5 SF); +(J/9494) Francis Gerald James - 69 Sqn. Malta, Dryden, Ont.

+(R/93436) Donald George Allen - 416 Sqn., Toronto; (J/17799) Norman Ross Bendell, London; David Gibbs Blackstock, Toronto; Lloyd Nelson Brown, Leamington; +(J/18508) Ray Edgerton Countess - 426 Sqn., Leamington; (J/18963) Norman Leonard Harrison - 411 Sqn., Toronto; Maurice Clifford Haw, Ottawa; +(R/103031) Richard Campbell Herod, Hamilton; +(R/90459) Arthur George Wilson Keene - 20 OTU, Guelph; Fernand Joseph Potvin, Ottawa; Bruce Stewart Siddall - 416/421 Sqns., Ilderton; Ross Kenneth Whitley - 111 Sqn., Chapleau; Douglas Arthur Wright - 401 Sqn., Uxbridge, Ont.; +(R/98066) Melvin Harry Smith - 14 AFU; Glen Simmons, +(R/98038 - J/17357) Kenneth Mark 'Bob' Piche - 15 Sqn.; John Searey Petot, William Frank Carroll, (J/16361) Vivian Thomas Woods - DFC & Bar 405 Sqn., St. Felix de Valois, Que.; (J/16477) John Robinson Myles, St. John, N.B. - 541 Sqn.; +(R/79158) David Earl (Schuldt) Johnson

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No. 4 EFTS, Windsor Mills, Quebec (Co. 35): 30 trainees. Sleep, V. Woods, LaBella, Piche

No. 21 EFTS, Chatham, New Brunswick (Co. 34): 30 trainees. J. Woods, Johnson, M.H. Smith

Course 41: October 25, 1941 - February 27, 1942

Group Captain Fullerton presented wings to 67 graduates.

(J/10268) George Henry Vipond, of Montreal, led the class

(J/10269) Courtney Shippy Spurr Gilliatt - DFC 107 Sqn.; (J/10270) William Henry Carter, Kapuskasing; (J/10271) William Neil Stronach - (FI 1 SF); (J/10272 - R/98288) Charles Emanuel Edinger - DFC 410 Sqn., (J/10273) James Roderick Wright, (J/10274) Vernon Harry Buswell - 58 Sqn., (J/10275) Larry Whitton Seath - 400 Sqn.; (J/10276) Richard Burton Moore; (J/10277) Ray Douglas Guess - POW 112 Sqn., (J/10278) Richard Ewen Henderson - FI 1 SF; +(J/10279) Thomas Melville Pethick - 430 Sqn., (J/10280) Robert Hugh Thomson, +(J/10281) Hedley Charles Cornick Goodyear - 61 Sqn., Nfld.; +(J/10282) Douglas Gilbert McMillan; (J/10283) Daniel Joseph McNamara; (J/10284) Denis Frank Teague - 78 Sqn.; +(J/10285) William Donald Graves, (J/10286) Samuel Gordon Burtis, (J/10287) Granville Boyd McDormand; (J/10288) Peter John Christie Savage - 58 Sqn., (J/10289) Leslie Warwick Jones - 610/412 Sqn.; (J/10290) James Robert Connely; (J/10291 - R/98300) John (Michael) Kassaneff - KIFA 61 OTU; Francis Edward Balshaw

(J/17417) Karl Raymond Linton - DFC 421 Sqn., (R/102996) Stephen Freel, (R/79403) Kenneth Vincent Michael Murphy, (R/79396) Jack Thomas Mutchler, (R/104757) Gordon Frederick Brown - DFC 293 Sqn.; (J/16655) Joseph Charles Herve Delisle - DFC 425 Sqn.; (R/104784) Joseph Georges Gilles Claude Lamontagne - POW 425 Sqn.; (J/89640) Glenn William Anson Pearce - DFC 428 Sqn.; (J/35285) Joseph Ernest Gerard Poirier - DFC 425 Sqn.; Ellis Carlyle Augustine, Pt. Colborne; Ernest C. Baker, London; W.W.R. Hocken, Toronto; D.E. Morrison, Kemptville; +(R/98260) Norman Hugh MacKay - 421 Sqn.

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No. 4 EFTS, Windsor Mills, Quebec: 24 trainees. Henderson

No. 13 EFTS

No. 17 EFTS (Co. 36): 12 trainees. Kassaneff

No. 21 EFTS Chatham, N.B. (Co. 37): 37 trainees. Mackay


Course 43: November 21, 1941 - April 10, 1042

Group Captain Fullerton presented wings to 60 graduates.

