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WW I We honour them all - In this Year of the Vet WW II This tribute was my anniversary gift, in November, to Mom & Dad... |
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Cpl. Jean M. Thomson (Tommy) As the woman's side of the forces were not issued log books, mom remembered this about her war days: War Service: 1941 - Airwoman 1, 2, then Corporal Mother really liked her job, and especially the fact that she could say "I always had several men under me" More about Jean Righetti and her |
F/O Paul Adam Righetti War Service: Overseas - England
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Mom & Dad. We thank you for your dedication to our country,
your devotion to your family
and for your guidance, LOVE and encouragement.
When our father left to serve overseas in World War II, three of his sisters
(who were nuns) all vowed to pray hard for his safety. He had a special status
with his crew because he had three nuns praying for him ... and although dad
had some close calls during the war he was kept safe. His crew made their tour
of operations with the loss of the mid-upper gunner's index finger as their only
casualty. But an incident did occur with a new crew when they had to make an
emergency landing in thick fog over England where they barely walked away
with their lives. This was his closest call, but oddly occurred while he was
still
flying , but shortly after the war. My father tells me he now understands why,
as many years later
he asked one of the nuns if she had continued to keep
praying for him after the war ended . Her reply was well, not as much! .
AIRCRAFT LIST
Dad flew 600 hours with 74 different pilots at the controls
TIGER MOTH
#2 EFTS, Fort William, Ontario, Canada
ANSON
#7 B&G, Paulson, Manitoba, Canada
#2 OAF, Millom, Cumberland, England
WELLINGTON
#22 OTU, Wellesbourne, Mtfd, England
BOLINGBROKE
#7 B&G, Paulson, Manitoba, Canada
HALIFAX II, V, VII
#1659 HCU Topcliffe, Yorkshire, England
#432 Squadron, Eastmoor, Yorkshire, England
LANCASTER I, II
#427 Squadron, Leeming, Yorkshire, England
#424 Squadron, Skipton, Yorkshire, England
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Dad's Crew Squadron No. 432 Eastmoor, North Yorkshire (Leaside) |
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CREW : ("Q-Queenie") Pilot - J8654 F/L Miller W. E. A/Bomber - R192392 Sgt. Righetti P.A. M/U Gunner - R261470 Sgt. Armstrong G.E. F/E - 1890485 Sgt. Chubb W.F. Nav - J28783 F/O Hall B.E. Wop - R168220 Sgt Dupuis F.R. R/Gunner - R212407 Sgt. Petaske A. Web site Eastmoor Memorial |
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* Badge: a cougar leaping down in front of a full moon * credit rcaf.com |
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Thank you so much to Wartime Pilots & Observers Association and My father happily made posters for the reunions, dedicated to wartime Father has donated some of his posters to this museum in Brandon
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Four crew regathered for a reunion in 1990 for the dedication ceremony of the East Moor Memorial monument - Sutton on the Forest, Yorkshire. The two Bills, Army & Dad & wives. Thanks to the annual organizers for all their hard work. A poem by Graham Armstrong re: Eastmoor Memorial Reunion 1990 In bomber days that we recall, unfriendly skies we met... Long ago and in these Yorkshire hills, It grieves us now to think that not one" Hally" flies , Now from the moon and twinkling stars above *The pound is the park at Sutton-on-the-Forest where the cairn is located. |
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A board game celebrating the BCATP in Canada 1941. I wonder if Dad ever saw this? I miss sending him these little finds. |
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Sgt. Brian Ignatius Joseph
Daly
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Lost Bombers site Info re: Augsburg Raid Bomber Command Augsburg Raid |
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From freeBMD: Daly, Brian I J ( mother O 'Flaherty ) vol. 1b page-185
...he was 23 the same age as mum...
( also a birth for Dympna M C Daly in Hampstead ...Mum had a long letter from his sister )
Marriage of his parents Sept. quarter of 1918
Elizabeth T O'Flaherty and Michael L J Daly / St Martin district / vol.1a / page-1387
Metis Soldier 
Max Jerome
Maxwell Joseph Jerome Discharge Nov. 1945 |
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Service Medals: C.V.S.M. / 39-45 Star / Italy Star / France Germany Star / Defence / Victory |
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Florence Irene Jeanne (Maughan) Jerome - Mother in Law Florence trained as a student nurse during the war at a London hospital, and later at Bexhill General Hospital. She was employed at Bexhill Hospital, Bexhill on Sea, Oct 22 1941. She met and married Max Jerome in 1943. Florence came to Canada in 1946 as a War Bride and Mom, with her husband and their two eldest children. |
I have been remiss in not adding my grandmother and mother-in-law to this site, as they were nurses during the war, when they met their military husbands... |
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Frank A. Harris - Husband's Uncle
The Desert Rats / 7th Armoured Division British 8th Army.
