tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66030225908299828302024-03-14T04:35:36.952-04:00FrancoAmerican Gravy: Family History & Stories from Upstate New York, Quebec and AcadiaStories of family and ancestors who lived and worked in Cohoes (textile and garment workers, butchers and barbers), Waterford (canalers), Whitehall (farmers and canalers), Port Henry (iron miners and Civil War soldiers), Champlain (canalers and farmers) and other towns along the Champlain Canal in New York State with some diversions to the places they emigrated from....Quebec (landless farmers, shoemakers, sailors, soldiers), Acadia (more farmers), and even Cornwall, England (tin miners).francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.comBlogger277125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-8426084137652943972023-11-04T18:00:00.000-04:002023-11-04T18:00:00.130-04:00Remembering the crew of R5695-EMC and ALFRED JOSEPH PARKYN<br /><span style="font-size: large;">BORN NOVEMBER 6, 1915</span><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">PALISADES, NEW JERSEY, USA </span></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">27 YEARS OLD</span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Alfred J. Parkyn was the beloved son of an
immigrant carpenter and his Parisian wife. Coming of age during the Great
Depression, Alfred enjoyed many of the American Dream’s promises. He competed
in high school football and track; he counted swimming, skiing, and horseback
riding among his activities as well. Proud parents photographed the handsome,
well-dressed young man astride a beautiful English-saddled mare. In the
photograph, he smiles confidently. His riding boots shine.</span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCd972HA0dpgxh4VkBVEa4jCrsXBRC744yvu3wqHxA44y581tvjMhHhkl-haSOctjWbOp5KUrOp-zeC_d6MeStZiwrz97t9XFLGeAdbLquJJoI5gL_71ZVrbstSST38k1h9bRYCYkVu5W5HE-a8G3omWOVpTtyLEWQlQMei9DsB-2QdrkGGwiPhTDWlC0/s598/HORSE2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="598" data-original-width="462" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCd972HA0dpgxh4VkBVEa4jCrsXBRC744yvu3wqHxA44y581tvjMhHhkl-haSOctjWbOp5KUrOp-zeC_d6MeStZiwrz97t9XFLGeAdbLquJJoI5gL_71ZVrbstSST38k1h9bRYCYkVu5W5HE-a8G3omWOVpTtyLEWQlQMei9DsB-2QdrkGGwiPhTDWlC0/s320/HORSE2.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Alfred landed a job with the United States Lines, crewing on
the <i>SS Leviathan </i>between his junior and senior years of high school.
Working in the engine rooms of <i>SS</i> <i>Leviathan </i>and later the <i>SS</i>
<i>President Roosevelt,</i> Alfred saw England, France, and Germany during
peacetime. He would later see many of these countries from the air, at night,
under fire.</div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">If Alfred and the first American Parkyns thought they’d
escaped the harsher side of life when they put London’s Mile End behind them,
they were wrong. Alfred saw the impact on the family of his uncle’s Edward’s death
in France at the end of the First World War. Memories of Edward must surely
have faded in young Alfred’s memory by the time Edward became the namesake of
his town’s American Legion post. Tragedy didn’t end with the end of war. Alfred
lost his 11-year-old brother during Alfred’s senior year in high school. Two
years later, Alfred’s 50-year-old father passed away. The successive losses
left Alfred’s mourning mother and sisters reeling but undoubtedly grateful for
his stabilizing presence in the family. By 1940, Alfred’s life was on a course
that kept him close to home. At 26 years of age, Alfred had a steady but menial
job in the Bronx. His elder sister had married, leaving Alfred at home with his
mother and 13-year-old sister Renee, who adored the big brother she knew as
Allie. Over the course of 30 years, the Parkyn family’s exuberance and success
had, through family tragedy and economic disaster, given way to a grittier
determination to persevere together.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alfred harbored dreams of becoming a pilot, but he was both
too old and lacked the bachelor’s degree required for military pilot programs.
Opportunities in civil aviation were scarce, and flight training wasn’t cheap.
With his spare income, Alfred had managed to accumulate a meager eight hours of
flight time and was making payments on a ground school course he’d taken.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At some time during the summer of 1940, Alfred must have
come across one of the recruiting advertisements posted at municipal airports
by the Clayton Knight Committee. Replete with images of Spitfire fighter
planes, the flyers sought men for the Royal Canadian Air Force, and steered
applicants to Knight’s shadow organization at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The
Waldorf was on Alfred’s route home from work, but Alfred’s workday clothes would
not have been in keeping with the hotel’s splendor; he must have made a trip
from home, in his best clothes, when he applied.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And he did apply. His move must have concerned family
elders, who would have numbered themselves among America’s isolationist population
after Uncle Edward’s death. Without a steady income or husband, his mother must
have found Alfred’s decision to be alarming.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Winning his wings in November 1940, Alfred flew home for a
brief visit. Once in England, he wasted no time in connecting with family in
Surrey, which became his favorite destination during leave periods. He wrote
dutifully to his mother and sister, sending photos of “his” room above a Surrey
shop, and the Earl Beatty Pub, where he enjoyed a pint now and then.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alfred must have seemed brash and outspoken to his British
squadron mates, as many Americans did. He was fond of them, describing them in
a 1942 interview as “hard to get next to, sometimes,” but noted “they have
horse sense. These guys know their racket.” Little memory exists of Alfred’s
relationships with his fellow aviators – of the 400-plus men he could have met
while flying with 207 Squadron, half were dead within a year of his final
mission. Bomber Command’s <a name="_Int_WJ9kEVlP">low</a> attrition – 3 percent
– equated to certain death for aircrew within 34 missions.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Mere months after arriving at his bomber squadron, Alfred
failed to return from a mission. His death was the fourth tragedy to strike the
Parkyn’s in 20 years<a name="_Int_LYnelfG1">. </a>After the war’s end, those
surviving family members worried about work and the future. They moved apart to
the corners of the United States leaving Alfred’s fading story behind them.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Alfred’s sisters never got over their sense of loss. Years
later, the family children would remember his sisters, Gladys and Renee, speaking of
their beloved brother "Allie" still haunted by the vague nature of his fate –
missing, presumed dead, with no known grave. <o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTfpCXLuVATzynuG7Li344GX7Xg08kPZmaF9XsmEqsdir5CFKgqNVtC4plZyArP4G9ZGDUOUGwRDi8AbOkSFz2LMSoOJfAIvogrr-zlOz0rdA3-TWo48iCrpp9NiNwxsMPjelPriZCls97CKzckXJp_bDcbHH5WHm0yD7dSbTQbQ0_nNCry5drzvmSr8/s797/01a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="797" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTfpCXLuVATzynuG7Li344GX7Xg08kPZmaF9XsmEqsdir5CFKgqNVtC4plZyArP4G9ZGDUOUGwRDi8AbOkSFz2LMSoOJfAIvogrr-zlOz0rdA3-TWo48iCrpp9NiNwxsMPjelPriZCls97CKzckXJp_bDcbHH5WHm0yD7dSbTQbQ0_nNCry5drzvmSr8/s320/01a.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Palisades Park, NJ 07650, USA40.8481556 -73.997638999999992-16.103305681618266 -144.310139 90 -3.6851389999999924tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-13118499237841700962023-08-20T18:00:00.008-04:002023-08-22T18:08:40.760-04:00Remembering the crew of R5695-EMC and JAMES LOUIS GUICHARD<h2 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">BORN AUGUST 21, 1921</span></h2>DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY<div><br />DEARBORN, MICHIGAN, USA <br /><br /></div><div>38 YEARS OLD</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-iSopOTrBHKAwUTxkc7IRUq4dQcaXq6EgGilkYgH4SsOd82k2gzkDKerLuvzv3VzY55Od7Ju8DVn3P6b2JzyhAGBEX5WFIf1ZXlJy_TxRaXqtNUgVW1y2SzmK0zy_7nlGN1Cyu_dNLzdKjLE-5JX1zMP0i6C9G645nGHT9sssCABS-e8drcR0CB-OJ8/s699/01_Warrant%20Officer%20Class%20II%20James%20Louis%20Guichard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="485" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-iSopOTrBHKAwUTxkc7IRUq4dQcaXq6EgGilkYgH4SsOd82k2gzkDKerLuvzv3VzY55Od7Ju8DVn3P6b2JzyhAGBEX5WFIf1ZXlJy_TxRaXqtNUgVW1y2SzmK0zy_7nlGN1Cyu_dNLzdKjLE-5JX1zMP0i6C9G645nGHT9sssCABS-e8drcR0CB-OJ8/w286-h412/01_Warrant%20Officer%20Class%20II%20James%20Louis%20Guichard.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Tw Cen MT";">James L.
Guichard, born 21 August 1904 at Pinconning Bay, Michigan, was the oldest of
the R5695C crew. On his Royal Canadian Air Force attestation application, James
wrote his year of birth as 1909 making him five years younger than his real
age! The enlisting officer, thinking James was 31, noted the applicant was at
the edge of the cut off for age. James never let it be known he was really
thirty-six. He was the son of George Louis Guichard, a Presbyterian minister,
and Carolyn Mae Henderson. He had three older sisters, Melite, Maude, and Naomi
and one younger brother, Charles Edward. Before enlisting, James graduated from
Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania 1927-1931 with a major in
Philosophy. Returning home, he entered the insurance business working for Aetna
Life & Casualty in Detroit. His sports were basketball and (American)
football. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Tw Cen MT";">On his
Royal Canadian Air Force application, he wrote “Due to the fact the US is not
at war I wish that my making this application be kept confidential.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The USA threatened grave consequences for men
joining the Canadian forces. Despite this, James enlisted in the Royal Canadian
Air Force in Windsor, Ontario on 11 January 1941, joining 9,000 other Americans
who joined the RCAF. He was sent to Air Observers School where he achieved
“above average” reviews. In remarks, he was noted to have “very wide business
experience” and a “very well-paying position<a name="_Int_OJPWXo4y">.”</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The description continued “he’s a very
serious-minded person, <a name="_Int_fRFuIRXI">absolutely dependable</a>, very
anxious to get overseas. Frank, neat. <a name="_Int_w6t5meOO">A really
outstanding</a> man who is commission material.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Tw Cen MT";">James
indicated that his fiancée, Helene C. Stieler of Detroit, was the beneficiary
of his service estates.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Dearborn, MI, USA42.3222599 -83.1763144999999899.211073678816156 -118.33256449999999 75.433446121183835 -48.020064499999989tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-11854080182845712212023-04-24T02:30:00.002-04:002023-07-10T10:41:59.606-04:00Remembering the crew of R5695-EMC and JACK SLATER<p> <span style="font-size: large;">BORN APRIL 1921</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">HYDE, CHESHIRE, ENGLAND</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">21 YEARS OLD</span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz96azGQVK1PryJAmdsCuDrESOSsOtAqpD0eZl0sl_DLNO4x8lLGFOCn_-0oRLMGox95l2UNMqwIVJGzx6z483uHekv-JndNyx3CJ5iFqcPfBlR3acsSBh0VHcZztEOvgR9UvmMTZAhmP0yshrbPHtx4a4DFnDUZtwBkPhrHEbDITDyWaBydcbXRS/s179/Jack%20Slater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="145" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwz96azGQVK1PryJAmdsCuDrESOSsOtAqpD0eZl0sl_DLNO4x8lLGFOCn_-0oRLMGox95l2UNMqwIVJGzx6z483uHekv-JndNyx3CJ5iFqcPfBlR3acsSBh0VHcZztEOvgR9UvmMTZAhmP0yshrbPHtx4a4DFnDUZtwBkPhrHEbDITDyWaBydcbXRS/s1600/Jack%20Slater.jpg" width="145" /></a></p><p>Little information is known about Jack Slater. His parents were William Slater and Elizabeth Radcliffe. He had an older brother, Harry, and a sister, Joyce.</p><p>In a group service photo, Jack stands in the third row back and on the extreme right with his hands behind his back. He stands slightly apart from the other airmen. Jack Slater, an air gunner, perished young and without the opportunity to leave his mark on the world he helped save from Nazi terror. In his twenty-one years, Jack’s deeds and dedication to duty impacted the world in ways he would never have known.</p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></p><p>Jack, like so many other young men and woman without descendants and large families, may be overlooked in the annals of time and the genealogical records in paper archives. It is fitting that now, eighty years after his sacrifice, and in the years to come, Jack be remembered by the family of man and citizens of free nations for his extreme sacrifice.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EkKWKC6r4u5S3Znr36dwzRgLdE7_wdmkuhzDg-oHeAQHVeO44D-VY1g3cMg468Jhgcoq8BuIpNWtJL1UERR62CEeY5ayNSz_lgTKdvbbC2JU1xtu-nXXjUW5_aQFa7GP8z_zBqV1Fn4MG5Je7HVz7F2qCsO_rxudqfuiAzhDOgJpA1Dz9FMPleVU/s1600/PDavisS16020004.1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1075" data-original-width="1600" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3EkKWKC6r4u5S3Znr36dwzRgLdE7_wdmkuhzDg-oHeAQHVeO44D-VY1g3cMg468Jhgcoq8BuIpNWtJL1UERR62CEeY5ayNSz_lgTKdvbbC2JU1xtu-nXXjUW5_aQFa7GP8z_zBqV1Fn4MG5Je7HVz7F2qCsO_rxudqfuiAzhDOgJpA1Dz9FMPleVU/s320/PDavisS16020004.1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Hyde, UK53.452977 -2.08278625.142743163821152 -37.239036 81.763210836178843 33.073464tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-41668398232357343532023-04-17T02:01:00.013-04:002024-01-02T14:16:18.919-05:00Remembering the crew of R5695EM-C and WILLIAM JOHN VANDERVOORT<p> <span style="font-size: large;">BORN APRIL 17, 1916</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">26 YEARS OLD</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz14E7kJaCNBkkyFZHmOUUkjcJ6RD1lhrOaWrcpPIoU5YLlZAVz0fvmxi06qCCaKRMNcHUQrKG39ZgmA_m0nyndj7CJqqb3C5hoYFMamlnYtL1JJ-CjMe70JObnq7qOY3SKWJvu8s7NK86AnLFCXc6j0fKZCCwOsadAQqfFAnOqzpud-ptfx2g5Gda/s506/Bill_Vandervoot_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="429" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz14E7kJaCNBkkyFZHmOUUkjcJ6RD1lhrOaWrcpPIoU5YLlZAVz0fvmxi06qCCaKRMNcHUQrKG39ZgmA_m0nyndj7CJqqb3C5hoYFMamlnYtL1JJ-CjMe70JObnq7qOY3SKWJvu8s7NK86AnLFCXc6j0fKZCCwOsadAQqfFAnOqzpud-ptfx2g5Gda/s320/Bill_Vandervoot_03.