+(J/10980) Joseph Ash - 5 OTU, Ottawa; (J/10982) Byron Frederick Norman Rawson - DFC & Bar 429/405 Sqns., +(J/10983) Joseph Pierre Lavallee - 1659 HCU; +(J/10984) Martin Palmer Northmore - 94 Sqn.; (J/10986) J.F. Hadley; +(J/10987) Louis Holmes Parker - 175 Sqn.; (J/10988) John Brammer Scott, (J/10990/R/99403) Ralph Stanley Braley, (J/10991) Thomas Dunn Dailey FI 5 SF - 405 Sqn., Brockville; (J/10992) John McLeod Hogg - 32 Sqn.; +(J/10993) James Reginald Galbraith, (J/10994/R/79460) Nathaniel Ruggles Landon; +(J/10995) John Hogarth Somerville - 12 Sqn.; (J/10996) Gordon Kenneth McClatchie - 418 Sqn., Delhi

(R/117512) Harold Andrew Capelluto, (R/109596) Gerald Eldridge Storts, (J/26982) Marion Albert Balduff, (R/104806) David Matthew Brennan, (R/98285) Francis Edward Balshaw, (J/14471) James Hughes Beattie - 111 Sqn., DFC 439 Sqn., St. Catharines; (R/109591) William Edward Ebbeler, (R/96924) Parker Clifton Nichols, (R/61817) Kermit Allison Carte (CT), (J/16569) Paul Ardeline - DFC 152 Sqn., Hamilton; (J/19704) James Albert Brown - DFC 408 Sqn., (J/17601) Joseph Henri Normand Brousseau - DFC 425 Sqn.; (J/96985) Francis Joseph Devine - DFC 433 Sqn.; (J/27017) Hugh Fitch Morse, Haney, B.C., - DFC 442 Sqn.; Hubert James Burke, Ottawa; Michael John Roderick 'Jack' Gogins, Ottawa; Maynard Joseph Seguin, Ottawa


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No. 4 EFTS, Windsor Mills: 29 pupil pilots. Rawson, McClatchie, Shackleton

No. 7 EFTS, Windsor, Ontario

No. 21 EFTS, Chatham, New Brunswick: Beattie, Ash

January 16, 1942: +(R/104990 - J/13988) Douglas Dennison Shackleton ceased training


Course 45: December 22, 1941 - April 24, 1942

Lieut. Governor B.W. Lepage presented wings to 48 Graduates

(J/11322 - R104113) John Bryett Watson; +(J/11323 - R/117652) Homer Lynn Wolf Jr. - 430 Sqn.; (J/11324 - R108348) Donald Paul Burgess; (J/11325 - R123263) Walter Joseph McCarthy - 127 Sqn.; (J/11326 - R125012) John Bryan Gilbert Kelshall; (J/11327 - R86360) Ralph Wesley Green (DFC), +(J/11328 - R123252) William Crawford Charde - 418 Sqn., +(J/11329 - R/109702) Richard Barthold Klintworth - KIFA 6 SF; (J/11330 - R119188) John Douglas Homer Cunningham; (J/11331 - R122509) John Wilbert Dryden, Paisley; (J/11332 - R119395) Roland Savage (POW), (J/11333 - R109723) John Bureau Nall; (J/11334 - R90916) James Barr Duff, South River; (J/11335 - R108432) Arthur William Richardson; +(J/11336 - R108831) Neil Merinuk - 60 OTU, Delhi, Ont.; +(J/11337) Jack Alpine McGregor, Regina

Robert Thomas Stolze, Frank Curtis Bonds, Peter Bremner, John Douglas Cunningham, (J29775) William McIntyre Mark - DFC 425 Sqn., +(J/35287) William Eugene McLean - 514 Sqn., Toronto; (R111496) Gilman W.G. Brooks, Belleville; John W. Dryden, Paisley; Frank R. Forsyth, Russel; Joseph McCrea, Spencerville; William Norman Richmond, Hamilton; Orin Smith, Crystal Beach; (J27796) Marcus David Trewin, Humber Bay; +(R/123271) Robert Prentice - 4 B&GS; (J/43194 - R117634) Joseph Bernard Remi Charlebois; (R/116691) Robert Alexander Gray - DFC 158 Sqn., London; Jack Brown; +(R/109300 - J/24429) Jones (Monroe) Matherly - 427 Sqn.; +(R/111367 - J.24759) Francis Marion Pierce - KIFA 4 EFTS; +(R61046) Leslie Walter Kerr - son of John Chipman Kerr VC

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No. 21 EFTS (Co. 41): 31 students. Klintworth, Matherly, Wolf

No. 22 EFTS, Ancienne Lorette, Quebec (Co. 41): 28 students Pierce, Kerr

Course 47: January 3 - May 8, 1942

(J/11327) Ralph Wesley Green - DFC 424 Sqn.; (J/11328) William Crawford Charde; (J/11329) Richard Barthold Klintworth

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Course 49: January 31 - June 5, 1942

Hon. Thane Campbell, Premier of P.E.I., presented wings to graduates assisted by Group Captain Fullerton.

