Of the 133 airmen involved in the dambuster raid 16/17 May 1943, 30 of them were Canadian, 2 born and raised in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. F/Sgt. Kennith Brown, CGM Pilot of Lancaster AJ-F (1920-2002) F/O J/9763 Robert Alexander Urquhart, DFC Navigator of Lancaster AJ-Z d. 17/05/1943, Reichswald Forest War Cemetery http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2403643/Dambusters-heroes-Photographs-113-men-took-daring-WWII-raid.html from left to right Urquhart 3rd row 14th man, Brown 7th row 14th man The City of Moose Jaw has numerous murals in its downtown core here's one honoring 'The Last Dambuster'.
Always liked listening to Ken Brown talking about the raid...an unassuming character...easy to listen to. His target, the Sorpe was an extreme difficult target and the bomb was totally unsuited to the earth constructed dam which had to be approached and dropped, parallel to the dam face. As regards remembrance,it is pleasing to see that Canada has started to remember its war dead by the renaming of lakes,in their memory, in its vast territory.
Ken Brown in one of his talks had some interesting recollections about his run ins with Guy Gibson. This talk he gave at the 50th Anniversary dinner..... http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/kenbrown.html Ken Brown was the last living pilot to actually reach the dams however Les Munro from New Zealand is the last living pilot on the dams raid. Their aircraft was hit by flak over the Netherlands and had to return to base with their bomb intact.
I never met Ken Brown although I was aware of his name and Dambuster envolvement. Before posting this topic I took a look at the Mohne, Eder and Sorpe dams on Google earth my first thought was the bomb was never designed to take out an earthern dam like the Sorpe and you confirmed that. As I understand it the Province of Saskatchewan began naming its water-ways a short time after WW2 to keep the memory alive for all time meaning the names of sons and daughters of the Navy, Army, Air Force, Merchant Marine, Civilian Casualties, Korean War, and Other Forces Casualties. World War 1 casualities appear on the WW1 memorial and Peacetime Operations Casualities appear on The Saskatchewan War Memorial on the grounds of the Legislature Buildings in Regina. In September 2005 Bill Barry with Doug Chisholm and Beth Parsons published a book called Age Shall Not Weary Them Saskatchewan remembers its War Dead. ISBN: 1-897020-2--6. I hold a copy of this publication in my small library as an example it offers this with photo. Warren, B.G., F/S RCAF R147519 Flight Sergeant (RCAF pilot) Bertram George, (Bert) Warren (b.1913) of Lucky Lake died 19430824 and is buried at Vera cemetery south of Lucky Lake. Warren's Anson clipped the top of a farm house and crashed southwest of Bateman on a training flight from #2 B & G School Mossbank. He was the son of John George and Alice L. Warren who homesteaded NW6-24-9-W3. Bert and his wife Jean Grace were farming nearby in the Crescent Valley District northwest of Lucky Lake when he enlisted. Geo-memorial: Warren Lake southwest of Cree Lake (74G4) 57º14' 107º40'. The accident as printed in The Moose Jaw Times Herald August 28, 1943. Two Airmen Killed, Two Others Hurt When Plane Strikes House Chimney Sgt. B. G. Warren, Lucky Lake and AC2 Thomas Mallard, Yarmouth, N.S., were killed in a plane crash Tuesday afternoon, near St. Boswells, and two other airmen, injured in the crash, are now recovering at the military hospital at No. 2 B. and G. School R.C.A.F., Mossbank, Royal Canadian Air Force officials announced. Sgt. Warren was buried Saturday afternoon at Lucky Lake, and the body of AC2 Millard wa sent to Yarmouth, N.S. and will be buried next Thursday. The bomber that crashed was on a routine flight and about 4:45 o'clock Tuesday afternoon struck the chimney of the farm home of William Karius, six miles south and one mile west of St. Boswells. Donalda Karius, 11 years old, was alone in the house at the time. After striking the chimney the plane went down and skidded several rods, somersaulted and then rested upside down on the creek bank. Neighbors who had seen the machine crash hurried to the scene and one of them, Michael Busch, handed a knife to one of the men inside so that he could cut his way out. Bill Fehler, extinguished flames that started burning up the parachute on the back of one of the men. First aid was given the injured airmen until Sqdn. Ldr. Williams arrived to take charge. The two injured fliers were taken to Mossbank about ten o'clock Tuesday night, and the two bodies removed from the plane. By Thursday night the investigation was concluded and the wreckage of the plane cleared away.
