Norman Ross was born on 30th June 1942 at Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada and was the son of James Wilbur and Ethel Alice (nee Dower) Ross. As a young man he worked as a bank clerk for the Royal Bank of Canada in Moncton and also had been a Scoutmaster. He enlisted for RCAF service on 15th May 1941 in Moncton and after training in Canada was awarded his pilot's flying badge on 27th February 1942. He arrived in the UK in March 1942 and trained at 2 (P)AFU, 23 OTU and 405 Conversion Flight before posting to 405 Squadron on 14th October 1942. This photograph of him shown here was found on the Moncton School website, where he attended.

Ralph Milliken and his gravestone at Dishforth Cemetery. He was born on 21st December 1919 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and was the son of Robert Elliott and Nancy Hattie (nee Gass) Milliken. As a young man he worked as a boat builder and lived at Lynn Creek, British Columbia. He enlisted for RCAF service on 29th August 1941 in vancouver and after training was awarded his air gunner's flying badge on 15th February 1942. He was immediately posted to the UK and trained at 7 AGS and 23 OTU before posting to 405 Squadron on 14th October 1942. I thank his nephew Mr Ken Read for contacting me and kindly supplying this photograph of him.

Allen Bradley was born on Christmas Day 1912 in Govan, Saskatchewan and was the son of John and Sarah Jane (nee Catto) Bradley who's homesteaded was on the shores of Last Mountain Lake west of Govan. He married Gladys Lillian Gwilliam in July 1940 in Govan, Saskatchewan. He was teaching at and also the principal of Duval consolidated school when he enlisted for RCAF service at Regina on 12th July 1941. He had trained as an air observer in Canada and was awarded his air observer badge on 28th February 1942. On arrival in the UK later in the year he trained at 9 (O)AFU and 23 OTU but switched to be an air bomber before posting to 420 Squadron on 28th September 1942. Following convserion training to fly the Halifax at 405 Conversion Flight and then 1659 HCU he was posted to 405 Squadron on 8th November 1942. He was granted a commission after his death but back dated to 28th November 1942. Bradley Bay in Saskatchewan is named in Allen Bradley's honour.

Earl McGillivray was born on 12th October 1918 in Central Butte, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Alexander and Sarah Anne (nee Lewis) McGillivray. Both his parents were born in Ontario but moved to Saskatchewan where Alexander was a farmer. As a young man Earl began working on his father's farm after leaving school in 1937 but left to go to aeronautical school in 1939 in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He enlisted for RCAF service in Regina on 29th July 1940 for ground duties, specifically as an aero engine mechanic. He arrived in the UK in February 1942 and a few weeks later he was posted to 416 Squadron (who flew fighters) and he would have worked as a member of ground crew with them and served with 416 Squadron and 8 SFTS over the coming months. With a growing need for flight engineers to fly in heavy bombers he remustered as aircrew to train as a flight engineer on 26th August 1942 and after training at No.4 School of Technical Training he was awarded his flight engineer's badge on 23rd September 1942. He was posted to 405 Squadron Conversion Flight three days later. 405 CF was absorbed into 1659 HCU on 28th October 1942 and when his conversion training was complete he was posted to 405 Squadron on 8th November 1942. The McGillivray Lake in Saskatchewan is named in Earl McGillivray's honour.

Orlando Hamel was born on 17th November 1915 in Sault Ste, Ontario, Canada and was the son of Eugene and Florence (nee Bouliane) Hamel. He married Kathleen Kearns in Sault Ste in June 1937. He worked as a gold miner at the Cline Lake Gold Mine until 1939 when he changed jobs and working as a miner for the International Nickel Company and living in Sudbury, Ontario up until enlisting into the RCAF. He enlisted for RCAF service in North Bay on 4th August 1941 and after training in Canada he was awarded his air gunner's badge on 31st July 1942. He was posted to the UK soon after and trained at 7 AGS, 405 CF and 1659 HCU before posting to 405 Squadron on 8th November 1942 with the rest of his (Gannon as pilot) crew.

George Robert Ian Taylor was known by his third name of "Ian" to his family. He was born on 31st December 1918 in Kingston, Jamaica to Robert and Leslie Taylor. He and his father had worked at the Central Miranda Warner Sugar Corporation, Oriente, Cuba for a number of years with Ian working in the Cuban sugar industry since he was a young child. At the age of eight he had survived contracting typhoid. He attended schools in the USA and was studying at the Georgia School of Technology in Atlanta when he enlisted into the RCAF in Toronto, Ontario on 17th June 1941, at the time he enlisted he was living in Auburn, Alabama, USA. After training in Canada he arrived in the UK in May 1942 and after completing his training at 23 OTU in July 1942 he was posted initially to 420 Squadron on 28th September 1942. This posting lasted only a matter of weeks as on 8th November 1942 he was posted to 405 Squadron and died three weeks later. I thank Leslie Redmon, whos uncle was Sgt Taylor, for contacting me in August 2012 and for kindly providing additional information and the photograph shown here.

This photograph was also supplied by Leslie Redmon. Ian Taylor is shown in the middle. If this publicity photograph shows part of his crew it may well show others killed when Halifax DT576 crashed near Ripon but the names of the others are not known.

Samuel Clark was born on 10th June 1918 in Webb, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Samuel Stewart and Christina (nee Burns) Clark. He moved to Radisson when he was young and attended school there. Having worked as a teacher from 1937 until 1940 he left his job and began a course at Saskatoon Unversity studying air navigation. He left this course to enlisted into the RCAF in Saskatoon on 2nd May 1941. He was awarded his air observer badge following training in Canada on 14th February 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 10 (O)AFU and 22 OTU before posting to 405 Conversion Flight and with the training complete he was posted to 405 Squadron on 20th October 1942. He received a back dated commission after his death to 28th November 1942. The Clark Lake in Saskatchewan is named in P/O Samuel Clark's honour. His brother LAC W C Clark RCAF (R/87227) served in the UK during WW2.