(J/12038) Albert Ernest Winmill - FI 5 SF DFC 415 Sqn., (J/12040) Arthur Homer Murton - DFC 103 Sqn.; (J/12041) L.W. MacFarlane; (J/12042) H.M. Feldman; (J/12043) W.K. Parke; (J/12044) William Mair MacLean, Campellton, N.B.

(R/109732) Louis Gilbert Koenig (TR), Arthur Robert Schmoyer, (R/117749) Sidney Boise Rossiter - 404 Sqn.; (R/109783) Eldon Theodore Ruppe (TR), (R/109794) Calvin Andrew Swaffer (TR), (R/109713) James Earl Anderson, (R/109707) John G. Brown - 193/170 Sqns., Toronto; (R/109683) Burch, Robinson, Myles; (J/29885) Gerald Thomas James Fidler - DFC 426 Sqn.; (J/26908) James Pyle Jessee - DFC 184 Sqn.

Ceased training: (R/98047) Russel Max Furman March 16, 1942; +(R/109714) Oscar (Wilson) Stone - 20 OTU

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No. 4 EFTS Windsor Mills (Co. 43): Furman, Stone

No. 10 EFTS Chatham: Brown

No. 21 EFTS

No. 22 EFTS Ancienne Lorette Quebec: Winmill

2 posted to No. 14 Fighter Squadron

5 to No. 133 Fighter Squadron, Lethbridge

Course 51: March 7 - June 19, 1942

Group Captain Fullerton presented wings to 37 graduates.

+(J/12344) Frederick August John Kemper, (J/12346) Alexander John Alliston - 65 Sqn., +(J/12347 - R105272) Edward Bernard Sheehy - FI 1 SF - 401 Sqn., b. Ire r. Islington; (J/12348) A.M. Jamieson; (J/12349) Robert Jefferson Cawthorn, (J/12351) Henry Lewis McKaskle

John Joseph Sebisty, +(J/27874) George Osborne Tedford, Norman F. Copping, Orillia; Frederick Dufton, Michael Humphries, Graham David Kennedy, William D. McIntyre, (R/123279) Raymond Adolphus Picard, BEM; Robert Seniscal, Toronto; Wilfred McCurdy, Sudbury; William Manning, Stratford; Alfred Lloyd Parry, Toronto; Henry Penner, Leamington; Joseph Allen Senn, Caledonia; (J/27871) Everett Annand Mowatt - DFC 408 Sqn.

Newfoundland (RAF): +(124696) Walter Robert Butt, St. John's, Nfld. top in class; (124697) Gerald Hugh Bastow - DFC 16 Sqn., St. John's

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No. 4 EFTS

No. 21 EFTS, Chatham (Co. 45): Sheehy


Course 53: March 27 - July 3, 1942

Group Captain Fullerton presented wings to 39 graduates

(J/12635) John MacKay - DFC & Bar 401 Sqn.; (J/12636) E.E.R. Hinchey; (J/12638) Clyde Leroy Lewis, (J/12639) James Roland Hughes - DFC & Bar 254 Sqn.; +(J/12642 - R/124716) Frank Edmond Dotten - 576 Sqn., b MA r. Selmah, N.S.

(R/122842) Christopher Lyman Magee (TR), Philip Gordon Bockman, (R/126996)James Lee Heckman (TR), John Collins Drew, James Maxwell Bartleman (CT) - DFC 428 Sqn.; (R/133666) J.W. Brant - 127 (F) Sqn.

RNZAF: (NZ416572) R.D. Dillon - 203 Sqn.; +(NZ416532) William George Palmer, +(NZ416558) Bristow William Tully; (NZ416581) J.K. Wilkins - 214 Sqn.

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No. 21 EFTS, Chatham, New Brunswick (Co. 48): 25 trainees MacKay; Magee; Dotten

No. 22 EFTS: 3 trainees

32 from No. 5 Manning Depot

Course 55: April 12 - July 10, 1942

(R/130040 - J85699) Edward Earl Phillips - 134 Sqn., Sudbury +(R/133661) Ralph McCutcheon KIFA Harvard 2893 June 11, 1942

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No. 21 EFTS (Co. 48): McCutcheon, Phillips

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Group Captain Elmer Fullerton - Officer Commanding No. 9 SFTS

Group Captain Elmer Fullerton - Officer Commanding No. 9 SFTS
Like most Commanding Officers of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan facilities, Group Captain Elmer Fullerton had already fought his war. When not administering his duties as Commanding Officer of No. 9 Service Flying Training School, Fullerton worked diligently on his personal project; designing a RCAF Tartan and creating a pipe band to complement his design. As far as CO’s were concerned, Fullerton was generally popular with Station personnel. Under his leadership, the facility operated with a high degree of efficiency, yet had many events and activities for both staff and students to enjoy in their spare time.

