Cousin Visits Gravesite

Cousin Visits Gravesite
Englishman flying for RAAF died in training accident near Richibucto
Transcribed by G. Christian Larsen


SOURCE: The Saint Croix Courier (St. Stephen, NB) - November 11, 2008.

* TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: "Mr. Jason Jarvis" should read "Mr. Jason Gaudet". The memorial stone at "the Ridge" was actually erected by "The Charlotte County War Memorial Committee (2005)" of which Mr. Gaudet was not a member. Mr. Gaudet simply, as "The Saint Croix Courier" stated at the time of the dedication service on 24 September 2006, "...read the names of the 60 men who died at the air force base during training exercises." This is further explained in an e-mail from Mr. Gaudet dated 30 January 2009 in which he states: "My participation in the project was in terms of the historic data, in particular the names of the training causalities."

In regards to the sixty (60) names read by Jason Gaudet, the following errors and/or omissions were made:

  1. AC1 G.J. Eliott was listed as RAF instead of RCAF;

  2. AC1 G.J. Eliott was listed as casualty of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a casualty of No.2 ANS, Pennfield Ridge;

  3. F/L W.S.L. Smallman was listed as F/L W.S. Smallman;

  4. F/L W.S.L. Smallman was listed as a casualty of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a casualty of No.2 ANS, Pennfield Ridge;

  5. Sgt. S. Street was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  6. Sgt. S. Street was listed as a casualty of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a casualty of No.2 ANS, Pennfield Ridge;

  7. Sgt. G.T.J. Woodhams' trade was listed as (OB) whereas it should have been listed as (AO);

  8. Sgt. G.T.J. Woodhams was listed as a casualty of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a casualty of No.2 ANS, Pennfield Ridge;

  9. LAC J.A. Hoople was listed as A. Hoople;

  10. LAC J.A. Hoople had no trade listed whereas the other RCAF causalities did;

  11. LAC J.A. Hoople was listed as a casualty of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a casualty of No.2 ANS, Pennfield Ridge;

  12. Sgt. H.J. Austin  was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  13. Sgt. Pilot H.O. Male was listed as Sgt. H.O. Male;

  14. Sgt. Pilot H.O. Male  was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  15. Sgt. Pilot H.O. Male was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  16. AC1 T.F. Sargeant was listed as AC2 C.F. Sargeant;

  17. AC1 T.F. Sargeant  was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  18. AC1 T.F. Sargeant was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  19. F/O S.E. Sutherland's trade was listed as (WAG) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG);

  20. F/O S.E. Sutherland was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  21. Sgt. G.St.G. Putt was listed as Sgt. G.S. Putt;

  22. Sgt. D. Smith  was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  23. LAC William Henry Dyason was listed as F/L William Dyson;

  24. LAC William Henry Dyason was listed as RCAF instead of RAFVR;

  25. 10 September 2006 Mr. Gaudet posts the following query on Rootsweb "...currently have 58 men that lost their lives while training at Pennfield but have come across 2 more airmen over they last year or so that are buried with several former Pennfield airmen at the local St. George Cemetery, in St. George New Brunswick. These two men where with the Royal Air Force...1137087 Frank L. Senciall - 9 June 1943 1186005 William H. Dyason - 5 January 1943...does anyone have any resources or connections to find out about these two airmen?! I have tons of documents on Pennfield but nothing offers info on these men." It is strange to think that between 1998 and 2006 an individual doing research on the Pennfield Ridge Air Station would only discover "... 2 more airmen over they last year or so that are buried with several former Pennfield airmen at the local St. George Cemetery...". At the St. George Rural Cemetery there are ten (10) servicemen (4 RAF, 1 RCAF, 2 RAAF and 3 RNZAF) buried in a common plot and the most obvious place to began research on the former Air Station would be with these ten (10) service personnel. Conducting research however fourteen (14) days before the dedication service and then, after failing to ascertain for certainty they were causalities from Pennfield Ridge, including them in the "Honor Roll" any ways is poor research ethics. A comprehensive search of all available records, not presumption of facts, should always prevail. This is especially true when information on at least one (1) of these two (2) individuals was readily available from the Provincial Archives in Fredericton, NB.

