.
PBY Catalina Flying Boat, the type of aircraft referred
to in the following article
A
Day in the Life of a Wireless Air Gunner
Fred Burnyeat
When going through a book about WW2, I came across an article about
the uproar in Halifax on VE day. I was there at the time and it reminded
me of why we were there. We had done a stretch of protecting the western
shores and were sent to the eastern coast as enemy submarines were getting
too many of our ships, in particular convoys taking supplies overseas.
On April 01, 1943 I was stationed with No. 116 Squadron, Shellbourne,
N.S. I was then moved to Botwood on June 1st. Flights were made almost
daily throughout June and July and on August 2nd we were told to be ready
for take-off at 4:00 am the next morning. Dense fog that morning delayed
our takeoff until 5:20 am. Ground stations determined what they felt was
a submarine on the surface some distance out and we were ordered to locate
and destroy it. It turned out to be a fisherman, so we passed him by. As
we flew over, he shook his fist at us, as we were scaring off the fish.
At this time, I received a message on my radio, in code, which I deciphered
as “return to base”. I passed this on to the navigator and he told our
pilot, Al Seward, who promptly changed direction. I acknowledged the message
had been received, but again the message “return to base” came back. I
again acknowledged that the message had been received, but once again the
“return to base” command was sent through to us. Then Yarmouth N.S. sent
the message through and I responded to them as well. At this point it became
obvious to me that we were caught in a magnetic field that was blotting
out my transmissions. This same process was repeated as other stations,
Halifax, Moncton, Tor Bay tried to help. I answered them all.
By now darkness had set in and I asked the navigator, “should we not
be seeing some landfall?” He said yes and I asked why we had not, but he
was not sure. He suggested that possibly when we turned for home, we ran
into a strong wind and may be going down the St. Lawrence or over the top
of the land. I dug out my little handbook to see what help we might have
and realized I had traced the Gander range signal with the ‘A’ and ‘N’
regions and frequency call signs. I tuned into it showing us to be in the
‘A’ quadrant. I got our pilot to turn onto the steady signal between quadrants
and head for Gander. We were finally able to head for home. He asked me
to send an ETA, which I did, getting an immediate reply. I requested a
wind speed and direction, which I received, passed these onto the pilot
and he was able to circle the landing lights and bring us in for a perfect
landing. We had been flying for 13 hours.
The pilot, co-pilot and navigator walked from the plane, into the hangar
and the signal room. I put my flying suit and (wireless) log book in my
locker and as was the custom, headed home. My wife Dorothy and I lived
in a house off the station. Dorothy was understandably upset as everyone
knew that three planes had departed, but we had not returned with the others.
My arrival soothed her fears and we expected to sleep in the next morning,
exhausted from the previous days duty.
However, this was not to be the case. At 0700, I was summoned to the
signals office “at once, in uniform and bring your log book with you.”
Once there, it became apparent that the focus of concern was that no response
to the many recalls was received at base and they were concerned that I
had neglected to respond. My log book disappeared into another room and
I waited for further discussion. After some time, I was released with a
comment that my log book would be returned to me.
Some days later, my log book was returned to me and no further comment
on the situation was made. I can only assume that my carefully filled out
logbook had cleared us and under the circumstances, we had done the right
thing to get home safely.
No. 2 Wireless School, Calgary, Alberta, September
1941, 20 A Flight
LAC Fred Burnyeat, Class Senior (right) giving command
“Eyes Right”.
Frederick L. Burnyeat ~ Flight Lieutenant ~ Wireless
Air Gunner
5
OTU Reunion Abbotsford and Boundry Bay
I read your mention, in the November “Short Bursts”, of the visit to
Abbotsford and Boundary Bay by members of the 5 OTU Reunion Association,
from the UK. I can fill you in a little bit, regarding their visit
to Boundary Bay. On September 6th, the group visited Boundary Bay,
where they were met by, among others, Her Worship Mayor Lois Jackson, and
Sandra Stoddart-Hansen, who’s the manager of the airport. Also in
attendance were some cadets and officers of several nearby Air Cadet squadrons.
