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75Th Anniversary of 407 Squadron Aircraft Forced Landing in Norway

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75Th Anniversary of 407 Squadron Aircraft Forced Landing in Norway TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2019 Volume 61, #19 75th anniversary of 407 Squadron aircraft forced landing in Norway 407 Long Range Patrol Squadron Chief Warrant Officer CWO Serge Harvey meets with the latest generation of descendants of the Milorg, local residents, and the Canadian crew at a small wooden cabin in the mountains named “Little Canada” – the place where the Canadians hid while the Milorg coordinated an escape from Norway back to Allied territory. The six-man crew of the Vickers Armstrong Wellington GR Mk XIV bomber, a grandfather of today’s CP-140 Aurora, were flying an anti-submarine patrol over Norwegian waters on September 26, 1944, when one of the plane’s two engines caught fire. Command- ing Officer of 407 Squadron LCol Patrick Castonguay looks on; the visit to Little Canada took place on the third day of a 75th anniversary commemorative event. For the full story see pages 2 and 3. Photo provided by Callie Biddle, a descendant of First Officer Gordon Biddle, a pilot of the downed aircraft. Approved Service Provider to the DND Integrated Relocation Program Royal LePage In the Comox Valley 2378 ORKNEY PLACE, COURTENAY 2087 LAMBERT DRIVE, COURTENAY THIS GREAT FAMILY HOME is centrally WELCOME TO ABERDEEN HEIGHTS! #121-750 Comox Road, Kevin Dol Courtenay, B.C. V9N 3P6 located and built in 2015. Great floor plan Scott Fraser This custom built home is on a quiet cul-de- features upstairs living with a walk out back Bus: 250-334-3124 sac and has lofty high ceilings, heat pump, yard that is fully fenced. Large patio, and a Personal Real Estate Corp. 250-898-4158 gas fireplace in the master suite with jetted Toll Free: 1-800-638-4226 bright kitchen. The master bedroom features a soaker tub, entertainment sized kitchen, stone Fax: 250-334-1901 large walk in closet as well as a beautiful soaker 250-702-5950 countertops, and sunroom on the back. Plus www.royallepagecomoxvalley.com tub in the ensuite. Plus a family room that also two bedrooms and one bathroom upstairs. Email: [email protected] includes a nice little kitchen style nook. $720,000 www.royallepage.ca/id/452367 $573,500 www.royallepage.ca/id/461270 2 | OCTOBER 22, 2019 | TOTEM TIMES Totem TIMES HNoMS Hitra is the sole surviving sistership of HNoMS Vigra.The Royal Norwegian Navy subma- rine chaser, HNoMS Vigra, nicknamed the “Shetland Bus,” carried the men into Allied waters. MANAGING EDITOR Camille Douglas th 250-339-8211, ext 8752 407 Sqn participates in 75 [email protected] GRAPHIC DESIGNER Gillian Ottaway Querin anniversary event in Norway EDITORIAL ADVISOR Along a gently sloping Capt Brad Little hillside, some 300-odd peo- ple came together in early DISTRIBUTION October 2019 to honour the Michael Pearce courage and determination of members of the Milorg, the Norwegian resistance movement, and of the lo- A Division of Personnel Support Programs cal residents who saved six 19 Wing Comox, RCAF aircrew. PO Box 1000 Stn. Main, The documented history Lazo, BC V0R 2K0 of this crash has the makings [email protected] of a Hollywood movie. The six-man crew of the Vickers Armstrong Welling- ton GR Mk XIV bomber, a grandfather of today’s CP- 140 Aurora, were flying an anti-submarine patrol over Norwegian waters on Sep- tember 26, 1944, when one of the plane’s two engines caught fire. The crew were forced to abort the mission and con- duct an immediate landing. To do this they had to dump fuel, as the jettison of fuel is an emergency safety proce- dure that allows an aircraft FSgt Harvey Firestone, then and now. He is the sole living survivor of the Norway crash. to get down to its appropri- ate and safe landing weight. Unfortunately, unknown to the middle of Os, a peninsula dred metres from the cave while Milorg coordinated men into Allied waters. the crew, the engine fire had where 4,000 Nazi soldiers entrance. Notwithstanding an escape for the Canadians Commemoration also affected the fuel gauge, had been alerted to the Cana- the danger, Bruarøy still from Norway, back to Allied The 75th anniversary com- so the crew inadvertently dian crash and were amass- managed to go up to the territory. During this entire memoration was held in Os, released most of their fuel. ing to reach the crash site as cave several times to bring time, the Nazi soldiers were Norway at the beginning of Rather than risk ditching soon as possible. the airmen eggs, milk, and searching for the Canadian October. The Totem Times is an unoffi- in the cold North Atlan- Finding refuge hot tea. crew, as they had very quick- In attendance from Cana- cial publication of 19 