Canadian airmen killed on D-Day
News Article / May 21, 2019
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By Major (retired) William March
Hundreds of Canadian aircraft were in the air on D-Day and thousands of Royal Canadian Air Force men and women were serving in Canadian or other Commonwealth units. Of the 24 members of the RCAF who were killed during the invasion, eight were serving with RCAF squadrons. The remainder were serving with Royal Air Force squadrons and units.
Flying Officer Leonard Ralph Allman, a pilot with 440 Squadron. Killed in action when his Typhoon aircraft was shot down while attacking enemy transport. From Toronto, Ontario, age 25. Buried in Beny-Sur-Mer Canadian Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer James Kennedy Anderson, a navigator with 196 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when he bailed out of his Stirling aircraft over the English Channel. From Winnipeg, Manitoba, age 21. Buried in the Calais Canadian War Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer Thomas Frederick Barker, a navigator with 620 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action, along with Flying Officer N. Caskey and the remainder of the crew, when his Stirling aircraft was shot down while part of the airborne assault. From Toronto, Ontario, aged 26. Buried in the La Delivrande War Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer Joseph Francis Terence Beesley, a pilot with 426 Squadron. Killed in action after an attack on a coastal battery near Trouville, France, when his Halifax aircraft exploded in mid-air. The remainder of the crew, five members of the RCAF—Pilot Officer Carol, Pilot Officer Durnin, Pilot Officer Forsberg, Flying Officer Irvine, and Flying Officer Tranter—and one RAF flight engineer were also killed. From Smithers, British Columbia, age 21. Buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
Warrant Officer 1st Class Nathan Louis Berger, a wireless air gunner with 233 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Dakota aircraft was shot down while part of the airborne assault. From Montreal, Quebec, age 22. Buried in the Ranville War Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer Francis Allan Boyce, a navigator / bomb aimer with 299 (RAF) Squadron, killed in action, along with three other Canadians—Flying Officer Clark, Warrant Officer Class 1 Munroe, and Pilot Officer Shrump—when his Stirling aircraft was shot down over the English Channel after successfully dropping a Horsa glider full of ground troops in France. A member of the RAF and of the Royal Australian Air Force were also killed. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, England.
Pilot Officer Roy Frank Carol, an air gunner with 426 Squadron. Killed in the same incident that claimed the life of Flying Officer Beesley, Pilot Officer Durnin, Pilot Officer Forsberg, Flying Officer Irvine, and Flying Officer Tranter. Home town unknown, age 20. Buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
Flying Officer Irvine Nathaniel Caskey, a pilot with 620 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action along with Flying Officer T.F. Barker and the remainder of the crew when his Stirling aircraft was shot down while part of the airborne assault. Born in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, aged 24. Buried in the La Delivrande War Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer James Harrison Clark, a pilot with 299 (RAF) Squadron, killed in the same incident that claimed the lives of Flying Officer Boyce, Warrant Officer Class 1 Munroe, and Pilot Officer Shrump. From Isabella, Manitoba, age 24. Buried in the Hermanville War Cemetery, Calvados, France.
Flying Officer Jack Scott Cox, a pilot with 430 Squadron. Killed in action when his P-51 Mustang was shot down during a low-level reconnaissance flight. From Brockville, Ontario, age 23. Buried in the Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery, France.
Pilot Officer Graham William Durnin, a wireless air gunner with 426 Squadron. Killed in the same incident that claimed the life of killed in the same incident that claimed the life of Flying Officer Beesley, Pilot Officer Carol, Pilot Officer Forsberg, Flying Officer Irvine, and Flying Officer Tranter. From Vancouver, British Columbia, age 20. Buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
Pilot Officer Morris Soren Forsberg, an air gunner with 426 Squadron, killed in the same incident that claimed the life of killed in the same incident that claimed the life of Flying Officer Beesley, Pilot Officer Carol, Pilot Officer Durnin, Flying Officer Irvine, and Flying Officer Tranter. From Dunblane, Saskatchewan, age 22. Buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
Flying Officer Melsom Henry Walter Gee, a pilot with 183 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Typhoon was shot down south of Caen. From Winnipeg, Manitoba, age 22. Buried in the Banneville-la-Campagne War Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer Arthur Hugh Grange, a bomb aimer with 582 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Lancaster was lost during night operations against Langres, France. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
Flying Officer Richard Reginald Irvine, a bomb aimer with 426 Squadron, killed in the same incident that claimed the life of Flying Officer Beesley, Pilot Officer Carol, Pilot Officer Durnin, Pilot Officer Forsberg, and Flying Officer Tranter. Originally from Monktown, Republic of Ireland, age 32. He is buried in the Mount Jerome Cemetery, Country Dublin, Irish Republic.
Flying Officer Harvey Edgar Jones, a pilot with 233 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Dakota aircraft was shot down during the airborne assault. From Welland, Ontario, age 26. Buried in the Ranville War Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer William Robert McCutcheon, an air gunner with 97 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Lancaster aircraft was shot down during night operations against Cherbourg, France. From West Summerland, British Columbia, age 29. He is buried in the Bayeux War Cemetery, France.
Warrant Officer Class 1 James Henry Munroe, a wireless air gunner with 299 (RAF) Squadron, killed in the same incident that claimed the lives of Flying Officer Boyce, Flying Officer Clark, and Pilot Officer Shrump. From Hamilton, Ontario, age 23. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
Flight Sergeant Morris Campbell Murray, a navigator with 76 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Halifax aircraft was shot down during operations against Molt, Fleury, France. From Toronto, Ontario, age 29. Buried in the Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery, France.
Squadron Leader Wilmot Reginald Pettit, OBE, DFC, a pilot with 620 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Stirling aircraft was shot down during the airborne assault. From Brantford, Ontario, age 32. Buried in the Ranville, Cemetery, France.
Flight Lieutenant Herbert William Rieger, a navigator / bomb aimer with 97 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Lancaster aircraft was shot down during night operations against Cherbourg, France.
Pilot Officer Theodore Henry Shrump, an air gunner with 299 (RAF) Squadron, killed in the same incident that claimed the lives of Flying Officer Boyce, Flying Officer Clark, Warrant Officer Class 1 Munroe, and Pilot Officer Shrump. From Hamilton, Ontario, age 21. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, Surrey, England.
Flying Officer Adrian Ralph Taylor, a pilot with 183 (RAF) Squadron. Killed in action when his Typhoon aircraft was shot down south of Caen. From Bell Island, Newfoundland, age 24. Buried in the St Valery-en-Caux, Franco-British Cemetery, France.
Flying Officer Roy Hudson Tranter, a navigator with 426 Squadron, killed in the same incident that claimed the life of Flying Officer Beesley, Pilot Officer Carol, Pilot Officer Durnin, Pilot Officer Forsberg, and Flying Officer Irvine. From Peterborough, Ontario, age 31. He is buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England.
In addition to these members of the RCAF, a Canadian member of the Royal Air Force, was killed in action on Omaha Beach while supporting American forces. From Winona, Ontario, age 25. Buried in the Bayeux Cemetery, France.
All photos are from the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.