After a very pleasant reception, which took place in the original hangar,
I was able to take some of the group for short flights around the circuit,
to have an aerial look at how things had changed over the years.
The group of veterans were absolutely delightful folks, and invited
my wife and I to join them for dinner at their downtown Vancouver hotel,
an invitation we were delighted to accept. We had a wonderful dinner,
and I got to ask what seemed like hundreds of questions about their time
at Boundary Bay. All in all, this was an experience I will treasure
forever.
I’ve attached two photos from their day at Boundary Bay.
I’m rarely called “handsome”, and never “tall”, but I am the only one
in the picture wearing a flight suit! The 5 OTU Reunion Association is
having what may be their last get-together, next June, in Stratford-on-Avon.
I’m going to try to find a way to get there for the event.
Regards,
Jason White
Captain ~ Regional Cadet Air Operations
22
OTU WELLESBOURNE MOUNTFORD
I hope some one will read this and be able to help my in my research.
On 20th November 1944 there was plane crash in the mountains above a
village where my grandfather lives in Wales It was a Canadian plane
- believed to be a Wellesbourne Mountford which was on a night training
exercise. Some information is posted below from a local web site:
DATE OF CRASH 20th NOVEMBER 1944 PARENT UNIT 22 OTU WELLESBOURNE MOUNTFORD
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON A NIGHT TRAINING EXERCISE WHEN THE STARBOARD ENGINE
DEVELOPED PROBLEMS THE PLANE STARTED TO LOSE HEIGHT OWING TO ICING AND
STRUCK CAREG GOCH IN THE BLACK MOUNTAIN GR SN 817168 THERE IS A MEMORIAL
AT THE CRASH SITE FOR THE SIX AIRMEN THAT DIED.
I've tried to find information on the men via the internet, the
only one I have found is Jules Villeneuve, where on the family internet
site he is listed as dying in a crash in Wales. I've emailed the
site a few times but have not has a reply. I has hoping to either
confirm or rule him out but haven't had any luck. Details found out
so far about the men are as follows:
JOSEPH ARTHUR EDMOND GROULX
Service Number: R/111476
Age: 22
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Son of Arthur and Alexandrine Groulx, of Hull, Province of Quebec,
Canada.
JOSEPH LIONEL UNDERIC DU SABLON
Service Number: R/174038
Age: 20
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Son of Lionel Olivier and Mary Lea Du Sablon, of De Gaspe, Montreal,
Province of Quebec, Canada.
JOSEPH PAUL ERNEST BURKE
Service Number: R/206904
Age: 20
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Son of William and Dorine Burke, of West Bathurst, Gloucester Co.,
New Brunswick. Canada.
WILLIAM JOSEPH ALLISON
Service Number: J/20861
Age: 28
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Son of William Earle Allison and Mary Ruth Allison, of Montreal, Province
of Quebec. Canada.
JULES ROBERT RENE VILLENEUVE
Service Number: R/199834
Age: 22
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Son of Jean B. Villeneuve and Clara Villeneuve, of Verdun, Province
of Quebec. Canada.
CHARLES HAMEL
Service Number: J/92169
Age: 21
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Son of Dr. Paul Hamel, and of Bertha Ellen Hamel, of Montreal, Province
of Quebec, Canada.
My grandfather
visited the site a few days after the crash and found a photograph near
the site, the photograph is attached to this email. He didn't know
who it belonged to or how to find out where to return it, but thought it
may have either come from the wreckage or may have been dropped by someone
investigating at the crash scene. Not wanting to throw the photograph
away, he has kept it safe all these years and a while ago mentioned it
to me. I have found the names of the crew as above but have not had any
luck in identifying who the young man is. It's possible that the
photograph was not one of the crew but maybe a family member. I have
since found another photograph believed to be of the crew but again I am
unable to identify who is who. Last Friday I posted this on the internet
and I can't believe the response I've had with people interested in finding
out more. Lots are doing internet research but at present we haven't
had any luck.