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>William J. Vandervoort, was born on April 17, 1916, the youngest child of Emma and Ernest Vandervoort, in Vancouver, British Columbia. William and his siblings, Harold, Walter, and Margaret were raised at 2596 Cornwall Street, Vancouver where William attended nearby Kitsilano Secondary School from 1928 to 1934. He is memorialized in a plaque at the school. In 1935, after his secondary education, William was employed by Davidson & Company, where he was a floor trader on the Vancouver stock exchange. He played football with the Meralomas and the Knights of Columbus. On his application to the RCAF, he listed “Canadian Football, baseball, tennis, golf extensively – all others occasionally.” He also listed hunting, hiking, and skiing as his hobbies. In family photos, he appears handsome, athletic, and very fashionable.</p><p>William enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on August 2,1940 and was promoted to Flight Sargent on July 1st, 1942. Later that month he was assigned to Squadron 207. He wrote home after the October 17th, 1942 Le Creusot Raid when, as bomb aimer, he was positioned in the nose of the aircraft. His father retold his son’s encounter to the local newspaper:</p><p>“Van” Vandervoort of Vancouver Breweries tells a good one about his son. “Van” was a pretty nifty pheasant shooter in his day but apparently his son has him beaten. The boy was in the “nose of a kite” (Lancaster) going over France and suddenly he was stunned by something hitting him on the chest. “I thought sure I was dead. It turned out to be a pheasant. We were doing more than 200 miles an hour at the time. It was splattered all over my compartment, the biggest piece being a leg. Boy, such a mess!”</p><p>Among his possessions listed were “skating boots with skates,” a New Testament, a diary, 2 packs of playing cards, 1 silk tie, 1 watch with broken glass, 2 pullovers and 30 socks.</p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lAPhsjXr-b9ebloJC6C7nKW7schHvDc4ecbeTXofvl8a-ociy71CqbfDbD9B-LztVdoyD8z6Zun8A24IV4zAGDYP4gzBc02M2IFQepwXak9TwbqTnRygl33jR3peL294JEckYOtfUVK5BZ2S_TvsbZB8VR8rxs3KBGL7t0mm81Y2w0YdTzrcf3Ow/s2564/Gimped_Vandervoort.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2564" data-original-width="1636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2lAPhsjXr-b9ebloJC6C7nKW7schHvDc4ecbeTXofvl8a-ociy71CqbfDbD9B-LztVdoyD8z6Zun8A24IV4zAGDYP4gzBc02M2IFQepwXak9TwbqTnRygl33jR3peL294JEckYOtfUVK5BZ2S_TvsbZB8VR8rxs3KBGL7t0mm81Y2w0YdTzrcf3Ow/s320/Gimped_Vandervoort.JPG" width="204" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Vancouver, BC, Canada49.2827291 -123.120737520.972495263821152 -158.27698750000002 77.59296293617885 -87.9644875tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-73742080648663434262023-04-11T02:30:00.006-04:002023-07-10T10:38:18.606-04:00Remembering the crew of R5695EM-C and EUGENE EDWARD CHOUINIERE<p> <span style="font-size: large;">BORN APRIL 11, 1923</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">HALFMOON, SARATOGA COUNTY, NEW YORK and COHOES, ALBANY COUNTY, NEW YORK</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">19 YEARS OLD</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADrvyJY5joyuaueRAZSc7MLE_sDx8QNojgUbxGh-XsDzSwuTioFX4U760Cbnvi5P1a9P-YeUpTQBMl6JsUdosxWSYVmb1gyYAdahWClCGPtgApcUixhs35HxVPPX5MSfAebeSvZVYgAk3va9f3uNFFQDVb81laOdNSH3TT-9WaCN1wyXAZs5oK2i2/s2488/GIMPED_Uncle_Gene_Chouiniere.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2488" data-original-width="1376" height="362" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiADrvyJY5joyuaueRAZSc7MLE_sDx8QNojgUbxGh-XsDzSwuTioFX4U760Cbnvi5P1a9P-YeUpTQBMl6JsUdosxWSYVmb1gyYAdahWClCGPtgApcUixhs35HxVPPX5MSfAebeSvZVYgAk3va9f3uNFFQDVb81laOdNSH3TT-9WaCN1wyXAZs5oK2i2/w200-h362/GIMPED_Uncle_Gene_Chouiniere.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Eugene E. Chouiniere was from a large Franco-American family in upstate New York. Eugene’s parents, Alfred Chouiniere and Rose Bonneau, married in Cohoes, New York in February 1895 and farmed in rural Waterford where Eugene was born on April 11th, 1923. He was the youngest of 13 children. When his father died, Eugene was 5 years old and 15 when his mother died. His older siblings, especially his oldest sister Rose, took responsibility for his welfare. In 1940, Eugene was living on Lansing Lane in Cohoes with Rose, her husband, and their two daughters, Elizabeth and Lea. Lea always remembered spending time with the companion of her teen years who was also her uncle. They hunted in the fields and fished in streams all summer long.<p></p><p>When Eugene attempted to join the US armed forces the recruiter told him to first finish high school and then reapply. Greatly disappointed, Eugene waited until a few days after his 18th birthday and “jumped on the train to Montreal” and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. The RCAF interviewer noted he was “rather young, immature and lacking in experience.” He was also “sincere, willing and determined to fly and fight” and “should improve with training.”</p><p>After his training in Canada and before he was sent to England, Eugene took leave to visit his siblings back in upstate New York. Handsome in his RCAF uniform, Eugene was showered with his family’s attention - many photographs were taken. This would be the last time the Chouiniere family saw their little brother. In England, after more training, Eugene became an air gunner flying missions in RAF Squadron 207 based at the Langar Airfield near Nottingham, England. After the July 31st, 1942, raid on Düsseldorf, Germany, Eugene was interviewed by several war correspondents. The story was published in The San Francisco Examiner on August 2nd with the headline “DÜSSELDORF RAID THRILLS U.S. FLYER”. Eugene was quoted: “It was one of the best shows I have ever seen. When we left there was one tremendous fire keeping high and visible from the Dutch coast.” Another correspondent described Eugene as “freckle-faced with steel- rimmed glasses and a mild manner.” He was really a small-town boy who took to the mission with dedication and purpose. Eugene completed 13 missions in 1942 while in the RAF Bomber Command.</p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Halfmoon, NY, USA42.8690107 -73.724248617.10334771029941 -108.8804986 68.634673689700577 -38.567998599999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-49250174867297548862023-03-25T19:00:00.008-04:002024-01-02T19:14:29.008-05:00 Remembering the Crew of Lancaster R5695EM-C and WINDSOR FRANCIS RICHARD WEBB<p><span style="font-size: medium;">BORN MARCH 26, 1924</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">PETERBOROUGH, CAMBRIDGESHIRE, ENGLAND</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">18 YEARS OLD</span></p><p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavyIFzD3mKc3eN-NN_r0_2RiHQgOo8ckwY4pW8fZ7p9RGTOrHV2oudNFPDLwlc1vO_g6KJV7OwVQqFKQy68iI7TnbxLK6VBR987IKpvHy2Ntka2fMQyOlg3hZIj5axKKggloY9IkRFRuCICUKv5fIeMEWbQTjWrE9tGgWsn532WgueT1QmkEa3VQ-/s3654/Windsor%20Webb_RAFlightened.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3654" data-original-width="2336" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavyIFzD3mKc3eN-NN_r0_2RiHQgOo8ckwY4pW8fZ7p9RGTOrHV2oudNFPDLwlc1vO_g6KJV7OwVQqFKQy68iI7TnbxLK6VBR987IKpvHy2Ntka2fMQyOlg3hZIj5axKKggloY9IkRFRuCICUKv5fIeMEWbQTjWrE9tGgWsn532WgueT1QmkEa3VQ-/w256-h400/Windsor%20Webb_RAFlightened.jpg" width="256" /></a></p><p>Windsor was born in Peterborough on 26<sup>th</sup> of March
1924, the son of Leslie William Webb and Florence Lily neé Harrison, who married in 1921 in Peterborough. The
Webb family had a long tradition of working on the railways, his grandfather
being a station master in Cambridgeshire and his uncle, Cecil Francis Webb born
1899, a goods clerk. However, his father, born 1898, initially went into
banking and later became involved in the management of his wife’s family
advertising business. Based on family photos and the private schooling provided
for Windsor, the family appears to have been <a name="_Int_KtqrLOaG">well</a>
off for the 1930s and 1940s. His father served as a Special Constable in the
police force during WWI, which may well have influenced Windsor’s choice of
career in joining the Berkshire police force on leaving school. Any significant
military connection came from his uncle, Cecil Francis Webb, who joined the
Norfolk Regiment of the British army in 1914 when he was underage and served on
the western front for the entire conflict. After WW1, in 1920, he joined the
Black & Tans and fought in the Irish war of independence. He refused to
discuss any details of either conflict for the rest of his life. In WW2 Cecil was
too old to serve in the army and served as a Special Constable in the police
force.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Windsor was educated privately by Katherine and Constance
Back at their school in Lincoln Road, Peterborough before being admitted to The
King’s School in 1933. At King’s, Windsor was in the Lion Patrol of the Scouts.
On Speech Day in 1936 he received a School prize for Manual Work and Drawing.
He left King’s in March 1937. After continuing his education at Stamford
School, he joined the Berkshire Constabulary. At that time, the minimum age for
admittance as a Police officer was nineteen. Windsor was younger and <a name="_Int_iZCv46cH">probably worked</a> as a civilian clerk.</p><p class="MsoNormal">There are memorials to Windsor at The King’s School,
Stamford <a name="_Int_uvRd45rV">School,</a> and Berkshire Constabulary, as
well as at Peterborough Cathedral.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Windsor’s cousin, Norman William Webb (born 1929), recalls
the occasional visit to see Windsor and remembers that Windsor played the drums
and had a drum kit in his bedroom. Norman was too young to serve in WW2 but did
his National Service for 2 years as an RAF flight mechanic, commencing in 1947,
initially working on Rolls Royce merlin engines that powered the Lancasters and
Spitfires and later early jet engines.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Norman recalls the immense grief and sadness in the family
at Windsor’s unexplained loss. Looking for some form of closure, the family
discussed a theory that perhaps the Lancaster had been damaged and shot down by
friendly fire when returning home, mistaken for a German bomber.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Windsor’s younger sister, Pamela, born in 1931, married
William Pugh in 1951 and they had 3 children<a name="_Int_QeawTc7H">. </a>Windsor
had 2 aunts - Aunt Florence Nellie on the paternal side and Aunt Dorothy
Harrison on his maternal.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Windsor joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in
February 1942, service number 1320645 and trained as an air gunner. He was
assigned to 207 Squadron in August 1942.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-12527958574374700452023-03-21T02:00:00.009-04:002023-07-10T10:43:18.915-04:00 Remembering the Crew of Lancaster R5695EM-C and JOHN JAMES GALLIMORE<p><span style="font-size: large;">BORN MARCH 21, 1916</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">DENTON, MANCHESTER, LANCASHIRE, ENGLAND</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">26 YEARS OLD</span></p><p>John James Gallimore, “Jack,” was born on 21 March 1916 in Seymour
Street, Denton, Manchester, Lancashire, England to John Henry
Gallimore and Alice Walker. He was the oldest of 6 children. His only
brother, Albert Edward (Ted), also served in WW2. He was always
remembered by his four sisters, Elsie, Beatrice, Marian, and Enid. All
the Gallimore children attended Denton Central school and the
children were good scholars. They attended Christ Church in Denton
where Jack joined the Boy Scouts.
After Jack was lost, Beatrice Gallimore spent many hours passing
memories of “Uncle Jack” to her children often recalling the special
sense of humour he used with his sisters. Beatrice remembered an
occasion during rationing when each person was only allowed 2
ounces of butter each week. Jack, beloved brother, keenly wanted a
crumpet with butter filling the spongy holes. His loving family gave in
with a wink and a smile. Everyone in the family gave up their share for
Jack to fill the crumpet craters!
When the war started Jack decided he wanted to join the RAF. He
enrolled and was based in Lincolnshire where he met and married
Dora Farmer in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire on Valentine’s Day
1942. Jack’s family remembered that when she learned she had lost
Jack, Dora was grief stricken and heartbroken. When she finally
remarried more than ten years later, she brought her fiancé to meet
Jack’s parents to get their permission. Jack was the only crew member
known to have married.
The last time Jack was home on leave, Beatrice remembered she
wanted to give him ‘half a crown,” her usual gift whenever Jack visited
home and returned to the airbase. Beatrice had saved her money and
was prepared to give it to Jack when he was ready to leave but one of
her older sisters quickly asked her if she had half a crown. Beatrice
told her she did, but it was for Jack. The sister convinced the younger
Beatrice that she needed the money so Beatrice gave it over to her
sister who promptly gave it to Jack. Poor Beatrice was upset, especially
because it was the last time she ever saw her brother.
7
When Jack and the crew were reported missing, Jack’s family – just
like all other families - spent endless hours writing to various
government departments to learn what had happened to their son,
their brother, and their husband with no resolution. Even after Jack’s
mother died, the family carried on searching.
