John Labow was known by his middle name of Irvin, he was born on 18th June 1918 in Beachburg, Ontario, Canada. He was the son of John and Jemima Pearl (nee Brennan) Labow. After leaving school at fourteen he begun working as a farm labourer in Beachburg but in 1938 started working as a truck driver in Pembroke, Ontario. He enlisted for RCAF service in Ottawa on 20th May 1941 and trained as an air gunner. He was posted to the UK in November 1942 after completing his training in Canada and was eventually posted to 1659 HCU at Topcliffe on 5th January 1943. He was later posted to 408 Squadron on 19th February 1943. He was the mid upper gunner on board Halifax JD174 in July 1943 when the incident occurred over the North Yorkshire Moors. He was uninjured but remained at 408 Squadron, unlike many of the crew who were posted to 405 Squadron. He received a commission to the rank of P/O on 14th August 1943 rising to F/O on 14th February 1944.
F/O Labow RCAF (J/18279) was flying in Lancaster LL633 on the night of 30th / 31st March 1944, they had left Linton on Ouse airfield at 22.04hrs to undertake an operational flight to bomb Nuremberg, Germany. As the aircraft approached the target area it was attacked three times by night-fighters and was badly damaged. F/O Labow occupied the rear turret for this flight and was heard by other members of the crew to be still firing his guns during the third attack while other members of the crew were preparing to bale out. Sadly he and two others died as a result of this incident. Five of the crew became prisoners of war after they baled out before the aircraft crashed near Michelav near Schweinfurt, Germany. Irvin Labow was initially buried at Weimarschmieden but is now buried at Durnbach War Cemetery and was twenty five years old.
In his 1943 Bomber Command losses book Mr William Chorley notes that F/O Labow had flown twenty five operational flights prior to this one, he was clearly an experienced air gunner.
Irvin Labow, photograph taken in late 1943.