I'm hoping that someone can help. If he can be identified and
the family would like the picture returned we will be more than happy to
do so.
I hope that you can help or at least point me in another direction.
Kind regards
Caroline
caroline_d@btinternet.com
Photograph found by Caroline’s Grandfather
From: Karl Kjarsgaard
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 7:48
AM
Subject: Halifax NA337 Dedication
Dear Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) Members and Supporters,
Please find enclosed a photo of RAF Halifax NA337 that I took from the
audience introducing the rebuild crew at the dedication ceremony at the
RCAF Memorial Museum, Trenton, Ontario on Nov 5, 2005.
Although I was not allowed to speak at the ceremony many good people
came up and offered congratulations for the recovery and final restoration
of NA337. They offered emotional support and financial support for our
pending and great project to locate and recover RCAF Halifax LW170.
Canada has our first Halifax completed, now let us move on to our big
prize, the last and most famous of all,
LW170 of RCAF 424 Squadron QB - "I for Item" !!
"We will remember them."
Best regards,
Karl Kjarsgaard
Project Manager
Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada)
email: 57rescuecanada@rogers.com
phone 613 835 1748
Forwarded from
Weldy Moffatt
This email is a plain out-and-out request for your assistance with
two very important AF Heritage projects I wish to hold next year (2006).
Both involve the naming of buildings here at 15 Wing: McEwen Airfield (Moose
Jaw).
The first AF Heritage project will be the Flight Sergeant Peter Dmytruk
Building. It is my intent to honour the many Ukrainian-Canadians from Saskatchewan
who selflessly left the comfort and love of their homes and served as members
of the AF during the Second World War by naming the former Ground Training
School, and current home of the Military Aviation Museum, in honour of
Flight Sergeant Peter Dmytruk (RCAF) Croix de Guerre with Silver Star.
Flt Sgt Dmytruk perhaps is better know to you as 'Pierre le Canadien'.
The named he was dubbed by the citizens of Les Martres de Veyre, France
who honour his sacrifice and exploits as a member of the resistance. I
have located the next-of-kin for Flt Sgt Dmytruk and should have the paperwork
on this finalised by month's end.
The second AF Heritage project will be the Flying Officer (Nursing Sister)
M. M. Westgate Facility. It is my intent to honour the many women from
Saskatchewan who have served, and continue to serve, in the AF by naming
the former Construction Engineering building, current home of the Wing
Hospital, Dental Clinic and Military Supply Section, among others, in honour
of F/O (Nursing Sister) Marion Mercedes Westgate of Regina, the only Nursing
Sister from Saskatchewan to die in the Second World War.
I have been fortunate to have had Wil Chabun of the CAHS/Leader Post
assistance me with this search. Wil succeeded in tracking down a cousin
of Nursing Sister Westgate living in Toronto but I am wondering if there
are any relatives living in the area whom I can contact concerning this
planned event. For your information, F/O (Nursing Sister) Marion Mercedes
Westgate was the daughter of Robert James and Christie Mercedes Westgate
of Regina. F/O Westgate was stationed at Regina and was aged 26 when she
died on 27 October 1943 while on a familiarisation flight. She is buried
in the Regina
Cemetery; block C, plot 1, grave 32.
I request that you disseminate this as widely as possible and beat the
bushes without mercy. Thanks for letting me impose on both your time and
connections. If I can get these off the ground within the next several
weeks, then 2006 will be a banner year for AF heritage in Saskatchewan.
Cheers,
Jeff
J.R. (Jeff) Noel
Officer Cadet
Heritage Officer/Associate Air Force Historian
15 Wing Moose Jaw: AVM McEwen Airfield
BOOKS
Product Description:
Prior to the United States entry into WWII, thousands of Americans
found a way into combat through the Canadian and British Armed Forces.