Jack was christened and confirmed into the Church of England. He
made a promise to his mother that wherever he was on Easter Sunday
& Christmas Day, he would take communion honoring her wishes.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGQJIN2u5gDBTgZIRsv3IV25CkRwX22-ZdQtMZ2SG4ydnsYdwuz78Fs4ZdCxwo96USgYLoTvsE-Ro0RPDmNR0lmcZW7mgPH0d98xTQ2I6zB2jKfP1t-oSbK_Y6y1XgmddOTwUvNnKgYx2DNpYxIeytKAO2Q2I3oc9Qe0FO5GKIG2Ar_uxa6Wr8snP/s937/Jack_and_Dora.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="937" data-original-width="625" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGQJIN2u5gDBTgZIRsv3IV25CkRwX22-ZdQtMZ2SG4ydnsYdwuz78Fs4ZdCxwo96USgYLoTvsE-Ro0RPDmNR0lmcZW7mgPH0d98xTQ2I6zB2jKfP1t-oSbK_Y6y1XgmddOTwUvNnKgYx2DNpYxIeytKAO2Q2I3oc9Qe0FO5GKIG2Ar_uxa6Wr8snP/w254-h381/Jack_and_Dora.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">James Gallimore and his bride, Dora Farmer</span></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Denton, UK53.455203 -2.11461325.144969163821152 -37.270863 81.76543683617885 33.041637tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-16259592180643094552023-02-15T21:09:00.006-05:002023-07-10T10:43:49.274-04:00 Remembering the Crew of Lancaster R5695EM-C and JAMES MCGREGOR ALLAN
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: large;">BORN FEBRUARY 16, 1918</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">DIED NOVEMBER 22, 1942 ON A BOMBING MISSION TO GERMANY</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">MIMICO, ONTARIO, CANADA</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: medium;">24 YEARS OLD</span></p><p class="MsoNormal">James McGregor Allan, a British citizen, was born in
Aberdeen, Scotland and emigrated to Canada with his father and mother in 1922
when he was 4 years old. They settled in Mimico, a neighborhood in the
southwest of Toronto, where James attended public schools. Two sisters were
born in Ontario, Gertrude, and Gail. In 1934 after two years of high school,
James was employed at Campbell’s Soups “working on filling machines”. He left
for a better job as a warehouse worker at Roofers Supply Company from
1939-1940. His hobby was building model planes and his best sports were hockey
and swimming although he occasionally boxed, played lacrosse and baseball<a name="_Int_JWnnkmEA">. </a>He was a reserve Royal Canadian Engineer.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His Royal Canadian Air Force interviewer described him as
“Splendid type of chap but lacks education. He is willing to work hard, very
keen and alert, good appearance, determined to make the grade and should
develop under training into good gunner material.” He was also “confident,
mature, and pleasant.” After completing Air Training, it was remarked James was
“Neat and mannerly, seems quite levelheaded. Has worked hard on course.” He received
his air gunner badge on December 6<sup>th</sup>, 1941. James overcame his lack
of formal education and made his way to Squadron 207.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The loss of their only son was hard on the Allan family.
James’ father died less than two years after his son.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9mjsl5Gz4pt6-AdPTiRi9MzA-j0m6zSAw1OW0gDG_6-SqfMwKHEfkUXYbBWp9_IpwkpVHeLxVoWciDsMV6ECnVHq4NtK4LnOBPhf5OlELH9uZhcqrb2eZNQtbob4xXSvZAE_8wOr6tHqnP6y5mlH7Y9j5XQn_clgxQ2mQzaWrNnAkQxuVM_KgKzj/s1932/001_JamesMcGregorAllan.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="1180" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9mjsl5Gz4pt6-AdPTiRi9MzA-j0m6zSAw1OW0gDG_6-SqfMwKHEfkUXYbBWp9_IpwkpVHeLxVoWciDsMV6ECnVHq4NtK4LnOBPhf5OlELH9uZhcqrb2eZNQtbob4xXSvZAE_8wOr6tHqnP6y5mlH7Y9j5XQn_clgxQ2mQzaWrNnAkQxuVM_KgKzj/w220-h361/001_JamesMcGregorAllan.JPG" width="220" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKYWKKAA0-URp4KFKArKdC2NEUHmFiLC4jhpKMtfsVDXCCgYimZYVo5bXVku5lLXx4OiLsuQ_dB0jVIlFVeJAKBCugr7-kghADrKzZQnIiNKj7cFmJcfnz3qT8QprLGprI1m9L9IwXM8dnFYxTEyUDUJf2vWizr2EsLUeY_wc4XjfBQ1qlv7QGrGr/s3284/4YearsOldArrivesCanada.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3284" data-original-width="2406" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTKYWKKAA0-URp4KFKArKdC2NEUHmFiLC4jhpKMtfsVDXCCgYimZYVo5bXVku5lLXx4OiLsuQ_dB0jVIlFVeJAKBCugr7-kghADrKzZQnIiNKj7cFmJcfnz3qT8QprLGprI1m9L9IwXM8dnFYxTEyUDUJf2vWizr2EsLUeY_wc4XjfBQ1qlv7QGrGr/s320/4YearsOldArrivesCanada.jpg" width="234" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Declaration of Passenger to Canada</div><div style="text-align: center;">James, 4 years old, accompanies his parents to Toronto.</div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p>
<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-language: BN-BD; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Tw Cen MT"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br clear="all" style="break-before: page; mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Tw Cen MT";"><o:p> Other stories in this blog about Lancaster R5695EM-C:</o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-memorial-service-marking-80th.html" target="_blank">Memorial Service - 80 Years Later</a></p><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2022/12/promise-to-lea.html" target="_blank">Promise to Lea</a><br /><p></p><div><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2022/09/a-memorial-service-is-coming-together.html" target="_blank">Planning a Memorial Service</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2021/11/eugene-edmond-chouiniere-1923-1942-in.html" target="_blank">Eugene E Chouiniere</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2021/11/eugene-edmond-chouiniere-1923-1942-in.html" target="_blank">Remembering Lancaster R5695EM-C</a><br /></div>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Mimico-Queensway, Toronto, ON, Canada43.618327699999988 -79.511119915.308093863821142 -114.6673699 71.928561536178833 -44.3548699tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-82958009711783434122022-12-16T15:38:00.001-05:002023-07-10T10:44:35.229-04:00The Memorial Service marking the 80th Anniversary of the Loss of R5695EM-C at Langar Airfield, Nottingham<p>Standing on the airstrip at Langar Airfield on a bright afternoon was culmination of a twelve year quest that began when I met <a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2022/12/promise-to-lea.html" target="_blank">Lea.</a> Since that meeting and especially in the past 2 years, Vandervoort, Parkyn, Chouiniere, Allan, Webb, Gallimore, Slater and Guichard family members, came together through snail mail letters, emails, a Facebook group, and blog posts to share stories and photos of the crew.</p><p>Then during the week of November 20th, we came together in person for the first time to remember the crew. Several American and English family members scheduled a 3 day tour with <a href="https://classicbattlefieldtours.com/" target="_blank">Classic Battlefield Tours</a> to immerse ourselves in the history of RAF Bomber Command and Lancaster aircrafts. We visited Runnymede Air Force Memorial, the International Bomber Command Centre and Memorial in Lincoln. We stayed at <a href="https://www.petwood.co.uk/" target="_blank">The Petwood Hotel</a> where RAF Dambusters located their operations center in WW2.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4dJlv9LiDGk73qj3zaUMx7QRDJYD-2UPG11YiY_9YFqUHb5B3AdJV7KSzLeBa5GnEl34HkpacmqteYXxduFm1N4cSm-c8Tuj3sMZu5tZTlDqd5PgkV2DwmWKOO4LRoeTXvSRCSj96LrcTm5yuHcpgB1MTUL0oRcgA72txxrSgKA6Cuv9pEVAUztc/s686/cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="686" data-original-width="477" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4dJlv9LiDGk73qj3zaUMx7QRDJYD-2UPG11YiY_9YFqUHb5B3AdJV7KSzLeBa5GnEl34HkpacmqteYXxduFm1N4cSm-c8Tuj3sMZu5tZTlDqd5PgkV2DwmWKOO4LRoeTXvSRCSj96LrcTm5yuHcpgB1MTUL0oRcgA72txxrSgKA6Cuv9pEVAUztc/s320/cover.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><p>The location, the history, the aircraft and story sharing were all memorable and brought us the focus for the memorial on November 25th. The service had many parts...</p><p>The indoor service in the control tower included a presentation of the Langar Airfield's history by Nigel Wood, a poem written and recited by Bill Webb that captured our thoughts and hearts, Psalm 23 reading, an address by Rev. Jonathan Stewart of 207 Squadron, and an recitation of Oration by Pericles:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>"But each one, man by man, has won imperishable praise, each has gained a glorious grave - not that sepulchre of each wherein they lie, but the living tomb of everlasting remembrance wherein their glory is enshrined, remembrance that will live on the lips, that will blossom in the deeds of their countryman the world over. For the whole world is the sepulchre of heroes; monuments may rise and tablets be set up to them in their own land, but on far -off shores there is an abiding memorial that no pen, no chisel has traced; it is graven not in stone or brass, but on the living hearts of humanity. Take these men for your example. Like them, remember that prosperity can only be for the free, that freedom is the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it." </i> </p></blockquote><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRgW6-J-S5uaK99Vj0skooG_fkNKtzSXfwG5NUwoCGBqkGOeAfGoRznYquB7za6-SWk8C8uRrUqRJ5-bpKx33Z98WYBXn0PT4xwCGJtHXiBv8dk1UMQlFW__fUzpdylFkm0hZcvxZ_UBuRgnUvTBGCq26j0FaOwoGr9CQQjDCjaRv7_WU2n7NocAQ/s3102/2022-11-25%2010.17.03-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3102" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSRgW6-J-S5uaK99Vj0skooG_fkNKtzSXfwG5NUwoCGBqkGOeAfGoRznYquB7za6-SWk8C8uRrUqRJ5-bpKx33Z98WYBXn0PT4xwCGJtHXiBv8dk1UMQlFW__fUzpdylFkm0hZcvxZ_UBuRgnUvTBGCq26j0FaOwoGr9CQQjDCjaRv7_WU2n7NocAQ/s320/2022-11-25%2010.17.03-1.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Noted at the International Bomber Command Centre</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Then we proceeded to walk to the Squadron 207 memorial along the rim of the airfield and where we lovingly laid wreaths and poppy sticks to our crew.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfMhZ-TpSi21Y7317Um-pJLyjURVMqr6_uEZYqdt3Z7pXtLTu9p9Pxd13Hv0ftZz1TfYvzjmkhPmwYLuoAMCf22FURdRTfxQ5SN0cWM4Eg4I0UrkjVfhLO1FLwKIVkNUdMe3KAwRMzH9StS2_FUNCBF0XNgIBqkRI-YewrQzs3pCMrdt9YDPwx7Nj/s4032/2022-11-25%2015.34.28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfMhZ-TpSi21Y7317Um-pJLyjURVMqr6_uEZYqdt3Z7pXtLTu9p9Pxd13Hv0ftZz1TfYvzjmkhPmwYLuoAMCf22FURdRTfxQ5SN0cWM4Eg4I0UrkjVfhLO1FLwKIVkNUdMe3KAwRMzH9StS2_FUNCBF0XNgIBqkRI-YewrQzs3pCMrdt9YDPwx7Nj/s320/2022-11-25%2015.34.28.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCMu1zI5kvwyTQBCeUc-c3XM3548pBNpfMVPgM_4a70oCVRmhEXyJ-VWGfZg5yNsx8_Mi-g1m368xs_plqR87ggqa6_PujzaahXMm8qW9_2pc7hCJ_G90VQyvKiywNNTCOQU3aFoXj2OMHnB2CdlQrZxxHpr9k2m0NHfRYen1tKakeYJuPyi-S13u/s4032/2022-11-25%2015.41.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvCMu1zI5kvwyTQBCeUc-c3XM3548pBNpfMVPgM_4a70oCVRmhEXyJ-VWGfZg5yNsx8_Mi-g1m368xs_plqR87ggqa6_PujzaahXMm8qW9_2pc7hCJ_G90VQyvKiywNNTCOQU3aFoXj2OMHnB2CdlQrZxxHpr9k2m0NHfRYen1tKakeYJuPyi-S13u/s320/2022-11-25%2015.41.59.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSxlYfq33Y4hE_ffif0ItrfBQbIA-OJp9NjNPme0LhU6PXVCHDTPXYJrr-CMubiaoSUrIb7UDsAJEXNnLgalsgTmVBqlc-kzr2IsgleMGaHtS8BWcO8oRFkWrlOGQIgCdDmaOK1zs3dVyWeHLfWa238j25zaNag-evqMFJunoB_KYpAOZIH294BSU/s4032/2022-11-25%2015.50.52.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikSxlYfq33Y4hE_ffif0ItrfBQbIA-OJp9NjNPme0LhU6PXVCHDTPXYJrr-CMubiaoSUrIb7UDsAJEXNnLgalsgTmVBqlc-kzr2IsgleMGaHtS8BWcO8oRFkWrlOGQIgCdDmaOK1zs3dVyWeHLfWa238j25zaNag-evqMFJunoB_KYpAOZIH294BSU/s320/2022-11-25%2015.50.52.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0eztezEY-NV5SIfynOQa4GnMIAtYa6TeyKT-cMo6ksNO3WYDfiAYc_FHtukzVOcGYujvNhvjANT5tYTKbQ1RJy6U02zN4sgVzXUQhcqUMvFt8iEjjyV5Gc8hwdmnppP6P2-dPspirMEgkCJVp4WAOpcidTyfQcamDfckSAvHpIHNB3bOqRui-Ncy/s4032/2022-11-25%2015.50.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0eztezEY-NV5SIfynOQa4GnMIAtYa6TeyKT-cMo6ksNO3WYDfiAYc_FHtukzVOcGYujvNhvjANT5tYTKbQ1RJy6U02zN4sgVzXUQhcqUMvFt8iEjjyV5Gc8hwdmnppP6P2-dPspirMEgkCJVp4WAOpcidTyfQcamDfckSAvHpIHNB3bOqRui-Ncy/s320/2022-11-25%2015.50.58.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>After returning to the main building, Rev. Stewart presented each of the families with the bomber clasp.