Marie Pelgrom - RCAF Women's Division

Marie Pelgrom - RCAF Women's Division

F/O Ernest Edward Creed

F/O Ernest Edward Creed
KIFA August 6, 1941

I welcome photographs and information about No. 9 SFTS Summerside. Contact: wpf13@hotmail.com Telephone: 289-213-0396

+(R/77305 - J/16584) Philip Marcel Charron 93/126 Sqn. Malta - Co. 35

+(R/77305 - J/16584) Philip Marcel Charron 93/126 Sqn. Malta - Co. 35
KIA 412 Sqn. 1944

Excerpts on this site are from the books, Immigrants of War - American Volunteers With the RAF and RCAF During World War II and Before the Battle - Life on a RCAF Station During World War II.

Bob Nelson - Course 22

Bob Nelson - Course 22
I was born in St. Louis, then crawled to California two years later. My formal education ended at the age of sixteen when I began a photoengraving apprenticeship. I started flying in 1938 with Waco F-2’s and was issued a pilot’s license in 1939. On November 1, 1940 I joined the RCAF as a foreign volunteer. During training at Windsor Mills, Quebec, I had a windscreen blow in while flying a Fleet Finch biplane. Although the exposure lasted five minutes, it felt as though my face was frozen and it would crumble away if I so much as smiled. After completing Elementary Flying Training, I was posted to No. 9 Service Flying Training School, Summerside, Prince Edward Island. We were the third class to graduate from the school receiving our wings May 27, 1941. Winter flying was not without mishaps during the spring thaw. I was posted to RAF Wigtown, Scotland flying the Westland Lysander. My first date with “Lizzie” was November 17, 1941. Flight Lieutenant Franklin said, “Take ‘Lizzy’ No. 9024 up for an hour and familiarize yourself with her and the surrounding area.” As a newly-assigned sergeant pilot, I inquired, “When the weather clears?” The C.O. said, “Now!” It was a foggy day with low visibility and a low ceiling. This was my first flight in a Lysander! In order to survive this spooky situation, I flew at less than 400 feet above ground level where I could barely see the airport’s parameters. I’m sure the C.O. had a few chuckles listening to “Lizzy’s” engine circling the aerodrome for a full hour! On November 18, 1941 I had my second date with “Lizzie” during a two hour flight. After landing I made a written report. “I have the honour to report, sir, while flying Lysander No. 9111 straight and level at a cruising speed of 180 miles per hour, the sliding hatch blew off. “I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant.” After a short flight November 15, 1941, I made a written report. “I have the honour to report, sir, while flying Lysander No. 9024, straight and level at a cruising speed of 180 miles per hour, the windscreen blew in. I have the honour to be, sir, your obedient servant.” Flight Lieutenant Franklin glared at the obedient sergeant and emphatically said, “Sergeant Pilot Nelson, during five hours of flying time you’ve managed to lose a hatch cover and blow-in a windscreen! “Make damn sure you do fly straight and level and cruising speed as you are under my command!” I replied with a feeble, “Yes sir.” My final abuse occurred on July 12, 1942 when I was court martialed and reduced to Leading Aircraftman from Flight Sergeant for low-level slow-rolling a Lysander, in which aerobatics were prohibited, performing them under minimum prescribed altitude and endangering His Majesty’s Westland Lysander and Flight Sergeant Pilot Nelson. Conviction entailed a 56 day sentence to a hard and cold military prison where my attitude did change and 18 days remission were awarded for good behaviour! Therefore, I was known as “Admiral Slow Roll, the Obedient.” “Lizzie” was a good old girl, a bit on the chunky side – I had done her wrong. My eyes were bent on a feisty, younger, slimmer, trimmer, more petite Spitfire. I transferred to the USAAF November 23, 1942 to fly Spitfires, Thunderbolts and P-51’s. I considered remaining with the RAF if I was sent to a fighter unit. On February 27, 1943, I flew a Spitfire Vb for the United States Army Air Force. Wow! And on to Thunderbolts and Mustangs. Wow, Wow! In August 1943, I joined the Fourth Fighter Group. On April 22, 1944, I was downed in Germany where I evaded capture for five days before Prisoner of War confinement for one year.

+(J/12347 - R105272) Edward Bernard Sheehy - Course 51

+(J/12347 - R105272) Edward Bernard Sheehy - Course 51
KIA 401 Sqn.

Francis Marion Pierce - Co. 45

Francis Marion Pierce - Co. 45
KIFA 4 EFTS 1943
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