They were a breed apart. Many saw an opportunity to prove their worth after
having been previously rejected by their country's military. Others were
simply adventure seekers drawn to the opportunity to fly fast aircraft.
Whatever the individual reasons were, they all saw a need to stop Nazi
aggression as quickly as possible. Sadly, almost 1000 American citizens
were killed while serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, and the Royal
Air Force Volunteer Reserve during WWII. Immigrants of War is a collection
of memories from those who were a part of this fascinating story.
HOT OFF THE PRESS
The Mystery of Frankenberg's Canadian Airman
By Peter Hessel
Foreword by Desmond Morton
(Lorimer, hardcover, 248 pages, $34.95)
About this book
A German-Canadian's search for the truth about the murder of a Canadian
airman near his hometown, and his quest for truth, justice and reconciliation
in Canada and in Germany.
Growing up in Hitler's Germany, Peter Hessel witnessed the Allies' ruthless
bombing of his hometown, Chemnitz. Nearly sixty years later in Canada,
Hessel heard about a brutal, fatal beating of a nameless Canadian POW in
the streets of a small town just a few blocks from where Hessel's own family
had taken shelter.
Who was this "unknown Canadian airman," and who were his murderers?
Canadian authorities had forgotten the deed and never completed their investigation.
Hessel felt compelled to reopen the file. His search for answers to these
troubling questions would take him back and forth between Canada and Germany,
as he combed through stacks of wartime records and tracked down eyewitnesses.
The Mystery of Frankenberg's Airman is the account of painstaking
research in a quest for the truth about an unsolved war crime. As Hessel
chronicles his discovery of the airman's identity and details surrounding
his death, he also describes the RCAF’s role in the destruction of Chemnitz,
Dresden, and other cities, and honours not only the 10,000 Canadian airmen
who lost their lives for a cause they believed in, but the countless civilians
caught under their bombs.
His research leads him to the identity of the murder victim, to the
victim's sister, and then to a moving reconciliation where Germans who
remember the airman's final days and witnessed his murder participate in
a private memorial near the site of his death.
This book offers a nuanced account of the morality of ordinary people,
and of the actions of nations at war.
A Review
Peter Hessel writes vividly about what until now has been considered
forbidden territory for Canadian authors. An insightful and sensitive story
of the "other side" — the human impact of the Allied bombing of Germany
in World War II and the loss of some 10,000 Canadian airmen in the process.
Forgiving is neither easy nor expected, but there is a time when hatred
must end and reconciliation begins and is nurtured. Peter Hessel makes
this case eloquently and in a fascinating and well-documented read. The
Honourable Barnett Danson, former Minister of National Defence –
Reader’s Comments
Excellent! You did a superb job balancing statistics and facts with
emotions. I found myself responding emotionally on several occasions ...
The book is well structured; the foot notes informative but not intrusive.
And there is still plenty of drama in the chapters that follow the discovery
of the airman's name ... You showed a lot of courage acknowledging that
you were part of the Hitler Youth. I commend you for doing that ... You've
also managed to show the milieu in Germany that fostered the attitudes
it did ... the book is well balanced. The last chapter, Ask Them for Forgiveness
. .. . is especially powerful in explaining your feelings.
Congratulations on a job well done. Dave
Mulholland, Ottawa
My brother read passages of your book to his friends at a neighbourhood
gathering, and they were all in tears. It is a book that brings out an
emotional response.
Tony Parent, Kapuskasing, Ontario
About the author:
PETER HESSEL immigrated to Canada after World War II, at the age of
20. He lives with his wife, Elizabeth, in the hamlet of Waba near Arnprior.
His five children, three grandchildren and (so far) one great-grandchild
were all born in Ottawa. Peter is an active author, journalist and translator.
