World War Two collections | Page 5

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.

Henderson, Kenneth Francis

Able Seaman Kenneth Francis Henderson was born in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1922. As a sailor with Royal Canadian Navy in WWII he served for several years aboard the Bangor-class minesweeper H.M.C.S. Thunder. He married Elsie Marie (née Goodwin) on February 8, 1944, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The letters in the Henderson collection were written to Elsie during the period of June 4–25, 1944, and describe Henderson’s experiences during the D-Day landing operations on the coast of Normandy, France.

External links:
AB Henderson’s service record (Serv/Reg# unknown) is not open to public access at this time.

[Editor’s Note: The rank of “Able Seaman” was Henderson’s rank at the time the collection’s letters were written. His final rank upon leaving the Navy in the 1960’s is unknown.]

Henneberg, Carl Clifford

Major Carl Clifford Henneberg, OBE, was born on July 8, 1906, to parents Augustus and Ellen Henneberg. He studied at the Manitoba Medical School. After graduating in 1933 he moved to Flin Flon, Manitoba, where he worked as a doctor with the Flin Flon Medical Services Company and the city’s General Hospital.

Henneberg joined the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps on September 9, 1939, as a Lieutenant in medical unit No. 5 General Hospital. Once overseas in early 1940, he worked at the Canadian military hospital at Farnborough, England. While in England Henneberg married Canadian Nursing Sister Kay Warham.

From mid-1944 to March 1945 Henneberg was stationed in Rome, Italy. In the final months of the war he returned to Canada in April of 1945, joined by Kay a few weeks later; the couple settled in Winnipeg, Man., where Henneberg was posted at the Fort Osborne Hospital.

In recognition of his service while in Italy, Henneberg was appointed to the Order of the British Empire on July 7, 1945.

Content notes:
Letters were written between 1939-1945 by Henneberg to his friend and business partner Dr. Peter Guttormsson and family in Flin Flon, Man. (later in Vancouver, B.C.). Featured among the photographs are several with various members of the royal family, including two with the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. Information on Henneberg’s overseas deployment locations and dates is somewhat limited.

External links:
Major Carl Henneberg (Serv/Reg# not assigned) survived the war; his service record is not open to public access at this time.
His appointment to the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was published in The London Gazette on September 13, 1945 (#37262, p.4557).

Hollett, William Lloyd

William Lloyd Hollett was born in Sydney Mines, Nova Scotia in September, 1913. He served overseas with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, R.C.I.C. until his death on October 26, 1944, age 33. The collection currently consists of more than forty letters.

External links:
Private William Lloyd Hollett’s service record (Serv/Reg# F11177) 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 Hollett can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Humewood School

Humewood School is a school in Toronto, Ontario which during WWII sent parcels to ex-Humewood students who were serving during the war. This unique collection currently consists of more than forty letters of thank you back to the school for Christmas parcels sent for Christmas of 1944.

Humphrey, John Fenton

John ("Jack") Fenton Humphrey was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, in October 1922. He enlisted with the R.C.A.F. and trained as an aircraft mechanic in 1941 and was sent overseas to Britain. In 1943 Humphrey trained as a rear gunner and then was sent again overseas. He returned to Canada at the end of the war. The collection currently consists of more than thirty letters written by Humphrey during the war.

Jackson / Clark Family

One part of the collection consists of letters written by Harry Clark, Jr., to his mother, Jane (Jennie) Clark, in London, Ontario, after he had enlisted in the Canadian Army. The other letters were received by a distant relative, Kathleen Jackson (ne Hastings), while she was recovering from tuberculosis in London, Ontario. The letters, which describe conditions in wartime Britain, were written by relatives of Kathleen,s father Hugh Hastings, who died while convalescing from wounds sustained in the First World War.

Jamieson, Donald Sinclair

Donald Sinclair Jamieson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in June 1924. He enlisted with the RCAF and served with the 426 Squadron. On December 16, 1943, while returning from a mission over Germany, his Lancaster crashed on return to England. Five crew members were killed immediately, one later died of injuries, and Jamieson walked away with only ten stitches (see his letter of December 1943). While returning from a mission over Germany on June 28/29 1944 his his Halifax was shot down, but all the crew bailed out successfully over France and were sheltered by French citizens of the village of Honguemare. Jamieson and another crew member were captured on July 14 and held in prison. They were taken out of the prison on the night of August 21, 1944 and executed. Their bodies were never found and they are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial. Jamieson was twenty years old at the time. The collection currently consists of two letters and one photograph.