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ2wtaNsCyC654zC2-XNiH8HfYPogL14iiHpplY9XWprNFdwwclq3k8ayDMZYMaUYuSVYkWQ_8zlWsDmEcQDN4yUch9_bgRTaw6gjibLeqJRkuBHRymGHjGLcmHR5pJl4SfZp5o4H-6NXJdcqT0K-ney-y24diFDbWGMGM9hEHby8G6_0Yi-eH4uM/s715/317611384_629555418966713_2469562784890995366_n%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="715" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPJ2wtaNsCyC654zC2-XNiH8HfYPogL14iiHpplY9XWprNFdwwclq3k8ayDMZYMaUYuSVYkWQ_8zlWsDmEcQDN4yUch9_bgRTaw6gjibLeqJRkuBHRymGHjGLcmHR5pJl4SfZp5o4H-6NXJdcqT0K-ney-y24diFDbWGMGM9hEHby8G6_0Yi-eH4uM/s320/317611384_629555418966713_2469562784890995366_n%201.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Five Avro Lancasters and crews took off from Langar Airfield 80 years ago. Three returned in the evening, two did not. 'C' for Charlie and its crew was 'lost without a trace' but on this day, we found them - Al, Jack, Jim, John, Windsor, Eugene, James and William and held them in our hearts.</p><p>It was twilight by then. </p><p>Ali Webb and Kare Khoo from Webb Street Studios generously filmed and edited the memorial service at Langar. Their <a href="https://vimeo.com/777868305/45803f8b14" target="_blank">video is on Vimeo here</a>.</p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Langar, Nottingham NG13, UK52.8960144 -0.9137924000000000624.585780563821153 -36.0700424 81.206248236178851 34.2424576tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-73564680287812326852022-12-09T15:55:00.008-05:002024-01-02T19:15:12.789-05:00Promise to Lea<p>It was just a macadam runway. It was a gray foreground with a big clear blue sky and it stretched into the distant fields of Nottinghamshire. It wasn't in the best of shape but still serviceable for Skydive Langar and its parachuting enthusiasts. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFM-vtfkuggeM-eo21o7AWVkKROS_d4tA1QmZOnA_vXdAlYgqZgWiYwWx_5FIMVwsuniXPf4JrjYtYeZcE2Pzo4SZyZjqJGFjMZJFYGU-Qte1-1r35ayNzfltGYtlRFZgWpaqe9_N3gOkcIbZA3OBVOiQWmZukX3JsW_DhzcIT__CQ8MCssOdib3Z/s4016/PXL_20221125_141049107.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2541" data-original-width="4016" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQFM-vtfkuggeM-eo21o7AWVkKROS_d4tA1QmZOnA_vXdAlYgqZgWiYwWx_5FIMVwsuniXPf4JrjYtYeZcE2Pzo4SZyZjqJGFjMZJFYGU-Qte1-1r35ayNzfltGYtlRFZgWpaqe9_N3gOkcIbZA3OBVOiQWmZukX3JsW_DhzcIT__CQ8MCssOdib3Z/s320/PXL_20221125_141049107.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This wasn't just any airfield. It was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Langar" target="_blank">Langar</a> and eighty years ago, it serviced RAF Squadron 207 on its missions to bomb Germany and Nazi occupied territories. </p><p>So on November 25th, 2022, I stood on that runway. It was exactly eighty years to the hour and place where R5695EM-C took to the sky, never to return. The eight crew members were lost without a trace and their graves unknown. </p><p>I was keeping a promise to Lea.</p><p>In 2010, more than 12 years ago, I was given a mission by Lea Langlais who was residing in a Latham nursing home (in upstate New York) and who I was distantly related to. Lea didn't want to speak to me about the topic I was seeking to hear about - growing up in Cohoes, New York speaking Quebecois French at home. Instead, Lea spoke to me about her Uncle Eugene and how her family never learned what happened to him when he was on his last mission to bomb Haselunne, Germany. She told me I needed to find out what happened to him and the crew. She showed me <a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2011/04/eugene-edward-chouiniere-1923-1942-and.html" target="_blank">photos</a>. She didn't have much time left. I was working a full time job in a Bronx medical practice with little extra time for research. Yet... Lea was adamant.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac1HOYyfSCPyTjajU7ke8njBHDypluT-5NmDhcoxOVcX7R0wCvOVyaPm9kX8hpj6Of35rDPmwqs7UgueE-cTcuj41lNyUTw0Hm4dlhNxMUGiKzUQNe6h49B9PV4U3w9rcxsm8GlGJMMvh-OGaq6XdTsJVMKUriNGXGVHCZNlyrSMlNt-h0jwtpCTL/s3008/LeaLanglois.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3008" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgac1HOYyfSCPyTjajU7ke8njBHDypluT-5NmDhcoxOVcX7R0wCvOVyaPm9kX8hpj6Of35rDPmwqs7UgueE-cTcuj41lNyUTw0Hm4dlhNxMUGiKzUQNe6h49B9PV4U3w9rcxsm8GlGJMMvh-OGaq6XdTsJVMKUriNGXGVHCZNlyrSMlNt-h0jwtpCTL/s320/LeaLanglois.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lea in 2010 - She would be 100 years old in September 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Unfortunately, Lea is no longer among us. I cannot tell Lea, how, after visiting her, I blogged about <b><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2021/11/eugene-edmond-chouiniere-1923-1942-in.html" target="_blank">Eugene Chouiniere</a></b> and the crew, how I posted her photos of the crew, how a retired USMC pilot related to the pilot contacted me after reading my blog in 2012. I cannot tell her how, during the height of the CoVID lockdown, an independent historian in England emailed me after finding my blog to tell me they had information that might lead to the whereabouts of the aircraft. I cannot explain to Lea how it all led to a chain of events and to a memorial at Langar Air Field.</p><p>'Sorry, Lea. I wished all the pieces of the puzzle came together before you passed in 2012'.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc7tVMZ2IdSOBO7I7VuxkzONjb0OgDavfY3acIkWWXj0NPciYawIPec6Ab5fBQNSY_-krZEZQOqAWbT7Opcj7LGbmp5G08WUmSsldWMqDGgecUExRx1-8UiCaqlkCdEbLR3YCYOthYtMfguJdUq8BTiJCnFZWVEIgRpudwOTnzLYTIBOdNKycj8a8/s2938/2022-12-07%2013.55.19.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2572" data-original-width="2938" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc7tVMZ2IdSOBO7I7VuxkzONjb0OgDavfY3acIkWWXj0NPciYawIPec6Ab5fBQNSY_-krZEZQOqAWbT7Opcj7LGbmp5G08WUmSsldWMqDGgecUExRx1-8UiCaqlkCdEbLR3YCYOthYtMfguJdUq8BTiJCnFZWVEIgRpudwOTnzLYTIBOdNKycj8a8/w195-h171/2022-12-07%2013.55.19.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lea's headstone in St. Joseph's French Canadian Cemetery, <br />Waterford, NY</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Had Lea lived, I could tell her what I now know. I would tell her Eugene Edward Chouiniere, rests with his comrades on the bottom of the North Sea off Bergen ann Zee, Netherlands. I could tell Lea that Eugene was the mid upper air gunner and the aircraft and crew was incapacitated by the Luftwaffe in an air fight near the coastline. All eight crew members were never recovered. Even today, they rest in their watery metal tomb in the North Sea.<div><br /></div><div>I could tell Lea how her uncle is remembered at the Air Force Memorial at Runnymede and at the Air Bomber Command Center in Lincoln.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tVahVk1TjN4JSoQgEGiieATSOavhp9ushpJA0ziEslfXoLvE6Vfc4-c5iVTGAFfCrX1dj0LAyS0yBkgAQ9OWMIAqHIULUOhmgO2ETOLHbwc2VB4Vxxa97-OSMMBU0Obk134GwZVlE1BMFu5G_jAAGbUQ63My54GvvbEplS5vp230Ke7ykK4HIYcg/s4032/PXL_20221123_152148523.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tVahVk1TjN4JSoQgEGiieATSOavhp9ushpJA0ziEslfXoLvE6Vfc4-c5iVTGAFfCrX1dj0LAyS0yBkgAQ9OWMIAqHIULUOhmgO2ETOLHbwc2VB4Vxxa97-OSMMBU0Obk134GwZVlE1BMFu5G_jAAGbUQ63My54GvvbEplS5vp230Ke7ykK4HIYcg/s320/PXL_20221123_152148523.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Entrance to the Air Force Memorial, Runnymede</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJCiQZwlX7QZkm4Fw2NiC3KfPygLqfS4xyB8Phsi3kvNFszlhFL3SvS4NhscPhqfeHgefAGsPXS0_TbwLQa9dnug5EObFBKCFNWBPlkLiXIaZ-VGL6L5sYAotVzaxTNi_EhL_flMveAknO3rO4xTZAgVO1PMcAmUxBRzlS3XBgEPI1ViZ0ffryzmI/s4032/PXL_20221123_142950157.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJCiQZwlX7QZkm4Fw2NiC3KfPygLqfS4xyB8Phsi3kvNFszlhFL3SvS4NhscPhqfeHgefAGsPXS0_TbwLQa9dnug5EObFBKCFNWBPlkLiXIaZ-VGL6L5sYAotVzaxTNi_EhL_flMveAknO3rO4xTZAgVO1PMcAmUxBRzlS3XBgEPI1ViZ0ffryzmI/s320/PXL_20221123_142950157.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the entrance to the memorial</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXeTuBOBKSrAKxAiLQiLLDzySX3tljJt8EI0XFdvIoHD6cJpDtlvOJynFbnl5e7QiQQ4M1Sig-rIwMqGLrwBcKk1n9p8XQjag8EGom71z54RJiVYKc9P_rCZUaYw8qMQFhj21kdCuh6PrNUYENu9d553WzOLV3oELH6RpQqN5gAMBS2XqvDfg_d4p/s4032/PXL_20221123_143938018.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXeTuBOBKSrAKxAiLQiLLDzySX3tljJt8EI0XFdvIoHD6cJpDtlvOJynFbnl5e7QiQQ4M1Sig-rIwMqGLrwBcKk1n9p8XQjag8EGom71z54RJiVYKc9P_rCZUaYw8qMQFhj21kdCuh6PrNUYENu9d553WzOLV3oELH6RpQqN5gAMBS2XqvDfg_d4p/s320/PXL_20221123_143938018.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the center of the Air Force Memorial<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVH-WCEGr4zZylHBkZXpLZLjxMKUwdJ8GNfpOhbHoC7XR6dNMkdVdFstgWUubksjc1wriGWJfR3QFYIHqqALDei92xdFjUZ0D0oecdciyrGJqaeAnRfsbp-Dd0PpsoLMzhE95dZMvP8305Rg-t-izz0iM86l9oNkGAkWe7eoE8MOlN3mco0E7-RRd/s4032/PXL_20221123_143759056.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhVH-WCEGr4zZylHBkZXpLZLjxMKUwdJ8GNfpOhbHoC7XR6dNMkdVdFstgWUubksjc1wriGWJfR3QFYIHqqALDei92xdFjUZ0D0oecdciyrGJqaeAnRfsbp-Dd0PpsoLMzhE95dZMvP8305Rg-t-izz0iM86l9oNkGAkWe7eoE8MOlN3mco0E7-RRd/s320/PXL_20221123_143759056.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">E E Chouiniere is the 17th name from top</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />And at the<a href="https://internationalbcc.co.uk/" target="_blank"> International Bomber Command Centre..</a>.<div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqN2Xcssl9JRyU72IhWKMAfKnWDP6xHS6Ow4lkRUm0bvGatrnrWVBftd-bO2n6-I8pSxGb1at_bxwU6qjWLjU2ebPn61DULKlaS6xH3C-EJojtOdTo3Lw1NTYovZqI8vOoF1kuH1fqBg_jm9B8UQ9tDto8YlA6b60RELa5iBeKKql1ngJ1pR3NImZ/s4032/PXL_20221125_103643743.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFqN2Xcssl9JRyU72IhWKMAfKnWDP6xHS6Ow4lkRUm0bvGatrnrWVBftd-bO2n6-I8pSxGb1at_bxwU6qjWLjU2ebPn61DULKlaS6xH3C-EJojtOdTo3Lw1NTYovZqI8vOoF1kuH1fqBg_jm9B8UQ9tDto8YlA6b60RELa5iBeKKql1ngJ1pR3NImZ/s320/PXL_20221125_103643743.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Memorial Sculpture</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6OlxYXOWCpRM90ICrCfozx8MmSuA0aIvRLZsb9IEZIcb4Mxm-cCdrGOvG1VkXZ3IgBSe7mQ2Ebap6Y_EH6x5c3kax_xTq2lW8LiADlgtlsYtOp4Wsc9hqqnyR2SknIRtx6bUSuhulZIO76XwDVTJaQxWb1YJKPClWEoaOpVNe9vs2d1PeDXrytMg/s4032/PXL_20221125_104828512.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu6OlxYXOWCpRM90ICrCfozx8MmSuA0aIvRLZsb9IEZIcb4Mxm-cCdrGOvG1VkXZ3IgBSe7mQ2Ebap6Y_EH6x5c3kax_xTq2lW8LiADlgtlsYtOp4Wsc9hqqnyR2SknIRtx6bUSuhulZIO76XwDVTJaQxWb1YJKPClWEoaOpVNe9vs2d1PeDXrytMg/s320/PXL_20221125_104828512.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lincoln Cathedral - a landmark for the aviators</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBl-cM6t_MiG5BwQ8KgmLBlj8p0vWpEm7l8XEznApeknJ5f_8O8U65zs3ypgAmiSCOM7AvgtawYEn5o4LfpBfREswoao-it4JXa_zEc8s009uA1DJMLDqMrKVikSIkIYuCL_im-k-I4i1qIzmgk3SFQ9k0zZCQkqXX9vCqye612xzxVOxG3Tdlb6Y/s4032/PXL_20221125_110203589.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBl-cM6t_MiG5BwQ8KgmLBlj8p0vWpEm7l8XEznApeknJ5f_8O8U65zs3ypgAmiSCOM7AvgtawYEn5o4LfpBfREswoao-it4JXa_zEc8s009uA1DJMLDqMrKVikSIkIYuCL_im-k-I4i1qIzmgk3SFQ9k0zZCQkqXX9vCqye612xzxVOxG3Tdlb6Y/s320/PXL_20221125_110203589.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CHOUINIERE E E</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><p></p><p>And I could tell Lea more...</p><p>The week was an immersion on the aviation history of Air Bomber Command and WW2. We visited <a href="https://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/bbmf" target="_blank">Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Centre</a>, in Lincolnshire to understand the Lancaster aircraft and the duties of the crew. The Lancaster looked like an armored tank with wings but unfortunately it was not as impregnable. Each air gunner was cold and vulnerable. This airworthy Lancaster in the photo below was undergoing winter service.</p><p>Eugene, as the Lancaster's mid air gunner was positioned in the top bubble, suspended in a canvas swing..</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhlN5ZTyTcQ3O3zQrqqbE2dhSCLF2AhTZfP2_PoCNfVngTxbMjyRFnOG6p6SzgJlWk5YJoU7apHRBWa__wJv-E1sI15yICsRfKnm3j5svcTFzVSalB7aUVVu7QPNPZ5xI_Ag3PLQE4REznt_ruvfbBL-xhbfWy9TSm_6Bu8LFsrH39UGxjEqbRBUC/s4032/PXL_20221124_145934738.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhlN5ZTyTcQ3O3zQrqqbE2dhSCLF2AhTZfP2_PoCNfVngTxbMjyRFnOG6p6SzgJlWk5YJoU7apHRBWa__wJv-E1sI15yICsRfKnm3j5svcTFzVSalB7aUVVu7QPNPZ5xI_Ag3PLQE4REznt_ruvfbBL-xhbfWy9TSm_6Bu8LFsrH39UGxjEqbRBUC/s320/PXL_20221124_145934738.