His journalistic work has appeared extensively in German and Canadian newspapers
and magazines. For ten years, he penned a popular syndicated humour column,
called "Peter's Point", which regularly appeared in numerous newspapers
across Canada. He is the author of eight previous books, seven of which
deal with various aspects of Canadian history.
An Extract from Desmond Morton’s Foreword:
Here's a real who-dunnit for Canada's Year of the Veteran. It's about
war, politics, truth and, above all, about terror, wholesale and retail,
written by a German who survived both the horrors of Nazism and the ruthless
allied bomber offensive against Germany, and who then solved a shocking
mystery Canadian officials had left in the shadows.
In the last months of the war, our Soviet allies accused their
western allies of letting them carry the heaviest burden of killing and
dying. Our answer was Operation THUNDERCLAP, the annihilation of Dresden,
Chemnitz and other Saxon cities hitherto untouched. Peter Hessel was thirteen
in 1945, after a war that had taken his family from Chemnitz to Poland
and finally, as refugees at the end of the war, to the little garrison
town of Frankenberg. On a street not far from where he and his family lived,
a young Canadian prisoner of war was beaten to death while his armed escort
watched passively. Was it a spontaneous act of vengeance by civilians driven
to insensate fury by the bombing, or was it orchestrated by local Nazis,
fulfilling Josef Goebbels' call?
To Order
If the book is not in a local book store and the purchaser would like
immediate delivery send $47.00 (can) to include GST and mailing, to the
following address: (Order will be filled promptly)
Peter Hessel
3811 Highland Road, Waba,
RR 3 Arnprior, Ont.
K7S 3G9
Tel/ (613) 623-7820 Fax: (613) 623-6158
E-mail: p.hessel@sympatico.ca
Note. Peter will be on the national CBC radio program "Sounds Like Canada"
on December 12th (a.m.).
THE MYSTERY OF FRANKENBERG’S CANADIAN AIRMAN would be an excellent
gift for Veterans and history buffs.
L to R Al Colquboren, Phil Owen,
Don Macfie
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Moyles,
I am writing about an internet copy of your newsletter I found of last
Dec. 2004. In it there was this picture and a short story about a
reunion held in North Bay, Ontario. I am very interested in some
information concerning a gentleman in the photo, Mr. Phil Owen, as he may
be the soul survivor of a Lancaster which crashed in Feb. 1945 over Dortmund.
My great Uncle was the pilot, F/O L. Blaney, 419 Squadron, RCAF (KIA),
and I would love to make contact with Mr. Owen if it is possible.
Thank you for posting your “Short Bursts” on-line as it is such a great
resource…
Thank you again…
Sincerely,
Scott D. Hoyt
shoyt@nb.sja.ca
(Ed. We were able to locate Phil Owen in North Bay, Ont. And put
him in touch with Scott.)
In the October 2005 Short Bursts
Page we published an article on ex-air gunner Mike Cassidy, founder of
Press Review magazine. Mike’s widow, Jana, is carrying on the tradition.
Hello John,
I thought I would let you know of our recently re-launched website
www.pressreview.ca
Hope things are well. Jana
Jana J. Cassidy/Publisher
Press Review Ltd./1 Yonge Street, Ste. 1801
Toronto ON M5E 1W7
Tel. 416-368-0512
Dir.Tel./Fax 416-366-0104
www.pressreview.ca
RAF
on STRIKE 1945
To: John Moyles ~ moyles@sasktel.net
I am looking for information regarding the RAF ground personnel strike
in the Middle East and Far East, summer of 1945. Yes, strike, the chaps
lay down their tools to protest the lack of repatriation plans for troops
in their areas.
The war in Europe was over and RAF personnel in UK and Europe were being
demobbed and released. As a result they had their pick of the post war
job market. In the Middle and Far East it was another picture. The Japanese
war was not officially over, the Jewish immigrants released from European
concentration and work camps were flooding South to Palestine, and the
Arabs were determined to keep them out. It was a full-blown Arab uprising.
