World War Two collections | Canadian Letters

Title

WWII

These collections contains all materials relating to Canadian from 1939 to 1945. Some individual collections may contain materials beyond this time frame. External links in collection descriptions are to casualty and burial information at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Baker, James Roy d'Arcy

Pilot Officer James “Jim” Roy d’Arcy Baker was born in Killarney, Manitoba, on May 22, 1921, to parents Hugh and Marjorie Baker.

Following his enlistment in 1939, Baker served overseas with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry until joining the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943. He served in the R.C.A.F. for the remainder of the war.

Content notes:
The majority of the nearly 250 letters in the Baker Collection were written to his mother Marjorie; included with his correspondence were eleven poems he wrote during the war.
Please note: All transcriptions have been provided by the collection donor without original documents.

External links:
P/O Baker (Serv/Reg#s J95017; K85260; R225139) survived the war; his service record is not open to public access at this time.

[Editor’s note: Collection reviewed/updated January of 2023. Several Collection Contents categorizations have been changed (e.g. from “Printed Matter” to “Newspaper Article”); two new letters added; one duplicate & one blank posting corrected. Poems are now identified by their respective letter dates, and poem formatting updated. The Collection Description and some content descriptions have been added or expanded to provide more information, including the addition of Baker’s previously unknown middle names.]

Barnes, Gordon

The collection consists of two poems written by Barnes during World War II. Barnes had participated at Dieppe and was taken prisoner there, and the poem Dieppe was written while a prisoner of war.

Beames, Henry Denys

Pilot Officer Henry Denys Beames was born in Prince Rupert, British Columbia, on September 9, 1921, to parents Rev. William Stanley and Gertrude Elizabeth Beames (née Brown). Henry had one older brother, Thomas Bernard Axford, and one younger brother, Hugh William, as well as two younger sisters, Katherine Mary Elisabeth and Caroline Helen.

At the beginning of World War II Beames served in the fall of 1940 with the 5th Coastal Brigade, Nanaimo, B.C., before enlisting for active service with the Royal Canadian Air Force on May 2, 1941, in Vancouver, B.C. He spent the remainder of 1941 training in Canada before shipping overseas in January 1942 to complete his pilot training with the British Royal Air Force.

While serving in England, Beames married Brenda Harvey on October 9, 1942. Their son Michael Denys Beames was born June 22, 1943.

On February 20, 1944, Beames was on a mission to Leipzig, Germany, with the #434 Bluenose Squadron when their Halifax aircraft #LL 257 went missing. It was later determined that Beames had been killed, along with P/O G.C. Hatch (Canadian), P/O R.G. Jennings (Canadian), Sgt. E.H. Davies, and Sgt. W. Oliver. Two other crew members, Canadians F/O W.J. Gallagher and F/Sgt. D.L. Temple survived and were taken as Prisoners of War. Beames was buried at Hanover (Limmer) British Military Cemetery, Hanover, Germany.

Content notes:
All but two of the letters were written by Beames to Jill Leir, initially in Penticton, B.C., and later at the St. Paul’s School of Nursing in Vancouver. While Beames often addresses Jill as his wife in his letters, e.g. “To my dear wife,” they were not actually married, although collection content suggests they became engaged shortly before Beames was posted overseas. There is nothing in the collection materials to indicate that Beames ever told Jill of his marriage in England, or of the birth of his son, as he continued writing romantically to her throughout this time period.

External links:
P/O Beames’s service record (Serv/Reg# J18779) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Beames can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
The service record of Beames’s brother, Sick Berth Attendant Thomas Bernard Axford Beames, Royal Canadian Navy, is not open to public access at this time. (Rank given here is as of 1944 – final service rank unknown).

Aircrew flying with Beames on February 20, 1940:
      R.C.A.F. P/O George Charles Hatch service record (Serv/Reg# J88705)
      R.C.A.F. F/O W.J. Gallagher (Serv/Reg# J14780) – service record not open to public access at this time.
      R.C.A.F. P/O Reginald George Jennings service record (Serv/Reg# J88334)
      R.C.A.F. F/Sgt D.L. Temple (Serv/Reg# R162985) – service record not open to public access at this time.
      R.A.F. Sgt. Evan Hugh Davies (Serv/Reg# 1652436) burial information at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
      R.A.F. Sgt. William Oliver (Serv/Reg# 1562387) burial information at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Bell, Elmer David

Elmer David Bell was born in Drew, Wellington County, Ontario, in 1909. Elmer was practising law when he enlisted in the army in 1941. He served overseas until 1945 and was awarded the Croix de Guerre and the Order of the Crown (Belgium) as a result of his service. He returned to Canada at the end of the war and died in 1998. The collection includes fifteen letters from Elmer. See also the correspondence from his brothers James Bond Bell and William Robert Bell.

Bell, James Bond

Pilot Officer James Bond Bell was born August 23, 1921, in Clifford, Ontario, to parents Edith Gertrude (née Holtom) and David Bell.

