The Boys From Barrie

Dedicated toRobert Lovell

The man and the son

This books was made possible by the generosity of:Mayor David Aspden (City of Barrie)

W. A. “Bill Ford”Clint Lovell

The Boys From BarrieWorld War II Fatalities

BY

Clint Lovell&

The Grade 10 HistoryStudents of

Eastview Secondary SchoolClass of 2005

RNU Press2009

© 2009 Clint Lovell

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval sys-tem, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the written permision of the author.

Book Design & Layout: © David Edwards (RNU Press)Cover Art Credit: © Clint Lovell

First published by RNU Press555 Mapleview Drive WestBarrie, ON, L4N 8W2www.rnupress.com

ISBN: 978-0-9812886-8-0

This book is printed on acid-free paper.This book is a work of Non-Fiction. Places, events, and situations in this book are True.

CONTENTS

Barre, JamesBeach, JamesBurke, JamesCarter, CliffordCarter, WallaceCook, NormanCorbett, DaltonCreswicke, TomD’Ambrosio, DominicDe Palma, StewartDixon, FrederickFelt, DonaldFirman, GeorgeGeddes, JackGosney, LeonardHadden, EldredHardy, WilliamHarwood, CharlesHenson, GeorgeHogan, LeonardHooper, NormanIrwin, HarveyJones, GeorgeKnicley, WilliamLegear, StanleyLindsey, GeorgeLowe, Edward

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MacAllister, GordonMcBride, JosephMcCron, WilliamMcCutcheon, ErnestMcCutcheon, FranklinMcDonald, RichardMcDougall, DaltonMcDougall, GerardMcMillan, JamesMcNabb, AngusMcVeigh, DanielMills, HaroldMills, MurrayMilen, JamesMontferrand, ErnestMoon, EdwardOrok, RobertPatterson, HaroldPatton, JohnPerry, ClaytonPorritt, WilliamRoe, AlexanderRolston, BrianSampson, RaymondShaw, JohnShortreed, JohnSimpson, DouglasSmith, RoaylSpearn, VernonThonpson, GeorgeWallace, GeorgeWeatherup, KennethWeldon, James

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BARRE, JAMES GORDON

Sub-Lieutenant (Engineering) James Gordon Barre, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, went down with his ship H.M.S. Forfar December 12, 1940. He was 23 years of age.

In June of 1939 the Canadian passenger ship Montrose was used as a troopship. On September 4, 1939 she was requisitioned by the Admiralty and converted to the armed merchant cruiser HMS Forfar. A number of officers and men of the Merchant Navy agreed to serve with the Royal Navy under the terms of a T.124 agreement, which made them subject to naval discipline while generally retaining their Merchant Navy rates of pay and other conditions.

On December 2, 1940, HMS Forfar was torpedoed and sunk by U-boat 99 after she had just left the convoy HX-90 about 500

HMCS Forfar

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miles west of Ireland. 36 officers and 136 naval ratings were lost. HMCS ST. Laurent, HMS Viscount and the British merchant ship Dursley rescued three officers and 18 naval ratings. Shortly after receiving news of his older brothers death Fred Barre joined the RCAF bomber command.

Son of Robert J. and Esther C. Barre of Barrie, James Gordon Barre is commemorated on the Liverpool Naval Memorial, panel 4, Column 1. Barre Drive is named in his honour.

Researched by Mr. Lovell

BEACH, LAWRENCE IRWIN

R/53101, Leading Aircraftman Lawrence Beach (motor trans-port) was killed on air operations September 24, 1944. He was 22 years old.

The Barrie Examiner reported on November 23, 1944:

“ LAC Laurence Irwin Beach of Barrie has been reported by the International Red Cross, quoting German information, to have been killed. His wife and four children reside at 130 Berczy St. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. M.W. Beach, 48 High St., Barrie. His brother WO2 Mahlon F. Beach, is a pris-oner of war in Germany.”

Laurence Beach was passenger on an aircraft that failed to reach its destination. He had joined the RCAF in 1939 and went overseas in the summer of 1943.”

The Dakota aircraft in which Beach was a passenger crashed four miles south-west of New Leiningen, Germany. Lawrence Beach is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany in Coll. Grave 20. A. 1-9. He is also memorialized on page 245 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance in the chapel of the Peace Tower, The Parliament Buildings, Ottawa. Locally, Beach

LAC L. L. Beach

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Court is named in honour of Laurence Beach.

Research by Shannon Key.

BURKE, JAMES ORR

J88719/R129056 Pilot Officer (Wireless/Air Gunner), 422 Squadron Royal Canadian Airforce was killed in action May 24, 1944. He was 21 years old.