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mid upper bubble</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>In addition to Lea's Uncle Eugene there were the seven other crew members:</p><p>William Vandervoort, Vancouver BC Canada, was the bomb aimer</p><p>Alfred Parkyn, Palisades NJ USA, was the pilot</p><p>James Gallimore, Manchester England, was the flight engineer</p><p>James Louis Guichard, Dearborn Michigan USA, was the navigator</p><p>James McGregor Allan, Toronto Canada, was the wireless operator</p><p>Jack Slater, Hyde England, the tail gunner</p><p>Windsor Webb, Peterborough England, mid lower air gunner,</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXf6dme_23ZC7Yj96Ux4tEP8GKaNFNLJETiznr1lPqHoRphFgh5Q_n18qbdo1DAxz8i29YkHA8G0j6KHL1AoznnutpdC_cSqV0Us7wGX3YAH9GfIiHRZnztPl3XTF4tORo-g3-5VFic7w8wcg8eJxe3PrmNsYrW7Eau9Ek_uP8SorDWr6F6S3fzrN/s4032/PXL_20221124_145218781.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXf6dme_23ZC7Yj96Ux4tEP8GKaNFNLJETiznr1lPqHoRphFgh5Q_n18qbdo1DAxz8i29YkHA8G0j6KHL1AoznnutpdC_cSqV0Us7wGX3YAH9GfIiHRZnztPl3XTF4tORo-g3-5VFic7w8wcg8eJxe3PrmNsYrW7Eau9Ek_uP8SorDWr6F6S3fzrN/s320/PXL_20221124_145218781.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bomb aimer's bubble in the nose<br />The pilot's area above and behind<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-e-c9qQK9N_8NaMRpAHFwnsPo83ONJ9JscV-3yVZGXEoYuMwzk7FAMMX9gAF3JJdb9GEVLE3Rx64k3RNcQii5ZfuwlpdATm8x7My0NWmOToAcE9s9Wti8svsOO5SdvM9paLYxhV0mei0wWyZ_gpXhRpe1Wnqo-BElh7o9Rzw1RZNzTwk3a8covaIr/s4032/PXL_20221124_150043692.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-e-c9qQK9N_8NaMRpAHFwnsPo83ONJ9JscV-3yVZGXEoYuMwzk7FAMMX9gAF3JJdb9GEVLE3Rx64k3RNcQii5ZfuwlpdATm8x7My0NWmOToAcE9s9Wti8svsOO5SdvM9paLYxhV0mei0wWyZ_gpXhRpe1Wnqo-BElh7o9Rzw1RZNzTwk3a8covaIr/s320/PXL_20221124_150043692.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the tail gunner</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Later in the week, we viewed the preserved Lancaster in the <a href="https://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-duxford" target="_blank">Imperial War Museum, Duxford</a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1zjrYrRpX_CVePpku97fTtAgNdxENbRWczV4JhLf5qtGD-SI3_bUkpCu_GjcutEU6QemMCOZb3vUXfpkB_foZ-l0CS0sGpKCV6GnmcVyjlA7xwfPEGOKojvC9p5iwMyDmwZS6hLmtKJgq5Vb8uKZcTWUwfcvivMJgfkp3yrP1BVpRpMTO4FG4EkF/s4032/PXL_20221126_112932193.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV1zjrYrRpX_CVePpku97fTtAgNdxENbRWczV4JhLf5qtGD-SI3_bUkpCu_GjcutEU6QemMCOZb3vUXfpkB_foZ-l0CS0sGpKCV6GnmcVyjlA7xwfPEGOKojvC9p5iwMyDmwZS6hLmtKJgq5Vb8uKZcTWUwfcvivMJgfkp3yrP1BVpRpMTO4FG4EkF/s320/PXL_20221126_112932193.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>With more to follow soon.<br /><div><br /><p></p><p><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-236160064163057482022-12-05T00:01:00.001-05:002022-12-05T10:29:41.841-05:00December 5, 'Happy Birthday Uncle Al', Joseph Albert Rivet <p> Al's 35th Birthday Party on December 5th, 1954, Green Island, NY</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsy2ItJTPdlHNllZtSTmoYU_F2tGJLBH9JYD8JVHNh3R7cNakaoClkTpoKf7lEmi3vwHsQrM3BFdO2YtW_dBXQ8_Sno85jfB7W8tLUM9TLr1AavMPR_ooY4LlEwyWR975S4zhcFt7RPknOvZtqQ0vUscRG5E9StxBsh0AFJZpHdpmusqr0EJ9L-yW/s2538/Bday1954014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="2538" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsy2ItJTPdlHNllZtSTmoYU_F2tGJLBH9JYD8JVHNh3R7cNakaoClkTpoKf7lEmi3vwHsQrM3BFdO2YtW_dBXQ8_Sno85jfB7W8tLUM9TLr1AavMPR_ooY4LlEwyWR975S4zhcFt7RPknOvZtqQ0vUscRG5E9StxBsh0AFJZpHdpmusqr0EJ9L-yW/s320/Bday1954014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBKoNUyHPEFno2Glfledh4D2HTcPnGJR0n573NtPnkQ5GbBN7izFXTjOxt2dlVv2sPFTsqcRpbKzgCRe_DK8PC8Y1hQvKwEjt7jL0ThTNFax98wJEUy4tLsJnz5IILUBcSQ2Go0drCn7FOrJ9DartDIUUGwsQK1qsiz6ianSVroRUvJewHsSWk0Y0/s1060/Bday1954003.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1028" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBKoNUyHPEFno2Glfledh4D2HTcPnGJR0n573NtPnkQ5GbBN7izFXTjOxt2dlVv2sPFTsqcRpbKzgCRe_DK8PC8Y1hQvKwEjt7jL0ThTNFax98wJEUy4tLsJnz5IILUBcSQ2Go0drCn7FOrJ9DartDIUUGwsQK1qsiz6ianSVroRUvJewHsSWk0Y0/s320/Bday1954003.jpg" width="310" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts-vUVwh-0YpcY8O1xIsggZnemTSZKFpXIeFwkS1IeOvAQkJMo7XaXo1lXs6xp5xW-zljr_oynVuX49ZhK9ae-0eX4Kha6Xwd6aZcsLc3fu0Nb3SkyHZFrdPVNAznpIAa1WQsky6M1uMMtdRh1leSUu0hIoRwR2GFdeowm8QfjrwNBo1iP0JXR3oR/s1060/Bday1954004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1034" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhts-vUVwh-0YpcY8O1xIsggZnemTSZKFpXIeFwkS1IeOvAQkJMo7XaXo1lXs6xp5xW-zljr_oynVuX49ZhK9ae-0eX4Kha6Xwd6aZcsLc3fu0Nb3SkyHZFrdPVNAznpIAa1WQsky6M1uMMtdRh1leSUu0hIoRwR2GFdeowm8QfjrwNBo1iP0JXR3oR/s320/Bday1954004.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4MGuygYIJFCeN6v8Yqa5_5Me0i1gugpb-EPhuqUhvl3VlflsSgvnyzVN-D1Y21ra-BRMTjize-MxCyNjpC1D-yybgSl6B8dcVvL6pI7gxnOKLTbXLMa4IQARICdIpYaP5KCQxYTnp_EXl1jDJZzDXa66rnz1ldCCkhBw25a340UhGEabEpiyywRg/s997/Bday1954011.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="977" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4MGuygYIJFCeN6v8Yqa5_5Me0i1gugpb-EPhuqUhvl3VlflsSgvnyzVN-D1Y21ra-BRMTjize-MxCyNjpC1D-yybgSl6B8dcVvL6pI7gxnOKLTbXLMa4IQARICdIpYaP5KCQxYTnp_EXl1jDJZzDXa66rnz1ldCCkhBw25a340UhGEabEpiyywRg/s320/Bday1954011.jpg" width="314" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45KFAg3gg6m-YMEwAqDbUiluFmtu-g1A2Z345BjkLfqKyMqRcq0glAX4g-mA8RYniWVh2ETypUwFvXuOZlSfxtnS-goW7UfM3s8LBkDN6YMhsHvhr2epw-zRjNl-KtjSBGFnIiruKgZFT5luHw5OW74boKqB8kp-TjZrHef8oGSohIn16nteDjQPP/s898/Bday1954012.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="898" data-original-width="863" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh45KFAg3gg6m-YMEwAqDbUiluFmtu-g1A2Z345BjkLfqKyMqRcq0glAX4g-mA8RYniWVh2ETypUwFvXuOZlSfxtnS-goW7UfM3s8LBkDN6YMhsHvhr2epw-zRjNl-KtjSBGFnIiruKgZFT5luHw5OW74boKqB8kp-TjZrHef8oGSohIn16nteDjQPP/s320/Bday1954012.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUQHn95FFFutAW8J4qI1pWt1GyyMYPLsxuNGiR1dtcI8LxAmDUvZBjoAstnU5maYqWjFh7waMVzdzgD4egoFb82wrVpeuXmg3OLdl9_Z_9Ymuc1UhNa2NkNDSkI8qLnPXI-6qh2jH2jFPcz48OpokKyvCMOLTvYVH-Dm-HAIAEUngFdaVmqwvpzEo/s999/Bday1954013.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="998" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGUQHn95FFFutAW8J4qI1pWt1GyyMYPLsxuNGiR1dtcI8LxAmDUvZBjoAstnU5maYqWjFh7waMVzdzgD4egoFb82wrVpeuXmg3OLdl9_Z_9Ymuc1UhNa2NkNDSkI8qLnPXI-6qh2jH2jFPcz48OpokKyvCMOLTvYVH-Dm-HAIAEUngFdaVmqwvpzEo/s320/Bday1954013.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMTLeG_-Mw9eCMWlgb_AZ9CmXSwQ7y9j32goiXLEOd1CeNcII0M4iHIVTPX3BdVnG-Yo_3N4HRb7DBWyamvioJnx23LP2KXIpctE5gVTZPfBVVWH-6PVXiSzBVGsifz-9F0Zzbl6UcpOU5e1-hy_c7g5a908oQkcMr4wy_Pu2nagsEWQSthPXZQY2/s1054/Bday1954001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="1038" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMTLeG_-Mw9eCMWlgb_AZ9CmXSwQ7y9j32goiXLEOd1CeNcII0M4iHIVTPX3BdVnG-Yo_3N4HRb7DBWyamvioJnx23LP2KXIpctE5gVTZPfBVVWH-6PVXiSzBVGsifz-9F0Zzbl6UcpOU5e1-hy_c7g5a908oQkcMr4wy_Pu2nagsEWQSthPXZQY2/s320/Bday1954001.jpg" width="315" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-76742479265937035082022-11-17T14:11:00.005-05:002023-04-13T21:53:00.166-04:0080 years later, I am going to Langar Airfield<p>In July 2010 I met Lea Langlais for the very first time. I wanted to record her story about growing up Franco-American in Cohoes, NY in the 1920s and 1930s. Lea didn't want to talk about that on that day. She wanted to tell me about her uncle, Eugene Edward Chouiniere who was a mere six months older than her. She wanted me to find out what happen to Eugene and the other crew who disappeared without a trace. "Can you find out if there is any new information?" she asked me. Since that day Lea's story about Eugene has haunted me. Her family never learned what happened on November 25, 1942 when the aircraft, R5695EM-C, never returned to Langar Airfield in England. </p><p>The last letter in Eugene's file from the RCAF to his family was dated 5 January 1952:</p><p><br></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wsnNoicHUAeAgOiWxTWMj_VGk1M3YmEfX50sb2TdK7_AyVGxuc1oOcWDpsbkQBM5PT_07nbESeVl8P6dpB8XqtIkL1RYx90nsNyBxzAE3P5hi34qVc9oo7TM9uHXiupqPV1tw0cCa8jMQwJUIDagGv9jdsQnxfvBr9AMKOdAyqbIkBpL3IFw00dW/s3556/1952_Jan_Letter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3556" data-original-width="3064" height="437" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wsnNoicHUAeAgOiWxTWMj_VGk1M3YmEfX50sb2TdK7_AyVGxuc1oOcWDpsbkQBM5PT_07nbESeVl8P6dpB8XqtIkL1RYx90nsNyBxzAE3P5hi34qVc9oo7TM9uHXiupqPV1tw0cCa8jMQwJUIDagGv9jdsQnxfvBr9AMKOdAyqbIkBpL3IFw00dW/w377-h437/1952_Jan_Letter.jpg" width="377"></a></div><br>The letter informs Rosalie Chouiniere St.Hilaire that although her brother, Eugene, "has no known war grave", he will be remembered at Runnymeade and his name will appear there. It was small consolation to the Chouiniere family and all the others who never learned where the earthly remains of the crew rest.<p></p><p>In the years since that meeting, I have researched and found family of the crew who also perished along with Eugene. When I write, call, email, or send a Facebook message to living family of the crew to tell them I am researching their lives and family, the response has been consistent. They tell me that their father or mother, grandfather or grandmother always remembered their son, brother, or uncle who was a missing crew member, in the days and months before their own passing because they hoped for closure. The families always wanted to learn about their son, brother or uncle who went missing without a trace.</p><p>Lea had a photo album she shared with me. I quickly snapped the photos of the 5 airmen she kept in her album. The images were of the 3 Americans- Al Parkyn, Jim Guichard, Eugene - and the 2 Canadians William Vandervoort and James McGregor Allen. At that time I didn't understand the complete crew also included Windsor Webb, Jack Slater and Jim Gallimore - the English members. I went home and blogged about Lea and <a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2011/04/eugene-edward-chouiniere-1923-1942-and.html" target="_blank">Eugene Chouiniere - Lost Without A Trace</a>. In the months afterwards, I was contacted through the blog by two living family members of the Chouiniere and Parkyn family. I kept their contact information but the story moved to the background of my busy life at the time. Then in November 2020, I was contacted by <a href="https://www.goadby-marwood-history.co.uk/lancaster-r5694-em-f" target="_blank">The Field Detectives and Goadby-Marwood.</a> They were researching another aircraft in 207 squadron that crashed returning on the same mission in the same night. Thanks to these history lovers and independent archaeologists, the story of R5695EM-C was rekindled and the Parkyn and Chouiniere connections were reestablished. Michael Parkyn, USMC Ret., has not allowed the flame of remembrance to be extinguished. His research in UK and USA and his perseverance come to fruition. He has consistently followed the story of his cousin/pilot Alfred Joseph Parkyn, the crew, the aircraft, and the mission, Michael has filled the void of 80 years by planning the memorial service to be held next week at Langar. B. W. , from the family of crew member Windsor Francis Richard Webb, stepped up and generously contributed time and effort to ensure the service will dignify the crew of Avro Lancaster R5695EM-C. </p><p>See you at Langar on November 25th, 2022 exactly 80 years after R5695EM-C was lost without a trace. Thanks to Michael P. and B.W., the crew is no longer lost to us. We keep their memory.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3i8xijEjINIGpzMnik9fJvpUHKK3sY98dgfgV71pjZquOnFYOc7qhQ0T3_NO9ZYfrz0M4ODMMjCR33EPG9C_yEcFAakxwI01fCQWa8u3HeLyVBhcaqhkKipwhWm0RGxJh5j5060g64tw2HdAdmOZdWIQKySTv7Q8GKX9pL0P0FIkmNl3uGb3IS9Y/s801/002.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim3i8xijEjINIGpzMnik9fJvpUHKK3sY98dgfgV71pjZquOnFYOc7qhQ0T3_NO9ZYfrz0M4ODMMjCR33EPG9C_yEcFAakxwI01fCQWa8u3HeLyVBhcaqhkKipwhWm0RGxJh5j5060g64tw2HdAdmOZdWIQKySTv7Q8GKX9pL0P0FIkmNl3uGb3IS9Y/w400-h320/002.jpg" width="400"></a></div><br><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-25553025317447713722022-09-20T18:44:00.032-04:002022-12-10T10:56:29.218-05:00A Memorial Service is Coming Together on November 25th, 2022<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;">
On November 25th, 2022, a great effort will come together to mark the 80th
anniversary of the loss of Royal Air Force Lancaster R5695EM-C over the North
Sea, NWN off the Bergen an Zee, Netherlands. The eight man crew was
returning from a bombing mission over Haselunne, Germany on November 25th,
1942 and were "lost without a trace". However, the love of family
members, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, most gone now
too, kept the flame of memory aglow. We will be honoring them at the
airfield they last departed - Langar Airfield in Nottingham, UK.