  26. P/O P.W. McCarthy's service numbers where listed in reverse order (ie: commissioned number first and then non-commissioned number second);

  27. P/O P.W. McCarthy's trade was listed as (AG) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG);

  28. P/O G.A. Norriss was listed as P/O G.A. Norris;

  29. P/O Bayden Bala Williams was listed as P/O Baydon Bala Williams;

  30. P/O Bayden Bala Williams' service numbers where listed in reverse order (ie: commissioned number first and then non-commissioned number second);

  31. Sgt. P.L. Edmond was listed as LAC P.L. Edmond;

  32. Sgt. Pilot H.J. Burnham was listed as Sgt. H.J. Burnham;

  33. Sgt. Pilot H.J. Burnham was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  34. Sgt. P.L. Edmond was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  35. Sgt. J.E. Hogan was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  36. P/O N.C. Harris was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  37. F/S D.A. Cannon was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  38. P/O T.A. Corr was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  39. P/O T.A. Corr was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  40. P/O Fintan Howard Lalor was listed as P/O Finton Howard Lalor;

  41. P/O Fintan Howard Lalor's non-commissioned service was listed as R142255 whereas it should have been listed as R140855. Also P/O Fintan Howard Lalor's service numbers where listed in reverse order (ie: commissioned number first and then non-commissioned number second);

  42. P/O F. H. Lalor's trade was listed as (Nav.) whereas it should have been listed as (Nav.B);

  43. P/O F.H. Lalor was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU, Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  44. Although F/S D.A. Cannon, P/O T.A. Corr and P/O F.H. Lalor were listed on the "Honour Roll", another causality aboard the aircraft was omitted. This individual was O/S Ronald Herbert Faulkner, Royal Navy, who was a passenger aboard Ventura AJ173 when it crashed;

  45. Sgt. Kenneth George Calvert was listed as Sgt. George Kenneth Calvert;

  46. Sgt. K.G. Calvert was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU. Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  47. Sgt. Pilot J.E. Franckeiss was listed as Sgt. J.E. Frankeiss;

  48. Sgt. Pilot J.E. Franckeiss was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  49. Sgt. Pilot J.E. Franckeiss was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU. Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  50. Sgt. K.R. Self was listed as Sgt. K. Self;

  51. Sgt. K.R. Self was listed as a causality of No.34 OTU. Pennfield Ridge whereas he should have been listed as a causality of No.34 OTU Detachment, Yarmouth, NS;

  52. Sgt. Pilot A.E.E. Rogers was listed as Sgt. A.E. Rogers;

  53. Sgt. F.J. Stiles' trade was listed as (WAG) whereas it should have been listed as (AG);

  54. AC1 F.L. Senciall was listed as AC1 F.L. Senciaall;

  55. AC1 F.L. Senciall was listed as a RAF instead of RAFVR;

  56. 10 September 2006 Mr. Gaudet posts the following query on Rootsweb "...currently have 58 men that lost their lives while training at Pennfield but have come across 2 more airmen over they last year or so that are buried with several former Pennfield airmen at the local St. George Cemetery, in St. George New Brunswick. These two men where with the Royal Air Force...1137087 Frank L. Senciall - 9 June 1943 1186005 William H. Dyason - 5 January 1943...does anyone have any resources or connections to find out about these two airmen?! I have tons of documents on Pennfield but nothing offers info on these men." It is strange to think that between 1998 and 2006 an individual doing research on the Pennfield Ridge Air Station would only discover "... 2 more airmen over they last year or so that are buried with several former Pennfield airmen at the local St. George Cemetery...". At the St. George Rural Cemetery there are ten (10) servicemen (4 RAF, 1 RCAF, 2 RAAF and 3 RNZAF) buried in a common plot and the most obvious place to began research on the former Air Station would be with these ten (10) service personnel. Conducting research however fourteen (14) days before the dedication service and then, after failing to ascertain for certainty they were causalities from Pennfield Ridge, including them in the "Honor Roll" any ways is poor research ethics. A comprehensive search of all available records, not presumption of facts, should always prevail. This is especially true when information on at least one (1) of these two (2) individuals was readily available from the Provincial Archives in Fredericton, NB.

  57. WO1 Herbert Thomas Campbell Burley was listed as WO1 Thomas Herbert Campbell Burley;

  58. WO1 H.T.C. Burley's trade was listed as (P) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG);

  59. Sgt. A.C. Mulcahy was listed as RNZAF instead of RAAF;

  60. P/O M.H. Hansen's service numbers where listed in reverse order (ie: commissioned number first and then non-commissioned number second);