Wing Co- tic, the crew – First Offi- The Canadians’ luck held Late in the evening, In- ly realized that the crew had da were Col Jeff Drummond, mox, BC. The Editor reserves cers Gordon Biddle (pilot), and they came across lo- geborg and her neighbour survived the crash. Canadian defence attaché the right to edit copy and re- George Deeth (second pilot), cal residents, first Marta led the airmen to the sea- After a week in Little Can- to Norway; LCol Patrick ject advertisements to suit the needs of the publication. and Kenneth Graham (wire- Bruarøy and then her Eng- side. There, they met men ada the Milorg got the mes- Castonguay, Command- Views expressed are those of less operator and air gunner); lish-speaking neighbour, from Milorg who rowed the sage to bring the airmen to ing Officer of 407 Long the contributor unless express- First Lieutenant Marion Neil Ingeborg Bjørnen. Risking crew across open fjord and the coast to start on their way Range Patrol Squadron; and ly attributed to DND, CAF, or (navigator); Warrant Officer execution from the Nazis amongst the numerous is- back to England. A small CWO Serge Harvey, 407 other agencies. In case of ty- pographical errors, no goods George Grandy (wireless for assisting the downed lands along the coast, using boat, the Snøgg, brought the Long Range Patrol Squad- may be sold and the difference operator and air gunner), aircrew, they helped the Ca- two Oselver rowing boats. airmen to Austevoll where ron Chief Warrant Officer. claimed against this paper. The and First Sergeant Harvey nadians hide in a small cave They brought the men to a they had to wait for some More than 50 descendants paper’s liability is limited to a Firestone (wireless opera- near Bjørnen’s home. Bjørn- boathouse on a nearby is- days because of bad weather of the Canadian crew also refund of the space charged for the erroneous item. Mate- tor and air gunner) – elected en’s father and a neighbour land, where they remained in the North Sea. Eventually, came to commemorate their rial may be reprinted with at- to return to Nazi occupied then took the opportunity hidden for several days. on the night of October 12, loved ones’ daring escape. tribution. Published 22 times Norway to attempt an emer- to contact Milorg to inform Little Canada 1944, the Royal Norwegian The sole living survivor a year, every second Tuesday, gency landing. them about the Canadians. For further safety, the men Navy submarine chaser, of the Norway crash, War- with permission of Col Dany Poitras, 19 Wing Commander. By skill and by luck, all While the Canadians were were next taken to a small HNoMS Vigra, nicknamed rant Officer (retired) Har- Publications Mail Registration six members of the crew sur- hiding in the cave, Nazi sol- wooden cabin in the nearby the “Shetland Bus” and vey Firestone, of Victoria, No.4098. Printed by Ladysmith vived the crash unharmed. diers came and stayed at mountains, soon nicknamed commanded by Captain Leif B.C., was unable to attend Press, Ladysmith, BC. Circula- They found themselves in that house, just several hun- “Little Canada,” to hide Larsen, came and took the but was well-represented by tion: 1800. OCTOBER 22, 2019 | TOTEM TIMES | 3 Norwegian waters: the journey from Little Canada to Allied waters. his family. gian nationals, the descen- Descendants of the Milorg dants of the airmen’s local members and of the civil- helpers, joined the boat tour. ians who had helped the The second day saw a for- Canadians came to sup- mal ceremony at the crash port the commemoration, site. Family members pre- as did the Mayor of Os Terje sented six flowers, for each Søviknes; Captain (Navy) of the Canadian crew. The Åsmund Andersen, Com- Mayor of Os Terje Søviknes mander of Bergenhus For- opened the ceremony, and tress; Captain (Navy) Svein Col Drummond read a let- Erik Kvalvaag, Commander ter on behalf of the Minis- of Haakonsvern Naval Base; ter of Veteran Affairs, and and local residents. In total, Associate Minister of Na- over 300 people attended tional Defence, the Honour- the event. able Lawrence MacAuley. This World War II story LCol Castonguay spoke resonates with the local Nor- to the attendees, highlight- wegian people. An annual ing the charity, courage, October hike to Little Can- and selflessness of all in- ada has been held to honour volved. Åsmund Andersen, the memories of the Milorg commandant of Bergenhus and their efforts to save the Festning (Royal Norwe- six Canadian crew since the gian Navy), also spoke, as mid-1980s. did Rick Firestone, the son Three-day event of Warrant Officer (Ret’d) LCol Castonguay and CWO Harvey visit the The 75th anniversary com- Firestone. small cave that the aircrew took refuge in af- memoration incorporated A CP-140 Aurora, Cana- ter the forced landing.
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