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsjNDceSf72A9SaAndemlNilH3KEwCu55x0x-kLc_zVXaAvtGw1HNkymvPD0bjQPmfDWH-zL-9C0TxXtVMwYxUPQp4urr0PXCsWapHYDbDkkx5rfG4YA7N_wHfOM-Esf8u163ta9wIawRl_I0LDjhbXc7syO6GCxY1DIoPShZ8lI2YYVwepnzeniZ/s1576/Parkyn_Alfred.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1576" data-original-width="1012" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsjNDceSf72A9SaAndemlNilH3KEwCu55x0x-kLc_zVXaAvtGw1HNkymvPD0bjQPmfDWH-zL-9C0TxXtVMwYxUPQp4urr0PXCsWapHYDbDkkx5rfG4YA7N_wHfOM-Esf8u163ta9wIawRl_I0LDjhbXc7syO6GCxY1DIoPShZ8lI2YYVwepnzeniZ/s320/Parkyn_Alfred.JPG" width="205" /></a>
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Alfred Joseph Parkyn, pilot. <br />Palisades, New Jersey, USA
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMF8TL6xbKagIzyA6lpYax1ngqg91DffyVHyhca8oPT32r7JXP660wvE-MlVrn2i1kTSe40CFPeDfbZSrT2AiHwfSmcXfghDTVyxQwi5UAi8MDqp9Kj8r61KEii7S_--dfQWFUCShCYxNQOBs6neqWPH7_ozdHuOuecSzMT454Gr1ZVm_O3g4xNPAL/s1932/001_JamesMcGregorAllan.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1932" data-original-width="1180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMF8TL6xbKagIzyA6lpYax1ngqg91DffyVHyhca8oPT32r7JXP660wvE-MlVrn2i1kTSe40CFPeDfbZSrT2AiHwfSmcXfghDTVyxQwi5UAi8MDqp9Kj8r61KEii7S_--dfQWFUCShCYxNQOBs6neqWPH7_ozdHuOuecSzMT454Gr1ZVm_O3g4xNPAL/s320/001_JamesMcGregorAllan.JPG" width="195" /></a>
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James McGregor Allan<br /> Mimico, Ontario, Canada
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUhHJfY9Rdu1rj1DqaF0N_EyKguLrpYvnnlpTJe3nHRfxa2sVy--AB4OyS0I6ZOkS44XenW59lyIjnX8zn0e_DYs9En4ChzxQwfJ12Mk2s5ahIVhyJhAj8fs87wAwBPr9eJ-O8zS2RsYt84B89j4ILigGjXrtz7YfY4KFnXD6TDNfdX0qJuPRHa58/s2488/GIMPED_Uncle_Gene_Chouiniere.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2488" data-original-width="1376" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLUhHJfY9Rdu1rj1DqaF0N_EyKguLrpYvnnlpTJe3nHRfxa2sVy--AB4OyS0I6ZOkS44XenW59lyIjnX8zn0e_DYs9En4ChzxQwfJ12Mk2s5ahIVhyJhAj8fs87wAwBPr9eJ-O8zS2RsYt84B89j4ILigGjXrtz7YfY4KFnXD6TDNfdX0qJuPRHa58/s320/GIMPED_Uncle_Gene_Chouiniere.JPG" width="177" /></a>
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Eugene Edward Chouiniere, Gunner<br />Waterford/Cohoes, NY, USA
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIccUc-3Oub2p0wQG4vBxy7ChXnItVyerASI37WrC6mQdzbtETyaOuHu4NPafXfJz0XNw24kmo3RcgBFuNlHHMUpoo8OYig3drpMq4bhVYZ9OQIcJNhMdc_VEwa4onKpwM3BDD7CJmFnoqYy2DDeBuXwYvFlLLnYbIX3WmR2CvxK_eBozeJqgatLW9/s401/5c65a7d7-73fd-4d19-908c-9e6de24287b1.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="301" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIccUc-3Oub2p0wQG4vBxy7ChXnItVyerASI37WrC6mQdzbtETyaOuHu4NPafXfJz0XNw24kmo3RcgBFuNlHHMUpoo8OYig3drpMq4bhVYZ9OQIcJNhMdc_VEwa4onKpwM3BDD7CJmFnoqYy2DDeBuXwYvFlLLnYbIX3WmR2CvxK_eBozeJqgatLW9/s320/5c65a7d7-73fd-4d19-908c-9e6de24287b1.jpg" width="240" /></a>
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John James Gallimore<br />Denton, Manchester, Lancashire, UK<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7kqPrqRzwdZd07f2kHkFOo1X6xgNZ5EnCJ6B0ugI0QLzoIuTvWSla6bwNX6xUrPtNtjA4vE4mPRsL4JYRVsy1R9N1tFPNWk_0xE-UPSDi1L3vRviprW1y9IBzW5qJRdxQdx7KVDZYqF8OOSXYSV4lJXERcpc3QUeAiCRnw7ZiDnHoEKy1R9ty9l2/s699/01_Warrant%20Officer%20Class%20II%20James%20Louis%20Guichard.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="485" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE7kqPrqRzwdZd07f2kHkFOo1X6xgNZ5EnCJ6B0ugI0QLzoIuTvWSla6bwNX6xUrPtNtjA4vE4mPRsL4JYRVsy1R9N1tFPNWk_0xE-UPSDi1L3vRviprW1y9IBzW5qJRdxQdx7KVDZYqF8OOSXYSV4lJXERcpc3QUeAiCRnw7ZiDnHoEKy1R9ty9l2/s320/01_Warrant%20Officer%20Class%20II%20James%20Louis%20Guichard.jpg" width="222" /></a>
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James Louis Guichard<br />Dearborn, Michigan, USA
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ag9Y2S52var6s0YTikCKuQaFPJSwq4zQRFK43Mo07lD1J50NdBWjfqF4r_Xbf5UhwbCCYskGzzOSuHsvbEPEEzHj8X6QoNUSUbjz9-x1cO1jkfDhk9wP-wRCPQBQKYiqbQ65iKTx2-XssCmalypRJV0gXHxV04XyWKhZ5baSdl2N3EAivEFiPAAl/s179/Jack%20Slater.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="145" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Ag9Y2S52var6s0YTikCKuQaFPJSwq4zQRFK43Mo07lD1J50NdBWjfqF4r_Xbf5UhwbCCYskGzzOSuHsvbEPEEzHj8X6QoNUSUbjz9-x1cO1jkfDhk9wP-wRCPQBQKYiqbQ65iKTx2-XssCmalypRJV0gXHxV04XyWKhZ5baSdl2N3EAivEFiPAAl/s1600/Jack%20Slater.jpg" width="145" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Jack Slater</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Hyde, Cheshire, UK</div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA88kiSlpi9J9lmadb6SZIg353E3SqkPRwUhm_O4m9kjuN-VdiAvl8n6wmsRan1m3SCVZwrNi6rG6eGJZde7bAOBaECsBB5JaELoa8mJ0fuw8N37fD5QHzBUItNDUReRx6H6RGANwuIL4CBe7M84xwOpjb4MHT9hOO3Heb601LZ3FsuBG8RVEdsk8L/s2564/Gimped_Vandervoort.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2564" data-original-width="1636" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA88kiSlpi9J9lmadb6SZIg353E3SqkPRwUhm_O4m9kjuN-VdiAvl8n6wmsRan1m3SCVZwrNi6rG6eGJZde7bAOBaECsBB5JaELoa8mJ0fuw8N37fD5QHzBUItNDUReRx6H6RGANwuIL4CBe7M84xwOpjb4MHT9hOO3Heb601LZ3FsuBG8RVEdsk8L/s320/Gimped_Vandervoort.JPG" width="204" /></a>
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William James Vandervoort, navigator<br />Vancouver, British Columbia,
Canada<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZT-lMqI0r70bd0ln0KWikGHqMRHalHMLNV9hh87FUhrLwbMEbe_2-h6DrLNPQ4_L79gcXIdzS2-czx7mmQvrenbApagVd67_OXcor_MbA2kgn_e_bWBCkIGcB33yAc_j4wtrFaW0u2J5eS1HMMXztqBcIl7SxF9LVxKRRu4N9nIPVLExaWh3xeWg8/s3654/Windsor%20Webb_RAF.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3654" data-original-width="2336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZT-lMqI0r70bd0ln0KWikGHqMRHalHMLNV9hh87FUhrLwbMEbe_2-h6DrLNPQ4_L79gcXIdzS2-czx7mmQvrenbApagVd67_OXcor_MbA2kgn_e_bWBCkIGcB33yAc_j4wtrFaW0u2J5eS1HMMXztqBcIl7SxF9LVxKRRu4N9nIPVLExaWh3xeWg8/s320/Windsor%20Webb_RAF.jpg" width="205" /></a>
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Windsor Francis Richard Webb<br />Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK
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<div>Here are links to earlier blog posts about Lancaster R5695EM-C</div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>my first story, <a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2011/04/eugene-edward-chouiniere-1923-1942-and.html" target="_blank">"Lost Without a Trace"</a> posted in April 2011, was about Eugene Chouiniere</li><li><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2021/10/update-on-lost-without-trace-crew-of.html" target="_blank">Update: 5 October 2021</a><br /></li><li><a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2021/11/eugene-edmond-chouiniere-1923-1942-in.html" target="_blank">Eugene Chouiniere: in Memoriam</a></li></ul></div>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com2Langar Airfield, Harby Rd, Langar, Nottingham NG13 9HY, UK52.8922311 -0.909805324.581997263821151 -36.0660553 81.202464936178842 34.2464447tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-68070070507844154682021-11-01T18:01:00.001-04:002023-07-10T10:45:21.484-04:00Eugene Edmond Chouiniere, 1923-1942. In Memoriam<p> This month, November 2021, will mark the 79th year since the aircraft carrying Eugene and 7 other RAF airmen died on a bombing mission.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NmXsPEKmVWQ/YYAD-e3yOOI/AAAAAAAAKNI/Ft2Ooqh-hf4EbSlFtYDh9imfly0VJJlzQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1162/EugeneChouniereCropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="683" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NmXsPEKmVWQ/YYAD-e3yOOI/AAAAAAAAKNI/Ft2Ooqh-hf4EbSlFtYDh9imfly0VJJlzQCLcBGAsYHQ/w235-h400/EugeneChouniereCropped.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Eugene, 10 years old</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4kxPtTwIiC8/YYAAqH66TjI/AAAAAAAAKM0/89gvupNsWmQ2febjpEmv4Qt8QBIR_XpigCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSC_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1362" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4kxPtTwIiC8/YYAAqH66TjI/AAAAAAAAKM0/89gvupNsWmQ2febjpEmv4Qt8QBIR_XpigCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DSC_0108.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThoXC9ARnLU/YYAAqGBFeqI/AAAAAAAAKMw/Rx_4ntiM-YQL8h-SHGj_hKk6LgkWi4hSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/GIMPED_Uncle_Gene_Chouiniere.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1133" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ThoXC9ARnLU/YYAAqGBFeqI/AAAAAAAAKMw/Rx_4ntiM-YQL8h-SHGj_hKk6LgkWi4hSwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/GIMPED_Uncle_Gene_Chouiniere.JPG" width="177" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Eugene Edmond Chouiniere was only 19 years old when he died along with 7 other airmen in an Avro Lancaster, R5695EM-C, on a Royal Air Force (RAF) bombing mission over Germany during WW2. The crew was comprised of 3 Brits, 2 Canadians and 3 Americans. Official letters to the families of the crew from the RAF stated their aircraft was “lost without a trace”. Now historians think they know where the aircraft, Lancaster R5695EM-C, rests 80 years after it went down. <br /><br />Eugene was from a large Franco-American family from the Iberville, Quebec area. From 1870 through the 1890s, Eugene’s grandfather moved back and forth from Cohoes, New York to North Adams, Massachusetts and Iberville, Quebec. Eugene’s parents, Alfred Chouiniere and Rose Bonneau, married in St. Joseph’s Church, Cohoes, New York on February 17th, 1895. They settled in rural Waterford where Eugene was born on April 11th, 1923. He was the youngest of the 14 children who lived beyond infancy. When Eugene's father died he was only 5 years old. When his mother died, he was 15 and his older siblings took responsibility for his welfare during his adolescence. In the 1940 US census, he is living with his oldest sister, her husband and two daughters, Elizabeth and Lea, at 8 Lansing Lane in Cohoes. Lea, his niece, was 6 months younger than Eugene and she never lost her memories of her uncle who was also her childhood playmate. They hunted, fished and roamed the farms, fields and woods outside Cohoes and Waterford. Lea recalled that Eugene went to an US service recruiter in 1941 to join. The recruiter told Eugene to finish high school and reapply. That wasn’t good enough for Eugene. According to Lea, he soon got the idea to join Canadian forces and “jumped on the train to Montreal” a few days after his 18th birthday. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The RCAF interviewer noted he was “rather young, immature and lacking in experience”. He was also “sincere, willing and determined to fly and fight” and “should improve with training”. <br /><br />Soon Eugene was training at the Mountain View British Commonwealth Air Training Station in Ontario, now known as Canadian Forces Detachment Mountain View. His training included wireless operator and air gunner. After his training and before he was sent to England, he visited the families of his brothers and sisters in Waterford and Cohoes. Eugene, handsome in his RCAF uniform, was showered with his family’s attention; many photographs of Eugene and his family together were taken in the front yard. It would be the last time the Chouiniere family saw their little brother. In England, there was more training and he soon started flying missions in RAF squadron 207 based at the Langar Airfield outside Nottingham, England. On the night of November 25, 1942 five Avro Lancasters, each with a crew of 7 or 8, took off for five separate locations over Germany. Three safely returned, one crashed returning to the airfield in England. The aircraft with Eugene Chouiniere (USA), Alfred Joseph Parkyn the pilot (USA), William John Vandervoort (Canada), James McGregor Allan (Canada), Jack Slater (England), Windsor Webb (England), James Guichard (USA), John James Gallimore (England) was lost without a trace. All eight crew members are memorialized at the Air Force Memorial at Runnymede. <br /><br />In 2020, a group of local, independent historians believed they solved the mystery of R5695EM-C. Records from a German fighter pilot, Ernst Heesen, who conducted an air attack on the same night, likely misidentified the Lancaster aircraft he shot down over the North Sea for an B-24 Liberator. They believe the misidentification misled earlier researchers who continued to mark the aircraft and crew as “lost without a trace”. <br /><br />November 25th, 2022 will mark the 80th anniversary of the night the 8 crewmembers lost their lives and a memorial service is being planned for next year. The location for the service has not yet been determined. It is believed Eugene Chouiniere and his crewmates left no children. Only one member, John Gallimore, left a bride of eleven months in England. She never remarried. A search is underway to find living nieces and nephews of the crew and their children. If you are related to the Chouiniere Family of Waterford and Cohoes or know someone who is connected, please contact Mary Beth Mylott at <a href="mailto:FrancoAmericanGravy@gmail.com">FrancoAmericanGravy@gmail.com</a>. She has more information about Eugene Chouiniere and the plans for a ceremony in 2022.<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"><span style="line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 106%;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-csW-yGASChs/YYADLQpWEDI/AAAAAAAAKNA/xKOhAPGUOFYpTUbi_wHiQUNy60QjxUsnACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSC_0140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1279" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-csW-yGASChs/YYADLQpWEDI/AAAAAAAAKNA/xKOhAPGUOFYpTUbi_wHiQUNy60QjxUsnACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DSC_0140.