He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in August 1940. After training in Canada, Bell was posted overseas and served with the 432 Squadron R.C.A.F. as a Navigator and participated in twenty operational flights. On April 19, 1944, Bell was killed when the Halifax he was on was shot down while on a mission near Paris.

External links:
P/O Bell’s service record (Serv/Reg#s J19147) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Bell can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

See also the correspondence of his brothers Elmer David Bell and William Robert Bell.

Bell, William Robert

William Robert Bell was born in Drew, Ontario, in 1915 and joined the R.C.A.F. in 1941. William Bell served overseas in Britian and returned to Canada in 1945. He died in 1977. The collection includes twenty-eight letters from William. See also the correspondence from his bothers James Bond Bell and Elmer David Bell.

Beresford, Wilfred Arnold

Lieutenant Wilfred Arnold Beresford was born on November 26, 1910, in London, England, to parents Thomas and Winnifred Beresford. In 1938 Beresford married Winnifred Jessie Porter, and prior to his enlistment they were living in Calgary where he worked as a bookkeeper with the Consolidated Fruit Company.

On March 2, 1941, Beresford enlisted to Active Service, becoming a Trooper with The Calgary Regiment (Tank), (redesignated later that year as the “14th (Reserve) Army Tank Battalion”). Beresford was serving in Italy with the 14th when he was killed in action May 24, 1944. According to the Court of Inquiry held following his death, the tank that Beresford commanded, (T-147519, named “Confident”) was hit by hostile artillery file just east of Aquino. Also killed was Trooper Howard Norman Elmes; Trooper Raymond Claire Langley died of wounds soon after. Beresford was buried in the Cassino War Cemetery, Cassino, Italy, leaving behind his widow Winnifred and two-year-old son Tom.

Content notes:
The poem in the collection is part of a commemorative collage made by family members, including both text and wartime photographs.

External links:
Lieut. Beresford’s service record (Serv/Reg# M27109) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Beresford can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Tank crew of #T-147519 (“Confident”) killed with Lieut. Beresford on or following May 24, 1944:
Operator: Tpr. Raymond Claire Langley’s service record (Serv/Reg# B61445)
Gunner: Tpr. Howard Norman Elmes’s service record (Serv/Reg# H195513)
The remaining crew members survived; their service records are not open to public access at this time:
Driver Tpr. J.W. McMullin (Serv/Reg# F77493)
Co-Driver Tpr. W.L. Evans (Serv/Reg# L53416)

Bergquist, Arthur

Bergquist, Rubert

TBA

Billard, Lewis G.

Lewis G. Billard was born in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, in 1923. He joined the R.C.A.F. in 1943 and worked on the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines in Lancaster bombers in England and in Mosquito Nightfighters in Europe. The collection consists of more than one hundred letters written home by Billard from 1943 to 1946.

Biollo, Peter Joseph

Flying Officer Peter Joseph Biollo was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on September 1, 1923, to parents Peter Paul and Doris Mae (née Casewell) Biollo. Prior to enlistment he was employed as a sheet metal worker in Victoria, British Columbia.

Biollo enlisted into Active Service with the Royal Canadian Air Force on June 1, 1942, joining the British Commonwealth Air Training Program. After completing his initial training in Edmonton, Biollo was posted in January 1943 to #2 Bombing and Gunnery School in Mossbank, Saskatchewan. In April he advanced to #7 Air Observer School in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, where he earned his Air Bomber Badge and was commissioned as an Officer on May 14, 1943.

Following his arrival in England in July 1943, Biollo completed his training in the Royal Air Force Training Pool. In May 1944 he joined the 576 Squadron, R.A.F., as an Air Bomber. On the night of July 28/29, 1944, his plane failed to return from a mission targeting Stuttgart, Germany, and Biollo was pronounced missing in action. It was later determined that his Lancaster bomber had crashed at Renauvoid, near Epinal, France, killing all aboard except for the pilot who had managed to bail out and became a Prisoner of War. Biollo was buried at the Chaumousey Communal Cemetery, Vosges, France.

Content notes:
The majority of the letters in the collection were written by Biollo to his family in Edmonton during the time he was in training in Canada with the B.C.A.T.P., or while stationed in England with the R.A.F. His letters often mention his eight younger siblings: Miriam, Frances, Elvira, Ramona, Dolores, Loretta, Raymond, and Barbara (born in 1943).
Almost all of the 1943 letters prior to June 17 are undated. In order to allow these to be read in chronological order on the website, they have been assigned sequential numbers and appear in the date listings as “1943-01, 1943-02, etc.” type-format. The chronological order was established based on letter content and service file information, and is intended as a reading aid only.
The four poems were written by Biollo between 1941-43.

External links:
F/O Biollo’s service record (Serv/Reg#s J26543; R166672) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Biollo can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

[Editor’s note: Collection reviewed/updated January, 2023. Three poems, two newspaper clippings, and jpgs of letter pages added. Letter transcriptions reviewed and emended. Additional information added to collection and content descriptions.]