The British army in the area was being increased to keep peace between
the two factions.
After completing a tour on Coastal Command I was posted to 426 Squadron,
crewed up on Liberators for troop transport between UK and Karachi, India
(later Pakistan).
Liberator B-24 Range 2,850 miles - Max
speed 303 mph.
18,188 developed in USA – 1,694 ordered by RAF
On one trip we picked up troops from the British 2nd. Airborne in Brussels
and proceeded to Palestine. Our first staging post was Castle Benito in
North Africa where the troops lined up in the shade of the wing to get
their yellow fever shots. As we prepared to take off for Cairo, we saw
a notice written in chalk on one of our propeller blades, “We go on strike
(date – time). Do you support us? Castle Benito Personnel.”
We laughed as we were sure the chalk would blow off by the time we landed
at our next staging post. Not so. The message was still clear. The ground
personnel at Cairo signed the propeller and we took off for Llyda Palestine.
(On landing at Llyda to unload our troops, we found the airport surrounded
by Arab rebels and a Hurricane fighter strafing the desert to discourage
hostile activity against incoming and outgoing aircraft). At all stops
on our way to Karachi the prop signing process was repeated. Word must
have filtered up to the brass as a crew, under the command of a senior
officer, welcomed us at Karachi and the props were cleaned.
Later we heard that two airmen had been sentenced to death but the sentences
were commuted to jail time. In retrospect, could our crew have been charged
with complicity? After all, we did spread the word.
On that return trip to the UK we had 60 British troops from Burma. Proceeding
up the Persian Gulf at night, we ran into adverse weather and heavy down
drafts. In the vicinity of mountain ranges the situation became precarious.
When attempting to get a position fix with the radio loop, there were no
Ground signals. I sent out my first and only SOS. No response. Dead air.
The RAF were on strike. Using commercial radio stations for a radio loop
position fix, we were able to locate Basra and landed safely.
On Transport Command most of our passengers were British troops from
the Burma Theatre and they were jolly, fun loving groups, on their way
home. However, there were two passenger loads that I will never forget.
One was 25 Indian soldiers going to England to be decorated by the King.
It was my job to advise passengers not to move around during take off
or landing due to the high temperatures in the area however, they could
move about after we reached cruising altitude. There were no seats only
two planks bolted down each side of the fuselage. The passengers sat facing
each other and, due to the curvature of the fuselage they were slightly
hunched forward. Extremely uncomfortable.
I asked the British Captain to instruct the passengers regarding movement
in the aircraft. He barked a command and the men, rifles between their
knees, sat rigid staring straight ahead. I requested the Captain to explain
that they could walk around to stretch their legs after take off, but he
just shrugged and ignored my request. I resented the way he treated these
men who were to receive awards for valour and bravery.
The Indian troops didn’t move but the vibration of the aircraft had
a startling effect on their carefully manicured beards and turbans. Slowly
their beards began to unroll and their turbans unwind. As these items were
part of their spiritual life, they were extremely embarrassed. At each
staging post they formed up in the shade of the wing, took out mirrors
and combs to rectified the damage. In the air again, they didn’t move a
muscle.
The other memorable trip we had a group of Ex POWs from a Japanese POW
camp. They were the walking dead. Eyes sunken into their heads, skin stretched
tight over bone. Bits of clothing hung from their shoulders. Each clutched
a small bundle of personal possessions that they guarded at all times.
They seldom spoke to each other, and if they did it was by whisper. I was
told that when in camp, if a guard caught them speaking to another prisoner,
they were beaten.
On the aircraft I went through the instructions regarding landing and
take off. One passenger, a tall fellow, refused to sit down. He paced up
and down the centre of the aircraft. This man literally walked from Karachi
to the UK. Images one never forgets.