Pilot Officer Burke’s Sunder-land flying boat #DV990, was on a daylight anti-submarine patrol and dropped depth charges. An SOS was sent giving their position as north-east of the Faeroe Islands, Denmark and nothing was heard again, enemy action suspected (see Allison and Hayward, They Shall Grow Not Old, Brandon: Leech Printing, p. 683.)

The Barrie Examiner reported in June 1944:John J. Burke, 130 Mulcaster St., Barrie, received the following tele-gram from RCAF Casualties Officer, Ottawa:

“Regret to advise that your son, R-129056, James Orr Burke, is reported missing afterair operations overseas stop.Letter follows”

James Orr Burke was born in Toronto, January 1923, second son of John J. Burke and the late Mrs. Burke, who died August

Plt. O. James Orr Burke

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12, 1942, and resided here for 15 years. He attended Victoria Public School and Barrie Collegiate Institute and was a mem-ber of St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and Sunday school. He played hockey and skated.

WO2 Burke was employed by J. Brennan and Co. when he enlisted in the RCAF in September, 1941. He trained at No.1 Manning Depot, Toronto and graduated in September 1942, as a wireless air gunner at No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School, Jarvis, and went overseas in November 1942.

An older brother, Sgt. John Edward Stanley Burke served as a radio technician with the RCAF. His younger brothers LAC Edmund and AC2 John Burke also serve in the RCAF. Another brother, David, was in the Sea Cadets in 1944. His father had served overseas in WW1 for three and one half years with the 48th Highlanders.

In June 1944, James’ father received a letter from the squad-ron commander which provided details of James’ death:

“It is with the greatest regret that I write to you to convey the sympathy of my entire squadron and give you what details I can of the circumstances.

Your son’s aircraft took off on patrol at 8:00 am on Wednes-day, 24th May, 1944. At 2:19 pm, S.O.S. signals were received from his aircraft by two shore based stations and at the same time those S.O.S. signals were received by another aircraft of this sta-tion which was on an adjacent patrol on the same operation. At 2:20 p.m. this aircraft sighted what appeared to be a large puff of smoke or splash about ten or fifteen miles away and altered course to investigate. Shortly after altering course the aircraft sighted a U-boat some wreckage was noticed about four of five hundred yards from the U-boat. After the attack the submarine submerged and the aircraft proceeded to investigate the wreckage previously seen. The wreckage was similar in colour to our aircraft

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and one piece appeared to be a bit of a wing. The wreckage was in a large oil or fuel slick and there were no signs of any survivors: It is believed that the aircraft was so badly damaged in attacking the submarine that it crashed shortly after the attack.

Your son has been with the squadron for some considerable time and was considered a very valuable wireless operator air gun-ner, and held a high place with us which was one of trust and loyal friendship. His knowledge of work and his eagerness were

an example to all the friends he leaves behind him and his gal-lantry and courageousness will be remembered by us all…

May I express my deepest sympathy with you in your loss and include the regret of my entire unit, at this loss of so fine a mem-ber of our numbers.”

James Burke is commemorated on page 263 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance in the Peace Tower of the Par-

Sunderland #DV990

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liament Buildings, Ottawa. Locally, James Burke is commemo-rated by Burke Drive.

Pilot Officer Burke is commemorated on panel 49 of the Run-nymede Memorial in Surrey, England. This memorial bears the names of 20,450 airmen who have no known grave.

Photos courtesy of Mr. Gordon Burke, Barrie

CARTER, CLIFFORD

Clifford Carter, fireman aboard the S.S. Beaverford (London), Merchant Navy was lost at sea at the age of 22.

Clifford Carter went down with his ship, which was sunk by the Ger-man battleship Admiral Scheer on November 5, 1940. All 77 crew on board were lost. A Canadian Pacific cargo ship, Beaverford was part of a 38-ship convoy (HX 84) crossing the Atlantic on Nov. 5, 1940. She was sunk fighting alongside the HMS Jer-vis Bay. Jervis Bay had tried to draw the enemy to her and away from the convoy. Beaverford was sunk not long after Jervis Bay after several hours of holding Admiral Scheer at bay. The ship went down at 52-26N 32-34W in the North Atlantic.

“Cliff” had lived all his life in and around New Lowell and Glencairn before becoming a sailor on a small lake boat. He was promoted to Fireman and then to Oiler, hoping to become an engineer. He tried to join the navy in Hamilton but was rejected due to lack of experience. He then went on to Montreal where he signed on with the “Beaverford” on October 24, 1940.

Cliff Carter loved to play hockey and spent several winters on the ice with the Glencairn team. His parents, one sister and five

Clifford Carter

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