Birnie, Peter

Sergeant Peter Birnie was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, on January 15, 1908, to parents Jane and Noah Birnie.

Birnie had been active in the Militia from 1930 to 1939 with the 48th Highlanders of Canada, and then attested with them in September 1939 as part of the Canadian Active Service Forces. He was sent to England and then was part of the invasion of Sicily with the 48th Highlanders, where he was killed on July 25, 1943.

External links:
Sgt. Peter Birnie’s service record (Serv/Reg# B73375) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format from Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information can be found at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Birnie can be vistited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Blair, McCrea Parker, Jr.

Gunner McCrea “Mac” Parker Blair Jr. was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, on July 20, 1915, to Major McCrea Parker Blair Sr. and Muriel Torrance (née Wood) Blair. He was the third of six children, with siblings: Helen Margery, William Wallace, George Duncan Wood, David Wood, and Muriel Torrance Blair.

Blair enlisted for Active Service on February 8, 1940, with the Royal Canadian Artillery. Following initial training in Ontario at Kingston and Petawawa, he shipped overseas to England in July 1940, where he was assigned to X Battery, Super Heavy Group, R.C.A. In February 1941 he transferred to the 18th Battery, 2nd Anti Tank Regiment, R.C.A., and then in September to the 13th Battery, 6th Field Regiment, R.C.A. Blair was medically discharged in November 1942.

Content notes:
The letters were written by Blair to his parents and siblings between February 1940 and February 1942. Photos are mainly of fellow soldiers, taken on deployment overseas. Also included is Blair’s Soldier’s Pay Book. Only twenty-five letters have transcriptions available at this time; a list of these letters, with links to their transcriptions, has been added at the very end of the letter section (date “2023”).

External links:
Gnr. McCrea Parker Blair Jr.’s service record (Serv/Reg# H3628) is not open to public access at this time.
Major McCrea Parker Blair Sr.’s WWI service record (Serv/Reg# not assigned) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.

Bland, George

George Bland was born on a Manitoba farm in 1919. He worked for Kraft Foods before applying to be part of the R.C.A.F. in 1941. He was asked to join a "secret project" as a Radar Mechanic, and worked in the U.K. and India until the summer of 1945. He returned to Canada, where he married and had three sons, and became the Vice-President of Kraft Foods before retiring in 1984. The Collection consists of letters, photographs,and his own personal recollections, and other miscellaneous items.

Bohan, John Herbert

Private John Herbert Bohan was born in Calgary, Alberta, on August 26, 1917, to parents Herbert and Nellie (née Bell) Bohan.

Bohan enlisted in Trail, British Columbia, in December 1941 and after training in Canada he proceeded overseas in August 1943. While serving with the Seaforth Highlanders in Italy, Bohan was killed on September 20, 1944.

External links:
Private Bohan’s service record (Serv/Reg#s K71329) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Bohan can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Boon, William Daniel

Air Gunner William Daniel Boon was born on April 29, 1920, in Edmonton, Alberta, to parents Charles and Mary Louise (née Hanna) Boon.

Boon enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Edmonton, Alberta, in September 1940. He was flying with the 150 (R.A.F.) Sqdn. as an Air Gunner when he was shot down and killed near Rivet, Algeria on February 26, 1943.

External links:
Air Gnr. Boon’s service record (Serv/Reg#s R61125) can be viewed/downloaded in pdf format through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring Boon can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Bright, Richard Aubrey

Richard Aubrey Bright was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, in January 1910. He attended the University of British Columbia, graduating with a degree in civil engineering, and during the war served in England with the Royal Canadian Engineers. The collection consists of more than twenty five letters covering the period from 1940 to 1946 written to his sister Muriel ("Moo") and her husband Charles Dustin ("Dusty").

Brock, Edward

Edward ("Ted") Brock served overseas with the 48th Highlanders and fought in the Italian campaign and later in Holland. As a Lieut. Platoon Commander is was Brock's duty to write letters to the families of men killed or missing from his platoon. The collection consists of a letter of condolence, reponses from families to whom he wrote, and a short memoir.

Broome, Ronald Francis

Ronald Francis Broome enlisted in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in August 1940. Broome served overseas during the war with the 3rd Canadian Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment. The collection currently consists of letters, photographs, his paybook, a regimental history, a copy of the Maple Leaf Scrapbook, and other miscellaneous items.

Brown, Hughie Patrick

Hughie Patrick ("Sandy") Brown was born December 29, 1935, in Trail, British Columbia. He enlisted in 1953 in Vancouver, B.C., and served as a Para Rescue SAR Tech and later SAR Jumpmaster with the R.C.A.F. until his honourable discharge in 1979. He completed 735 aircraft jumps in the peacetime service and rescue of both civilians and military personnel over his career, and retired with the rank of Sergent. This collection consists of three photographs and Brown's flight log.