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I will be adding Frank's details shortly |
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Joe Righetti - Uncle My cousin recollects: 1940 Regina - Enlisted in the Army - tried some mechanical training to join the Hussar corp but he said he had no mechanical skills ...so he joined the Navy in 1941 and went from waterless Saskatchewan to British Columbia and then to Halifax and Prince Edward Island...where he learned to swim! They took them out of harbor |
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John ( Jack) Lovell June 1941 - 5th Canadian Armoured Div. Medals: 39-45 Star, Italy Star, France Germany Star, Defence, 14 Car pin & Badge, Liberation of Holland Remembrance Medal (issued 2002 ) |
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In 1944 his ship was damaged by a torpedo & crew overboard until rescued to a snowy mountain area of Africa, where they were issued blankets & complained of the wet & cold until they saw little African children scantilly dressed and walking barefoot in the snow. |
WWI |
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James Thomson - Grandfather WW1 - Nov. 1915 Discharged with commission to Gordon Fourth Battalion Highlanders |
I never knew my Grandfather...He died before I was born. Mother always spoke so fondly of him. I wish that the rest of the family could have met him! ***** family oral history: Mother's story was "days" and we have found an incident, where, after he'd been injured he was left on the field for one and a half days. However above story has a hole in his kilt, and he had a batman... so he must have been wounded again later in the war. He married my grandmother (a nurse in England) in 1917. My husband ordered his military files from WW1 as a Bday gift for me. At the battle of Julian/ Ypres April 24 1915, he was wounded with shrapnel from his left knee to the thigh and also under his right knee... and had been left on the field for 36 hours! It took over half a year after surgery to convalesce. I have not been able to get more information for scenario described above by my mother... wearing a kilt, and an officer means he was with the Gordon Highlanders, and
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Ethel Marion Thomson - nee Blunt Grandmother She married James Thomson at the Endsleigh Palace Hotel, St. Pancras |
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I have been remiss in not adding my grandmother and mother-in-law to this site, as they were nurses during the war, when they met their military husbands... |
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Lt. act/Maj Hubert Porter Blunt M.B.E. |
Lt. act/Cpt Brian Gaire Blunt Lieutenant acting Captain R.H.A. |
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2nd Lt. Hubert Ratcliffe Felton private : 2/5th south staffordshire regiment Son of Rev. Walter Felton, (Vicar of St. John's, Walsall & YPRES ) & Mildred Frances Blunt Sons of Clergy ROLL |
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Lt. John William Maughan 2nd Lieutenant -
4th Battalion
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Canadian BloodThis poetry was written by Joseph Stuart ( Joe) Jerome while in hospital in Colchester, Eng. between June and August, 1944. There were no stars Grey, cloudy French skies above us, Braver hearts never left their homeland Joe Jerome served with the Regina Rifle Regiment Metis Soldier Flag image created by the author of this site, do not use without permission
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PLEASE do not use the Remember Header, basic content, or photo images without permission
*****
Now that I know there was another James Thomson 2nd Lt. Gordon Highlanders
I will only point to urls as I am now not sure which is he...Also the doc. dates change
a bit but are around this time he was received a commisssion to the 3/4 G.H.
London Gazette Nov. 20 1915
Some excerpts from GH Battallion War Diary June 1915 to 1918
"... Specialist parades were held in the afternoon with specialist officers. 2/LT THOMSON, appointed sniping
and intelligence officer, organized a sniping section, and supervised sniping practice from 3-4 p.m."
Dec. 4 1916 OVILLERS HUTS and BOUZINCOURT
"...An advance billeting party under 2/LT THOMSON met the STAFF CAPTAIN at BOUZINCOURT at 10 a.m."
Further war diary info doesn't help so far...but will update when/if there is more information
Other sites by Anything Art:
other web sites by the Winnipeg Artist Jeanette Jerome
T.P. Blunt / Scientist Wine Artist Ando
Nature Art Gallery by Ando
Artist Anything Art site Winnipeg
Winnipeg Cartoon & Caricature Artist
Nichol Wilson Capital Partners
Al Desjarlais - Manitoba Metis Musician