  61. P/O H.E. Jasmin's trade was listed as (WAG) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG);

  62. Sgt. H.L. Anderson's trade was listed as (N) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG);

  63. P/O R.A. Ledingham's trade was listed as (N) whereas it should have been listed as (Nav.B);

  64. Sgt. R.J. Barts' trade was listed as (OB) whereas it should have been listed as (Nav.B);

  65. Sgt. G.R. Somers' trade was listed as (WAG) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG)

  66. P/O F.W. Thompson's trade was listed as (N) whereas it should have been listed as (Nav.B);

  67. Sgt. R.L. Bouch's trade was listed as (N) whereas it should have been listed as (Nav.B);

  68. Sgt. R.L. Bouch was listed as casualties from No.34 OTU whereas he should have been listed as casualties from RCAF Station, Pennfield Ridge;

  69. Sgt. R.E. Bough's trade was listed as (WAG) whereas it should have been listed as (Wop/AG);

  70. Sgt. R.W. Bough was listed as casualties from No.34 OTU whereas he should have been listed as casualties from RCAF Station, Pennfield Ridge;

  71. F/S W.G. Davidson was listed as casualties from No.34 OTU whereas he should have been listed as casualties from RCAF Station, Pennfield Ridge; and

  72. F/O S.M. Harju was listed as casualties from No.34 OTU whereas he should have been listed as casualties from RCAF Station, Pennfield Ridge.

    73. SOURCE: Information taken the "Honour Roll" contained within the hand-out pamphlet from the 24 September 2006 dedication service. The "Honour Roll" was contrived from work of "The Pennfield Ridge Research Project" (Jason Gaudet) based upon eight (8) years of research. This was further explained in an e-mail from Mr. Gaudet dated 30 January 2009 in which he states: "My participation in the project was in terms of the historic data, in particular the names of the training causalities."

          Missing from the "Roll of Honour", even after eight (8) years of research, were the following names:-

    1) O/S R.H. Faulkner D/JX366668) (never stationed at Pennfield Ridge but aboard Ventura AJ173 when it crashed 13 March 1943). The other three causalities aboard the a/c, namely F/S D.A. Cannon (R/103962), P/O T.A. Corr (GB138491) and P/O F.H. Lalor (J/22229), were however included in the hand-out pamphlet.  His name, along with the other three three names, was added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's "Roll of Honour" 26 January 2007 and then this oversight (?) was corrected with O/S R.H. Faulkner's name being read into the "Roll of Honour" at the second memorial service 23 September 2007;

    2) LAC J.A. Nelson (R/1678872). Added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's Roll of Honour 22 February 2008 and then finally read into "The Roll of Honour" at the third memorial service 21 September 2008;

    3) F/L K.A. Walker (F/5863). Added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's Roll of Honour 9 February 2007 and then read into the "Roll of Honour" at second memorial service 23 September 2007;

    4) F/O H.C.B. Reynolds (J/16971) & F/L A.S. White, DFC (J/23795) who were both killed 6 December 1944. Their respective names were read into "The Roll of Honour" at the second memorial service held 23 September 2007. They were not added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's Roll of Honour until 25 January 2008;

    5) LAC R.E. Levesque. Added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's Roll of Honour 26 January 2007 and then read into the "Roll of Honour" at second memorial service 23 September 2007;

    6) F/S A.E. Balderston; (R/257476) F/O L.P. Gravel (J/25273); Sgt. D.H. MacNeill (R/271794) and WO2 J.P. McQuarrie (R/219160) who were all killed 22 June 1945. Added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's Roll of Honour 26 January 2007 and then read into the "Roll of Honour" at second memorial service 23 September 2007;

    7) No civilian causalities from Pennfield Ridge Air Station were listed. Three names, namely Louis Lloyd, Allan John McCullough and John James McCarthy, were readily available on the Pennfield Parish website since 26 March 2004. Three additional names were added to Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society's "Roll of Honour" from 16 January 2008 until 28 November 2008. It was not until Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society took over hosting duties of the "Pennfield Ridge War Memorial Service" that all six civilians were finally read into the "Roll of Honour".

    8) No causalities were listed from Camp Utopia. Two names, namely Cpl. J.C. McCarty and Pte. F.G. Burford, were added 23 September 2007 even though their names, along with their respective notice of deaths, were readily available on the Pennfield Parish website since 26 March 2004. Three additional names, namely Maj. A.D. Waterson, Capt. J.L. Hickey and Pte. J.A. Ryan, were added 21 September 2008 (S/Sgt. C.L. Nicholson was brought to Gaudet's attention 25 January 2008 but somehow got omitted from the "Roll of Honour"). Nicholson was finally added 27 September 2009 by Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society and three (3) additional names were read into the "Roll of Honour" by Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society 26 September 2010.

   

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