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEdNgtWTqt4/YYAFkh51W-I/AAAAAAAAKNQ/S2Sdu8cxEiECljpzzVvbzGhILI8XS4rQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/DSC_0102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1362" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fEdNgtWTqt4/YYAFkh51W-I/AAAAAAAAKNQ/S2Sdu8cxEiECljpzzVvbzGhILI8XS4rQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/DSC_0102.JPG" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="line-height: 106%; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span><p></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Halfmoon, NY, USA42.8690107 -73.724248614.558776863821151 -108.8804986 71.179244536178842 -38.567998599999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-91770854889072732282021-10-05T14:54:00.007-04:002023-04-13T21:53:23.278-04:00Update on 'Lost Without A Trace' The crew of Avro Lancaster R5695EM-C on the night of November 25th, 1942<p>In 2010 I met <a href="http://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2010/10/lea-french-talk-in-cohoes.html" target="_blank">Lea Langlais</a> of Cohoes, NY who lovingly told me about her uncle and childhood playmate, Eugene Edward Chouiniere, who died while serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WW2. Afterwards,<a href="http://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2011/04/eugene-edward-chouiniere-1923-1942-and.html" target="_blank"> I wrote about him</a> and Lea's steadfast devotion to keeping his memory alive. Lea died in 2012 but the memory of young Chouiniere and the other crew members of the Avro Lancaster R5695EM-C lives on. Lea had photographs of five crew members which lead me to believe the aircraft had a crew of five. I will never know why Lea had photos of the 3 Americans and 2 Canadians crew members but not the 3 English crew. However, in the past year thanks to a dedicated group of people in England known as the "The Field Detectives" from the <a href="https://www.goadby-marwood-history.co.uk/" target="_blank">Goadby Marwood History Group</a>, I have come to understand more about the aircraft and airmen of R5695EM-C. The eight airmen were:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Lp0cpeZbLI/YVydRdJRDSI/AAAAAAAAKLQ/HJT4Ek9NeDMZqqbuHfPacZqpINs9rBV1QCLcBGAsYHQ/s801/006.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="642" data-original-width="801" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5Lp0cpeZbLI/YVydRdJRDSI/AAAAAAAAKLQ/HJT4Ek9NeDMZqqbuHfPacZqpINs9rBV1QCLcBGAsYHQ/w400-h320/006.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">An effort is underway to find as many family members of the crew across North America and the UK as possible. If you are a family member or a friend reading this post, please contact </span><a href="mailto:FrancoAmericanGravy@gmail.com">FrancoAmericanGravy@gmail.com</a><span style="text-align: left;"> or check our Facebook group,</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/170846651797222" style="text-align: left;" target="_blank"> Families of Avro Lancaster R5695EM-C</a><span style="text-align: left;">,</span><span style="text-align: left;"> and request to join the group. A nephew of Alfred Parkyn, the pilot of R5695EM-C, and the team of 'The Field Detectives' are working tirelessly to organize a memorial service to mark the 80th anniversary of this tragic event. It is an honor to bring families together to remember these men and the sacrifice they made during WW2. </span>In the following posts and coming weeks, I hope to share a little bit about each crew member with you, dear reader. Meanwhile, family member and retired Unites States Marine Corp pilot, Michael Parkyn, is writing a history of the crew and aircraft that he hopes will be available in the anniversary year. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div>James McGregor Allen,<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>1918-1942,<span> </span>24 years old, Canada</div><div>Eugene Edward Chouiniere,<span> </span>1923-1942, 19 years old, USA</div><div>John James Gallimore,<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>1916-1942,<span> </span><span>2</span>6 years old, England</div><div>James Louis Guichard,<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span>1</span>904-1942, 38 years old, USA</div><div>Alfred Joseph Parkyn,<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>1915-1942, 27 years old, USA</div><div>Jack Slater,<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span>1921-1942, 21 years old, England</div><div>William John Vandervoort,<span> </span><span> </span>1916-1942, 26 years old, Canada</div><div>Windsor Francis R. Webb, <span> </span><span> </span>1924-1942, 18 years old, England</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div>As I establish contact with the families of these men, it has greatly moved me to learn how parents and siblings struggled throughout their entire lives never knowing where their son, their brother and, for the wife of John James Gallimore, her husband, met death. Their consolation was the knowledge these men gave their lives protecting England, the people living in England and in the parts of Europe overpowered by the Nazi war machine. The crew of R5695EM-C, along with thousands of other airmen and women never recovered, are memorialized at <a href="https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/109600/runnymede-memorial/" target="_blank">The Air Forces Memorial Runnymede</a>, in Surrey, England and in the <a href="http://www.aircrewremembered.com/RunnymedeDatabase/?s=2900&q=Bomber%20AND%20Command&qand=&exc1=&exc2=&search_type=&search_only=" target="_blank">Airmen Memorial Database here</a>.</div></div></div>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-67688023917836110682021-02-01T15:36:00.001-05:002021-10-05T14:55:48.449-04:00Remembering "Uncle Al" Rivet and "Joe" Rivet, 1919-2002<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__ZT9MeWeMw/YBhQpqTbdtI/AAAAAAAAKAs/xAOS83v1YDM5O81R47kz_wLDhOLS4s5_QCPcBGAYYCw/s2048/IMG_20160514_214601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-__ZT9MeWeMw/YBhQpqTbdtI/AAAAAAAAKAs/xAOS83v1YDM5O81R47kz_wLDhOLS4s5_QCPcBGAYYCw/s320/IMG_20160514_214601.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xhw1GLBiFEY/YBhdcwsTkHI/AAAAAAAAKA4/ksV6UyL7KPk1gxIeeyEOmb2KpIxiU6GCACLcBGAsYHQ/s1250/Joseph%2BAlbert%2BRivet027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1250" data-original-width="738" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Xhw1GLBiFEY/YBhdcwsTkHI/AAAAAAAAKA4/ksV6UyL7KPk1gxIeeyEOmb2KpIxiU6GCACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Joseph%2BAlbert%2BRivet027.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>In New York he was known as Al to everyone.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">Like almost every French Canadian son, he was baptized with the standard first name of Joseph but never called by that name in school or the parish. His father, his sister, his brother and friends all called him "Al".</div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JIxMIO1t1AU/YBhd4yEkXeI/AAAAAAAAKBA/XGMfyg9yBNQ4chemRVgA-3PjWkRBXStfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1663/atSaratogaLake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1139" data-original-width="1663" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JIxMIO1t1AU/YBhd4yEkXeI/AAAAAAAAKBA/XGMfyg9yBNQ4chemRVgA-3PjWkRBXStfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/atSaratogaLake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Al waterskiing at Saratoga Lake NY, circa 1962, while visiting from California</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uyqZZooYkGU/YBhg7wMx19I/AAAAAAAAKBM/YaMx7vDnyvMuFu_oaDoSoAAqpsEmbwL8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1028/SCAN0128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1028" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uyqZZooYkGU/YBhg7wMx19I/AAAAAAAAKBM/YaMx7vDnyvMuFu_oaDoSoAAqpsEmbwL8QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SCAN0128.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Al visiting Montauk Lighthouse, Long Island, NY</span><br /><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REBlxt4GVsE/YBhjIOXge8I/AAAAAAAAKBg/mnlCUuYfYJE5nS2L-dhWtFiS3qAiGtaYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1018/SCAN0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="1014" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-REBlxt4GVsE/YBhjIOXge8I/AAAAAAAAKBg/mnlCUuYfYJE5nS2L-dhWtFiS3qAiGtaYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SCAN0119.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTDUhIa-0MA/YBhjIMnjQOI/AAAAAAAAKBY/bz5tKRCecsA_dIAV-Qrrfk4sL2-azHPqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1062/SCAN0125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1062" data-original-width="1034" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTDUhIa-0MA/YBhjIMnjQOI/AAAAAAAAKBY/bz5tKRCecsA_dIAV-Qrrfk4sL2-azHPqwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SCAN0125.JPG" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2sMgN4T4p-8/YBhjIIY6RxI/AAAAAAAAKBc/EWky9al6kVAqaUzHSOF9OfPyDfw9FapRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1032/SCAN0126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1032" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2sMgN4T4p-8/YBhjIIY6RxI/AAAAAAAAKBc/EWky9al6kVAqaUzHSOF9OfPyDfw9FapRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/SCAN0126.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>In California he was "Joe" to everyone.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In southern California there was a new life, a new family and a new name.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eP84817l2XI/YBhj2NZ4tfI/AAAAAAAAKBw/hHIiT6wD8e4yqZEfent7T6UamMeco6_8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s976/scan0025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="704" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eP84817l2XI/YBhj2NZ4tfI/AAAAAAAAKBw/hHIiT6wD8e4yqZEfent7T6UamMeco6_8ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scan0025.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-size: xx-small;">At Laguna Beach</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev29PlFinDE/YBhlHf5CKzI/AAAAAAAAKB8/_-jkFmxjVlU99WM7fh2F4381yUBEleEKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/ProjectArchive027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ev29PlFinDE/YBhlHf5CKzI/AAAAAAAAKB8/_-jkFmxjVlU99WM7fh2F4381yUBEleEKQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/ProjectArchive027.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-08sw8LEZI5U/YBhmF51eL3I/AAAAAAAAKCI/qZ7ixTynJsYARSIgEw2i_Ulfz8Uqyq7yQCLcBGAsYHQ/s908/scan0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="604" data-original-width="908" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-08sw8LEZI5U/YBhmF51eL3I/AAAAAAAAKCI/qZ7ixTynJsYARSIgEw2i_Ulfz8Uqyq7yQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/scan0007.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-42281806551534150152021-02-01T10:15:00.002-05:002023-07-10T10:46:50.037-04:00Springtime in Quebec Destination: Cabane à Sucre in Saint Alexis, Lanaudiere<div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Update....It is midwinter in upstate New York and we are expecting another great snowfall today. There's more weeks of CoVID pandemic isolation. The northern border remains closed to casual travel from New York into Quebec. The only thing left to do is read by the fireside and dream of future road trips. It makes me recall an April road trip in Quebec with a great opportunity to visit a legendary sugar shack and indulge in a flood of maple flavored products! <a href="https://www.cabaneosias.com/">at Cabane Osias</a>.</div>
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<br />francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com1Saint-Alexis, Montcalm Regional County Municipality, QC J0K, Canada45.9562116 -73.646864617.645977763821158 -108.8031146 74.266445436178856 -38.4906146tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-62007276179705677202019-08-08T08:34:00.002-04:002023-07-10T10:47:24.382-04:00Cohoes Parade, 1955<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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After considerable investigation, this parade has been identified as the 325th Anniversary festival of Cohoes, NY. Here is the source:</div>
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Albany Times Union</div>
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October 30, 1955, Section B, page 1</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mayor Roulier holding his hat</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Empire State Grenadiers Drum & Bugle Corp from Cohoes</td></tr>
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<br />francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Cohoes, NY, USA42.7742446 -73.7001186999999914.464010763821157 -108.85636869999999 71.084478436178841 -38.54386869999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-56421532703312016962019-08-05T15:26:00.000-04:002019-08-05T15:27:02.539-04:00Sixty summers ago 3 men moved to southern California, 2 returned to New York and 1 remained....Robert Wills, Arthur Mylott and Al Rivet left the Northeast for golden California, its promises and possibilities. They had many first impressions of southern California from the perspective of upstate New Yorkers who arrived in late June 1959. They were accustomed to snow, lots of snow, in winter and moderate summers. It is no wonder Al was fascinated by the weather..by mid August Bob and Art returned to New York. One with a prison record and the other without a driver's license and so for them there was no job. Only Al remained in the sunshine state with a job at Hughes aircraft... here is one of Al's first letters to home.<br />
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<br />francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-82868588849880546302019-08-05T09:12:00.002-04:002019-08-05T09:12:54.691-04:00for the small Cornish side of our family, a new research center<br />
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click link below to read the news about...</div>
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<a href="https://www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwall-news/first-look-inside-new-centre-3168539?fbclid=IwAR2k17Hw5LIEmpJIDaJEVJAv0Ka_AVabTfqihzYlY_EXjhqEXew5Ut8SLns" target="_blank">Kresen Kernow, Cornwall's new archive centre</a></div>
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opening September 2019</div>
francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-70832499575464778712019-01-16T10:30:00.001-05:002019-01-16T10:30:23.303-05:00 2019 The "Je me souviens" Project at Siena CollegeIt's been almost 9 years ago when I started this FrancoAmericanGravy blog. Although in the past 3 years I haven't added a lot of content, there are still many stories to tell. I am always hopeful I will be able to find and share new stories of Franco-Americans in Cohoes and upstate New York. Meanwhile others have picked up the cause. Notably is Dr. Janet Shideler, faculty at Siena College in Loudonville, NY and recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Shideler is the founder and administrator of <i style="font-weight: bold;">Je Me Souviens </i>project to digitize artifacts and memorabilia of Franco-Americans from upstate New York. She was interviewed by Mountain Lakes, a PBS affiliate.<br />