External links:
Flying Officer Donald Sinclair Jamieson’s service record (Serv/Reg# J19863) 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 Jamieson can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Jodoin, Lawrence James

Able Seaman Lawrence James Jodoin was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on September 16, 1925, to parents Arthur and Mary Jodoin. He had two younger siblings, Robert and Marion.

Jodoin enlisted with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve at H.M.C.S. Nonsuch in Edmonton on March 22, 1943. He was posted the following June to H.M.C.S. Naden in Esquimalt, British Columbia. He served a month aboard H.M.C.S. Stadacona prior to his arrival in Great Britain in November of 1943, where he spent the winter in Scottland at H.M.C.S. Niobe and H.M.S. St. Christopher. Assigned to Motor Torpedo Boat duty the following spring, Jodoin joined the crew of MTB-461 on May 6, 1944.

Killed in action on July 9, 1944, off Cap D’Antifer, France, during the Normandy Landings operations, Jodoin was buried at sea that same day. He was posthumously Mentioned in Dispatches for “gallantry, skill, determination and undaunted devotion to duty during the landing of Allied Forces on the coast of Normandy.” He is commemorated on the Halifax Memorial, Halifax, Nova Scotia. In 1950 the Peace River tributary Jodoin Creek was named in his honour.

Content notes:
Most letters in the collection were written by Jodoin to Patricia Tupman of Victoria, B.C., between August of 1943 and July of 1944; they first met during Jodoin’s time at H.M.C.S. Naden in Esquimalt. Also included are three letters sent by Tupman that were returned to her as undeliverable following Jodoin’s death.

External links:
AS Lawrence Jodoin’s service record (Serv/Reg# V57427) 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 Jodoin can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
Mentioned in Despatches (posthumous), December 29, 1944, in the London Gazette (#36858, p. 5916).
Geographic information on Jodoin Creek in the Canadian Geographical Names Database, Government of Canada.
A photograph of the crew of MTB-461, taken on May 1944, can be viewed online at The Naval Museum of Manitoba. Jodoin is in the back row, sixth from left.

Jones, Robert Lloyd

Robert Lloyd Jones was born in Vulcan, Alberta in November, 1918. He enlisted with the R.C.A.F. in 1939 and served overseas with the 405 Squadron as an Aero Engine Mechanic. Jones returned to Canada in September, 1945. The collection currently consists of one photograph and two letters published in the local newspaper, The Vulcan Advocate.

Landry, Fernand Liboire

Sapeur Fernand Liboire "Larry" Landry est né le 17 juin 1919. Il s'est engagé dans la Seconde Guerre mondiale avec le Génie royal canadien en 1939, et a servi outre-mer où il a participé au débarquement de Juno Beach en Normandie, en France, puis en Belgique, en Hollande et en Allemagne. Landry a survécu à la guerre, est rentré au Canada et a mené une vie d'après-guerre à Robertsonville, au Québec.
Sapper Fernand Liboire “Larry” Landry was born June 17, 1919. He enlisted in WWII with the Royal Canadian Engineers in 1939, and served overseas where he took part in the Juno Beach landings in Normandy, France, and then onto Belgium, Holland, and Germany. Landry survived the war, retuning to Canada and a post-war life in Robertsonville, Québec.

Notes sur le contenu:
La collection Landry est une collection de langue française. Le donateur de la collection a fourni des transcriptions dactylographiées ainsi que des photocopies des lettres originales. Ces transcriptions dactylographiées ont été utilisées pour créer les versions numériques affichées ici, car la lisibilité des originaux photocopiés varie. Des photocopies de tous les documents donnés (photocopies et transcriptions dactylographiées) ont été fournies avec chaque lettre.
Content notes:
The Landry Collection is a French language collection. The collection donor provided typewritten transcriptions along with photocopies of the original letters. These typewritten transcriptions were used to create the digital versions posted here, as the legibility of the photocopied originals varies. Jpgs of all donated materials (photocopies and typed transcripts) have been provided with each letter.

