Puslinch in Uniform
From the 1837 Rebellion through the Fenian Raids, the Crimean War and the Boer War, Puslinch men enlisted in Canada's army. So did they in the two World Wars of the 20th century. Many gave their lives. Those killed in WWI were: Orman Gibbs, James McIntyre, Adam Heller, Neil Wilkinson, Willie Morris, Lewis Munch, Alex Martin, John Munroe, Walter Penrice, James Clark, Fred Foley, Mark McIntyre, Septimus Harrison, William Grahamslaw, Leslie Eagle, Alex Currie, Herbert Currie, and William Palmer.
Lost in WWII were: Archibald McIntyre, James McIntyre, George Stewart, Charles Huffmon and six more men who have been memorialized by R.McFarlane. Their war stories appear in the following pages.
For a fuller study of the war efforts in Puslinch over the last century and a half, those interested will find Marjorie Clark's book, The Maple Leaf Forever: Our Township in the Military particularly enlightening. It is available in the Township Office..
A
Tribute to
Pilot
Officer Norman Frederick Fitton
Navigator
11
March 1922-13 June 1944
age
22 years
Norman
Frederick
Fitton,
#J19834,
was born on March 11, 1922 at his grandmother's home in Toronto, but quickly
joined tile rest of tile family oil the farm just south
of Arkell. He was
the third youngest
of a family of eight. Norman attended Arkell
school and then G.C.V.1.
in Guelph
and worked on the family dairy farm with his parents, John and Nellie
Fitton
and his other brothers and sisters.
Norman
joined the RCAF
about 1940 before he was called up so he could get into the air force
instead of the army because he always wanted to fly. Norman had two brothers, Gordon
and Victor who also served overseas with the R.C.O.C..
Norman did most of his training out west. He attended Air Observer
School and Elementary Flying Training School in Regina, Saskatchewan, Bombing
and Gunnery School in
Lethbridge, Alberta, Central Air and Navigation School in Rivers,
Manitoba, Service Flying School in Brandon,
Manitoba and Manning Depot in Lachine.
At
the outset of the war, there was only one bomber squadron on its Home War
Establishment formed on September 5, 1939 with poorly equipped two seater
biplanes with open cockpits and a maximum speed of 135 m.p.h. and could carry a
trivial 580 lbs.of
bombs. In the early stages of the war they had to use evasive action and
night bombing to survive, their targets being industry and shipping in Germany.
Early navigation and bomb aiming equipment were poor and losses were high.
Fifteen Canadian bomber squadrons were eventually created, all being formed in
the United Kingdom. By June of 1941 equipment was vastly improved with the use
of Wellington bombers, but accuracy was still a problem.
Norm
was first stationed in Yorkshire, England and took part in the first 1000 bomber
raid on Cologne on May 30 and 3 1, 1942 in a 90 minute period. He
was navigator bomb aimer.
Flak,
night fighters and radar nets became more deadly as well as the hazards of mid
air collisions and bombs being dropped from planes at a greater altitude. Since
they were required to fly with no navigation lights which would give the night
fighters something to aim at, losses of up to 5% were common. Norm was forced to
bail out over England, probably because of a crippled plane, and broke his
ankle. While in hospital he met Joyce
Craske
of Grimsby, Linconshire,
England whom he married on January 27,1943, with his skipper F.O.
McKay
of Regina as his best man.
On
January 1, 1943, Canadian bomber group 6 was established
and in May of 1943, squadron 420,424 and 425 were sent to North Africa to form
No. 331 wing. Norm was stationed in Cairo, Egypt where they hit enemy ships and
took part in 22 raids over Tobruk. During one raid
his skipper got it in the knee and Norm had his shoe cut by flak. When they got
home there were 126 holes in the old kite. He also spent one terrifying night on
Malta when there were 5 air raids as he was guarding their kit and their plane
was blown up about 50 yards from where he was.
During
one night raid they were shot down in the desert behind enemy lines. Norm
received "The Boot
(a lapel pin) for walking the crew back through enemy lines to safety.
331 wing returned to England in November, 1943. After
North Africa, Norman was home on leave in the
spring of 1944 having taken part in 41 operations by this time. Norm belonged to
427 squadron which was formed in November, 1942 flying Wellington Bombers which
were exchanged for Halifax bombers in May of 1943.
As
the air war over Germany continued, electronics played a large part for both
sides and the missing rate rose to 7%. The squadrons with planes that were so
vulnerable were transferred to minelaying duties. By
April of 1944 the assault on Berlin had ended as Bomber Command was placed under
control of Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces in preparation for
Operation Overlord. Bomber
Command's effort was split for the next six months between transportation
targets in France and low countries intended to isolate the Normandy
battlefield, and the continuing attempt to destroy the industrial centres of
northern and western Germany, especially the Ruhr heartland.
On
June 12,1944, Norman's plane was hit over France and went down. He was
declared missing in action and was found by the French underground with his
parachute unopened. He is buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Calais, France,
age 22.
References:
1.
Larry
Mulberry, Hugh Halliday
The Royal Canadian Air Force at War 1939‑1945; 1990 Cann
Books
2.
Greenhouse, Harris,
Johnson, Rawling
The Crucible of War, 1939‑1945; 1994 University of Toronto Press
Inc.
3.
The Guelph
Daily Mercury, March 3, 1944