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You can watch the interview<a href="https://mountainlake.org/je-me-souviens-interview/?fbclid=IwAR2B0sLierE_Hf1z0y--0QKw-O5kTvqXAv2Mhip0vYaSWRB49gw0E2Z3VbE" target="_blank"> here</a>.<br />
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You can view the project<a href="https://nyheritage.org/collections/je-me-souviensi-remember-presenting-and-preserving-heritage-upstate-new-yorks-franco" target="_blank"> here</a><br />
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Below is a video about the project:<br />
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Mountain Lakes PBS will be hosting an event with Dr. Shideler and the project. They wrote: "North Country residents who are descendants of French-Canadian immigrants are being invited to gather in Plattsburg in early June to be part of the "Je Me Souviens" project. Dr. Janet Shideler and her colleagues/students from Siena College will be here at our Mountain Lakes PBS studios on Sunday June 9th and again on Monday June 10th from 1- to - 6 pm. Artifacts such as photos, letters, naturalization papers, military medals and even toys and household items will be scanned and posted to the New York Heritage Digital Collection online."<br />
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<b>JE ME SOUVIENS PROJECT<br />JUNE 9th and 10th 1- 6 pm</b><br />
<b>MOUNTAIN LAKE PBS STUDIOS<br />SESAME STREET</b><br />
<b>PLATTSBURGH, NY</b><br />
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If you cannot make the even and would like to participate in the project, you can contact Janet Shideler at Siena College<br />
Email: jshideler@siena.edu<br />
Phone: 518-782-6769<br />
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francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-52980114936821955212018-11-19T21:51:00.007-05:002023-07-10T10:49:24.187-04:00An Update to "Where Have All the Bodies Gone?"Readers who were interested in the <a href="https://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2010/06/where-did-all-bodies-go-calvary.html" target="_blank">story posted in 2010 about Calvary Cemetery in Cohoes </a>will be happy to learn that the Troy Irish Genealogy Society posted a listing of Catholic interments in Calvary Cemetery. <a href="https://troyirish.org/genealogy-records-2/cemetery-records/genealogy-records-2-cemetery-records-calvary-cohoes" target="_blank">Check this page</a> and say "merci" to the Troy Irish Genealogy Society who were successful securing the list.<br />
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francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Cohoes, NY 12047, USA42.759573 -73.701076600000007-37.178106471605659 145.67392339999998 90 66.923923399999993tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-12312451927645189582018-07-15T21:33:00.002-04:002023-07-10T10:50:23.402-04:00Happy Birthday Arthur Homer Mylott - you're 100! My visit to Omaha Beach in June 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Arthur Homer Mylott is 100 years old. He died almost 12 years ago but is not forgotten. Born on a Champlain canal boat near Chambly, Quebec during the busy shipping season on the canals of New York and Quebec, his family always thought he was born on a boat but never knew the details. He was the youngest child of seven and only he and two brothers, Edgar and Milo lived into adulthood.</div>
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His father died when he was 18 and soon afterwards he enlisted in the US Army. Sent to the Panama Canal Zone, he developed malaria while serving there.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1940 US Census, Fort Clayton, Panama Canal Zone</td></tr>
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In 1941 when preparing for discharge and listening to the radio he heard the news of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. On that day, his life and countless others were forever changed. He was now in the 1st Division of the US Army and was in the North African Invasion as well as the Sicily and the Normandy Invasions. He survived it all. Eventually, wounded in Belgium, he was sent to a hospital in Paris and in the last days of the European conflict returned stateside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A photo sent home to mother, Edith Mylott</td></tr>
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Arthur Mylott never spoke to me about his time in those invasions. Eventually, he allowed his grandson to interview him for a school project. Below is the video originally recorded in 1998. His eleven year old grandson prepared some questions. Arthur has some difficulty hearing and responding but answers while I recorded. </div>
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Standing on Omaha Beach in June 2018 recalling that 74 years before my father came ashore with the 1st Division chilled me more than the cold strong winds blowing the sand in my face that day. The vastness of the empty beach and the silence despite the winds crept into my body and I was moved beyond words. </div>
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After the invasions, Arthur was discharged with medals and the Purple Heart but the experience made him a pacifist and he never condoned US troops in Viet Nam and US military actions anywhere. He came back to the Waterford -Cohoes area, married and worked in breweries in Troy, the D&H railroad and other various jobs until he landed a job at the US Federal Arsenal in Watervelit. Although he paid dues to the VFW post, he would never march in a parade with veterans. He just did not believe in war. Something had happened to the young man who went to war. He never handled stress well and was content to do the little things. He apprenticed at the arsenal as a tool and dye marker retiring in the 1970s. </div>
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Below are several photos of Arthur's life after the army and the war... it was a quiet life. The medals, including the Purple Heart, were put away and forgotten. The shoulder stripes have a few moth eaten holes; the leather case is moldy.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XVeNsCgGUw/W0vV-jMSOjI/AAAAAAAAIuM/fBvYSQL-9yERZzuKKRBcO3adPAyPL0M6wCLcBGAs/s1600/scan0069.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1387" height="227" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XVeNsCgGUw/W0vV-jMSOjI/AAAAAAAAIuM/fBvYSQL-9yERZzuKKRBcO3adPAyPL0M6wCLcBGAs/s320/scan0069.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Transgender Dressing at Murphy's Friend's Lake Inn: from left to right - Arthur, one of the Chards, Irene Chard, Pipere Rivet, Dorothy Mylott and Al Rivet. Circa 1948.</td></tr>
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In his later years, after retirement from the Watervelit Arsenal, he worked in the antique business his wife created and developed a special niche collecting early science fiction paperbacks and selling them in the store in Bolton Landing. At Christmas time, he was St Nicolas with a long white beard</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">He was a faithful husband, a good friend, a true father, and a very good grandfather. I miss him everyday!</span></div>
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francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0Omaha Beach, France49.3696815 -0.871084221.059447663821153 -36.0273342 77.679915336178851 34.2851658tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-43884720136732157332018-05-26T11:20:00.000-04:002018-05-26T11:20:24.758-04:00Calling on FrancoAmerican descendants to take part in St Jean Baptiste Day in Cohoes, NY June 24, 2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6ASWRCSWU-w/Wwl1oJL6MGI/AAAAAAAAIls/VdQxbyZFDY4k20_GMX8e1smDkmsQgbVIQCLcBGAs/s1600/FAHeritageCohoesJune2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="553" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6ASWRCSWU-w/Wwl1oJL6MGI/AAAAAAAAIls/VdQxbyZFDY4k20_GMX8e1smDkmsQgbVIQCLcBGAs/s320/FAHeritageCohoesJune2018.JPG" width="246" /></a></div>
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<b>If you are of a descendant of Franco-Americans from Cohoes, NY, this event may interest you. On June 24th, 2018 at the Harmony Mills you can bring family artifacts, photos, treasures and more to be memorialized in the New York Heritage Digital Collection. Listen to the songs of Josee Vachon and hear from a speaker, Cynthia Fox, about Franco-Americans in Cohoes. MAKE A RESERVATION by CALLING 518-782-6769.</b><br />
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Details from the organizer, Ms Janet Shideler of Siena College, are below:<br />
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"With generous support from the National Endowment for
the Humanities (NEH), on June 24, 2018, faculty and students from Siena College
and their partners from the Spindle City Historic Society will host an event to
preserve and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Franco-Americans in
upstate New York. A free performance by renowned singer/songwriter Josée Vachon
and a lecture by University at Albany professor Cynthia Fox will be held at
Harmony Mills Lofts in Cohoes in order to preserve and subsequently present the
story of Francos and the French-Canadian families of which they are the
descendants. Digitization stations for preserving historic artifacts
brought to us by Franco-Americans will be open from 12 noon to 3 PM; the
lecture at performance begin at 1 PM.<br />
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Cohoes is located less than 200 miles from the Canadian
border, and thus drew French Canadians in search of financial security.
Initially 20 families made the city their home in the 1830s. By 1881, Cohoes
was the adopted home of over 6,000 Québécois, a number that comprised over a
third of the city’s population. The community supported four French-language
parishes, three bilingual parochial schools, five French language newspapers,
and three French-language amateur theatre companies. The industrial city of
Troy also had a French-Canadian immigrant population of nearly 4,000 by 1881,
ensuring that the Franco-American community had a significant presence in the
region. French Canadians also made their way to the state’s “North Country,”
further contributing to their numbers in the state but also compounding the
problem of preserving their collective history. Experience and knowledge of New
York’s Franco-American heritage are fading fast. In Cohoes, for example, the
average age of its francophone residents is 70. In the state’s northern
counties, more than 20% of the population still proudly identifies itself as
Franco-American. However, assimilation, movement from these rural areas, and
the passing of many Franco-Americans mean that this number is down from more
than 60% in towns such as Ogdensburg and Tupper Lake. Nonetheless, in 2000
nearly half a million New Yorkers still reported their ancestry as “French,”
the term used by most Franco-Americans to identify themselves. In short,
throughout upstate New York, one finds a similarly rich Franco-American history
and the same need and urgency to preserve it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That's precisely what
this event is intended to do! Those who attend on June 24 are invited to
bring a variety of artifacts for digital preservation: family photos,
immigration papers, toys, sheet music, immigration papers, religious medals,
etc...items that tell the story of the lives of this sizable ethnic community
at work, at play, at worship, at service in their new homeland. The
project will continue past the June 24 celebration as we take mobile
digitization equipment "on the road" throughout upstate New York this
summer and next."</span></span><br />
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<br />francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6603022590829982830.post-10543061130647930942017-01-16T17:00:00.000-05:002017-01-16T17:01:02.780-05:00A little LaCasse family history for Rivets and YettosAges ago, I posted about the <a href="http://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2010/03/lacasse-sisters.html" target="_blank">LaCasse sisters,</a> Marie Louise Lacasse and her sister, <a href="http://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2011/04/marie-ann-lacasse-sister-of-marie.html" target="_blank">Marie Anne Lacasse.</a> I also wrote about their <a href="http://francoamericangravy.blogspot.com/2013/01/lacasse-family-in-northside-waterford.html" target="_blank">parents in Northside, Waterford, NY</a>. Recently, I was able to find a french language obituary for the mother of Didace LaCasse in <b style="font-style: italic;">L'Etoile du Nord, </b>through the<b style="font-style: italic;"> </b><a href="http://www.banq.qc.ca/collections/collection_numerique/journaux-revues/index.html" target="_blank">Bibliotheque et Archives nationale du Quebec</a>.<br />
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Here is the mother of Didace Lacasse. Her name was <b>Lucie Desautels Lapointe</b><br />
Birth 31 October 1811 in St Jacques de l'Achiagn, Province of Quebec<br />
Death 22 October 1896 in Holyoke Massachusetts, USA<br />
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This is believed to be her photo portrait...a widow's portrait taken near the end of her life.<br />
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Here is her obituary posted in the newspaper "back home" in Joliette, Quebec.<br />
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Lucie Desautels lapointe was the daughter of Charles Desautels and Marie Desanges Prudhomme and baptized in St Jacques de l'Achigan<br />
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Luce married Ephrem LaCasse, who was baptized in the same church<br />
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Luce and Ephreme married in 1829 in the same church<br />
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<br />francoamericanGravyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03483820212835136840noreply@blogger.com0