Liens externes:
Spr. Les états de service de Liboire Landry (Serv/Reg# E3019), conservés par Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, ne sont pas accessibles au public pour le moment.
External links:
Spr. Liboire Landry’s service record (Serv/Reg# E3019), held by Library and Archives Canada, is not open to public access at this time.

Lapointe, Paul

Paul Lapointe was born in Chicoutimi, Quebec on Jan 30, 1905. He enlisted on February 26, 1943 and sailed overseas on July 19, 1944. He served in France, Belgium, Holland and Germany with the Royal Canadian Engineers. He returned to England on August 1, 1945 and back to Canada on January 23, 1946. Paul Lapointe passed away on November 7, 2002. This collection consists of four letters and one diary in the original French with English translations, as well as photographs and miscellaneous documents.

Latham, Frank Wilfred

Flying Officer Frank Wilfred Latham was born June 11^th, 1916, to parents Frank & Edith Latham, of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Prior to his enlistment he was living in Trail, British Columbia, with his wife Jean and their two children Barbara and Dennis.

He enlisted in Calgary, Alberta, in the fall of 1942 with the Royal Canadian Air Force; with Frank on active service his family relocated back to Moose Jaw. Their third child, Gary Frank, was born in July of 1944 but died shortly thereafter in late October.

Latham was serving as a Wireless Operator/Air Gunner on anti-submarine patrol with the 162^nd Squadron out of Iceland when on December 19^th, 1944, in high winds and blinding snow their Canso aircraft (A #11061) crashed into a mountainside S.E. of Reykjavik, Iceland, killing all 8 crew members. He is buried in Reykjavik (Fossvogur) Cemetery, Iceland.

The collection includes a diary Jean Latham kept in their son Gary’s Our Baby’s Story book of his death in October of 1944, and of her husband’s less than two months later.

External links:
Flying Officer Latham's Service Record Information (Reg/Ser# J/41740) is available online through Library and Archives Canada.
Burial information is available at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
A memorial page honouring him can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Lee, Robina Evelyn

The collection contains three letters from Robina Evelyn Lee home to her parents in Glasgow detailing her journey from Britain to Vancouver. She was coming to Canada as a war bride after marrying Alfred Roberston Lee, a member of the Canadian Navy whom she met in Britain during the war. Also included are other items such as some individual photographs, wedding photographs, and a photograph of the ship on which she came to Canada.

Lightbody, Alexander

Flight Lieutenant Alexander (“Sandy”) Lightbody was born in New Westminster, British Columbia, on September 9, 1920, to parents David and Margaret Lightbody. He had two younger sisters, Margaret and Jennie.

Enlisting with the Royal Canadian Air Force on September 24, 1941, Lightbody served overseas with No. 430 Squadron, working mainly as a fighter pilot deployed on photographic reconnaissance. He married Jeanne Moran in the summer of 1945; the couple returned to Canada following the end of the war.

Content notes:
Most of the letters were written by Lightbody between 1943-1945 to his sister Jennie (“Buck”) Lightbody (later m. Bromley), of New Westminster, B.C. The photographs include three full colour Air Force related pictures, as well as others of various R.C.A.F. personnel.

External links:
F/Lt. Alexander Lightbody’s service record (Serv/Reg# J12335) service record is not publicly available through Library and Archives Canada at this time.

Loney, Edward

Edward ("Ted") Loney was born in October 1920 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1943 Loney joined the Royal Canadian Artillery and served as an anti-aircraft gunner until he returned to Canada in 1946. The collection consists of more than one hundred letters.

MacCausland, Vincent Sanford

Vincent Sanford MacCausland was born in Tyne Valley, Prince Edward Island on February 1, 1913. He enlisted in March, 1940 with the RCAF before being attached to the 617 Squadron RAF. MacCausland was killed on a raid on May 17, 1943. The collection consists of fourteen letters and several photographs.

External links:
Flying Officer Vincent Sanford MacCausland’s service record (Serv/Reg# J15309) 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 MacCausland can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

MacMillan, Joseph Francis

Engine Room Artificer 4th Class Joseph Francis MacMillan was born in Ingersoll, Ontario, on December 4, 1910, one of eight children of parents Benjamin Alexander and Mary MacMillan. In 1938 he married Beulah Maud and they had one child, son James Benjamin. At the time of his enlistment the family was living in Woodstock, Ont., where MacMillan worked as a machinist at the Morrow Screw and Nut Company in nearby Ingersoll.