Melville Stanley was born on 21st June 1921 at Oyen, Alberta, Canada and was the son of Melville James (Snr) and Etta May (nee Atkin) Stanley. His father died and his mother later re-married. He was fresh out of high school when he enlisted for RCAF service on 16th September 1940 at Windsor, Ontario. After training in Canada he was awarded an air gunner's flying badge on 24th November 1941 after first attempting both pilot and navigator training. On arrival in the UK he trained at 1 AAS, 7 AGS, 19 OTU and 10 OTU before posting to 420 Squadron on 28th September 1942. He was later posted to 405 Squadron Conversion Flight on 13th October 1942, 1659 Conversion Unit on 28th October 1942 and then to 405 Squadron on 8th November 1942.

Benjamin Enns was born in Morris, Manitoba, Canada on 8th May 1916 and was the son of David H and Gertrude (nee Penner) Enns. He attended school in Texas and Kansas, USA but returned home to Morris, Manitoba and took over the family farm from his father who died. He enlisted for RCAF service in Winnipeg on 4th March 1941 and trained as a wireless operator / air gunner in Canada, receiving his air gunner's badge and also receiving a commission on 2nd February 1942. On arrival in the UK in May 1942 he trained at No.1 Signal School and 23 OTU before posting to 405 Squadron Conversion Flight (absorbed into 1659 HCU) and posting to 405 Squadron on 14th October 1942. While training at 23 OTU at Pershore he met and married ACW Helen Sandra Hunter (2040208) in September 1942 in Fladbury, Worcestershire. His wife was a native of Airth, Scotland and he was later buried under her arrangements in Airth. His name is also commemorated on the Airth War Memorial (photographs kindly supplied by Sandy Thomson of Airth).

Joseph Beaudry was born on 7th January 1916 at Aylmer, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Edouard and Alida Beaudry. As a young man he attended a technical college and studied to be an electrician, a job he was working at when he enlisted for RCAF service on 25th September 1940 in Ottawa, Ontario. He enlisted for ground crew duties and trained as an air frame mechanic in Canada before posting to the UK and to 405 Squadron way back on 14th January 1942.

Gravestones of the other men buried at Dishforth for whom no photograph has yet been found.

William Kostenuk was born on 3rd June 1923 in Biggar, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of William and Annie (nee Trefik) Kostenuk. His father was born in the Bukowina area of Romania and his mother in Poland but they had emigrated to Canada before William was born. He enlisted for RCAF service just after his eighteenth birthday on 31st July 1941 in Edmonton, Alberta and was a high school student at the time. He trained as an air gunner in Canada receiving his air gunner's badge on 8th June 1942. On arrival in the UK in July 1942 he trained at 7 AGS and 1484 Flight prior to posting to 405 Conversion Flight on 8th October 1942. With his conversion training complete he was posted to 405 Squadron six days later on 14th October 1942.

Joseph Jones was born on 27th March 1919 in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Richard Thomas and Mary Jane (nee Breaseux) Jones. After attending school he began trained to be a mechanic at a diesel engineering school in Saskatchewan and also worked as a mechanic at a garage. When he enlisted for RCAF service in Saskatoon on 9th August 1940 he and his family were living in Weirdale. He initially enlisted for ground duties and to train and serve as an aero engine mechanic. On arrival in the UK he served at 419 Squadron as an aero engine mechanic from January to August 1942. With the growing need for flight engineers to fly in heavy bombers a number of ground crew mechanics applied to retrain and fly as flight engineers. He remustered as aircrew and trained as a flight engineer in August 1942 and trained at No.4 School of Technical Training. He was posted to 405 Conversion Flight on 26th September (which was absorbed by 1659 HCU soon after) and with training complete was posted to 405 Squadron on 16th October 1942. The Jones Island in Saskatchewan is named in Joseph Jones' honour.

Stephen Gannnon was born on 24th April 1915 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and was the son of Frederic Charles and Harriette Anna (nee Bracken) Gannon. Both his parents died and he was looked after and then continued to live with his mother's sister in Montreal where she and his mother were born. After leaving school he began training as a teacher and teaching in Montreal when he enlisted for RCAF service on 14th September 1940 in Montreal and trained as a pilot in Canada. He married Gwendoline Eileen Riggs in Three Rivers, Quebec on 19th January 1941. He was awarded his Pilot's Wings on 5th April 1941. On arrival in the UK in May 1941 he was posted to train at 11 OTU and then served at No.1 AACU for nine months (possibly as a staff pilot). In June 1942 he was posted to 6 (P)AFU, then on to 23 OTU and to 420 Squadron on 28th September 1942. On 13th October 1942 he was posted to Topcliffe to convert to fly the Halifax type at 405 Squadron Conversion Flight but this became 1659 HCU there on 28th October 1942 and with his conversion training complete he was posted to 405 Squadron on 8th NOvember 1942.

William Milne was born on 31st March 1923 in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada and was the son of Stanley Robert and Edna Mildred (nee Bettschen) Milne. He enlisted for RCAF service in Regina on 21st June 1941 and was a student at the time. After training in Canada he was awarded his air gunner's flying badge on 16th March 1942. On arrival in the UK he trained at 4 S.S. and 23 OTU before posting to 420 Squadron on 28th September 1942. He was then posted to 405 Conversion Flight on 13th October 1942 and to 1659 Conversion Flight on 1st November 1942. The Milne Lake in Saskatchewan is named in William Milne's honour.

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