Norman (Wimpy) Noel, Pilot (left)
and John Moyles, Wireless operator
R&R in Cairo, now El Qahira, Egypt
Searching for
an airman of 408 Squadron
Short
Bursts assisted Sylvia in locating her birth father, albeit to late, as
he had passed away in Montreal. Sylvia is now requesting help for a friend.
Hello again John, it seems ages since I last wrote. I hope you and Doreene
are well.
I believe I told you about finding my father whose name was Don
Weir not Jim ( that must have cost me about 5 years of search!) anyway,
although the outcome was not what I expected I have got some closure so
I can move on with my life.
The main reason for my email is that I wish to 'pick your brains' again,
if I may, about another project that I have concerning a friend in England
who has the same circumstances as myself. This is a pure longshot as she
does not know his name which, on the face of it, sounds to be an almost
impossible task, BUT she has a photo of him which was taken in York in
1944, I'll attach it for your 'perusal' . What we know is this, he was
in the RCAF, an L.A.C. on 408 squadron
stationed in Linton on Ouse, Yorkshire, and possibly an American in
RCAF.
I would really value any thoughts that you could give me. I know that
there is a reunion next June for the 408, but, of course, I have no contacts
in bomber command only coastal command. Once again John, many thanks for
all your kind help in the past.
Warm regards from a cold Cumbria Sylvia
Sylvia Lister jumoff@gmail.com
Lloyd George Hanton
Air Gunner – Goose Squadron
I was looking at your website today because of a curiosity about my
uncle who served with Goose Squadron during the war. What I know about
him is very limited, and I was wondering if you would be able to help me
shed some light. I realize it is probably a long shot, but I thought
I would give it a try anyway.
My uncle's name was Lloyd George Hanton from Kenora, Ontario and was
an airgunner. He and his crew went missing during an operation over
Berlin. I don't know how to find out any more about him. Maybe you
could help me?
Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.
Sean Hanton ~ seanhanton@hotmail.com
The Great Escape
Memorial Project Committee and Mr. George Milne, Colonel Gerry Morrison
(Ret’d), Dr.Vince Murphy
Cordially invites you to join them for live 40’s war time tunes, cocktails,
a savoury dinner and a keynote presentation by Honorary Colonel Arthur
R. Smith, O.C.,A.O.E.,D.F.C., Hon.LL.D.
Reacquaint with friends and meet some of the survivors of Stalag Luft
111 and the famous Great Escape.
Proceeds to benefit the Great Escape Memorial Project.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce Ballroom
Cocktails at 6pm (no host bar)
Dinner at 7pm (wine included with dinner)
Dress, black tie, mess kit, uniform or business attire. (Decorations
to be worn)
Tickets: $125. A charitable receipt will be issued
for the difference between the final cost of the dinner and the
ticket price.
Contact person: Shannyn Scarff
(403) 245-6693 ~ Email media.works@telusplanet.net
Ed – readers can go to January 2003 Short Bursts Page at http://www.airmuseum.ca/mag/exag0301.html
to see the article on the Great Escape Memorial and pictures of the project.
One of the pictures. Sectional model view of
memorial at tunnel exit.
Editor’s Report
This has been a busy month for Short Bursts staff.
There have been a number of requests from readers who, having seen relatives
named in previous Short Burst’s articles, one going back to 2001, asking
for help to contact crew members who had known their relatives.
Bob Marshall’s article in January 2003 Issue prompted two enquiries.
In another case a Toronto man, who was 2 years of age, when his father
was killed in 1943, has just received his father’s log book. He requested
contact with someone who could help him interpret initials and abbreviation.
And there are more requesting assistance in this December /05 Issue.
It is important that we get as many articles as possible, especially
when crew members are named. Every man has an extended family and it is
important to those family members to learn more about their relatives who
served.
Give this some thought and send us wartime experiences. Who knows, you
may kindle in someone a desire to research a lost family member.
Doreene and I wish all a very Merry Christmas with family and friends.
Cheers,
Doreene and John Moyles