He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, at London, Ont., on July 30, 1941. Following initial training Halifax at H.M.C.S. Stadacona, he went on serve aboard the destroyer H.M.C.S. St. Croix.

MacMillan was killed on September 20, 1943, while on convoy support duty in Atlantic, when H.M.C.S. St. Croix was torpedoed and sunk south of Iceland, one of nine Allied ships lost to submarine attacks over a three days period. Stoker 1st Class William Fisher was the only member of St Croix’s crew to survive the crossing.

Buried at sea, MacMillan is commemorated on the Halifax Memorial, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Content notes:
Three of the collection letters were written during the war by MacMillan to family members, the remainder are condolence letters.

External links:
ERA 4 Joseph MacMillan’s service record (Serv/Reg# V17743) 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 MacMillan can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.

Joseph MacMillan’s brother, Private John Theodore MacMillan (service record, Serv/Reg# A108862), was killed in Holland on April 28, 1945, while serving with the Perth Regiment, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps.

Maloney, Maurice Melville

Maurice Melville Maloney was born in Meaford, Ontario in February, 1918. Maloney served overseas with the 15th Canadian Ambulance Corps as well as the 4th Canadian Armoured Division Medical Corps. He returned to Canada at the end of the war and died in 1996. The collection currently consists of fourteen letters, poems, telegrams, clippings, and other miscellaneous items.

Martyn, William Wallace Haig

William Wallace Haig Martyn was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in December, 1915. He joined the RAF in 1936 and during the war he flew with Squadron Nos. 802, 758, 759, 760, and 880 and was awarded the DSC. The collection consists of more than 140 letters written by Martyn from 1939 to 1945.

McCaig, Leslie Neil

Flight Lieutenant Leslie Neil McCaig, DFC, was born in Ormstown Station, Québec, on July 4, 1915, to parents Neil and Ethel (née Sangster) McCaig. After receiving his B.A. and Teacher’s Certification at Bishops University, he worked as a school teacher at Stanstead Wesleyan College, Stanstead, and Westmont High School, Montreal, prior to beginning his military service.

He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force in Montreal on August 16, 1941, earning his Pilot Flying Badge in October of 1942. Once overseas he served with the R.C.A.F. No. 426 (Thunderbird) Squadron. McCaig was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on October 29, 1943, for his actions that September during a night bombing raid over Mannheim, Germany, described in part in The London Gazette as: “Displaying exceptional skill, Flight Lieutenant McCaig flew the badly damaged bomber to this country and effected a successful crashlanding at an airfield. This officer displayed courage, coolness and determination worthy of high praise.”

McCaig was later killed piloting a night mission over Berlin, Germany, on January 20, 1944, in which the entire crew of Lancaster #LL 628 was lost. He was buried in the Berlin 1939-1945 War Cemetery, Germany, and was honoured after the war in the naming of McCaig Bay, Northwest Territories (present day Nunavut).

Content notes:
The collection’s only letter was written by McCaig to Miss Della Allen of Montreal, in August of 1943.

External links:
F/L(P) Leslie McCaig, DFC, service record (Serv/Reg# R120133 and J14907) 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 McCaig can be visited online at the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
The awarding of McCaig’s Distinguished Flying Cross in The London Gazette, October 29, 1943 (#36226, p. 4765).

Aircrew flying with McCaig on January 20, 1944:
R.C.A.F. Pilot Officer Ernest Stewart Hawkes, DFC, service record (Serv/Reg# J86265).
R.C.A.F. Pilot Officer Robert James Orr’s service record (Serv/Reg# J19009).
R.C.A.F. Pilot Officer Ronald Duncan Polson’s service record (Serv/Reg# J18921).
R.C.A.F. Pilot Officer Thomas James Preece’s service record (Serv/Reg# J93896).
R.A.F. Pilot Officer Raymond W. Elliot’s (Serv/Reg# 162597) British-held service record is not open to public access at this time.
R.A.F. Pilot Officer Gerald R. Ketcher, DFM, (Serv/Reg# 168963) British-held service record is not open to public access at this time.