Lancaster Bomber 514 Squadron

A wonderful article it is! There is much more to come in 2007 and 2008. My next step will be to ask the mayor for a list of surviving eyewitnesses and I will drive there to see those who will accept to give me their testimony. Also the A2-C painting is meant to be famed and hung on the wall of the St Cloud town hall.

 

A quick introduction to Skipper, Erich, TA and others following this thread. I am Alex Campbell's grandson. I have been lurking on this thread since its infancy and thought that I should actually register and start contributing.
Obviously a wealth of topics have been covered since this thread started. One thing that stuck out was the cheese maggots - Grandpa, I recall you telling me about these a long time ago and you had said that you weren't sure if this actually happened or you dreamt it or it was a halucination, etc.. For whatever reason that little slice has stuck with me. Glad to see that Wayne confirmed such a thing does exist.

Also, its amazing that the information about Bob Giffin's father/family/house was uncovered. I'm planning a visit to the city archives soon and I will see if I can uncover anything about the Giffin family on Eglington ave.

Also, I know its a few pages back but I also have some photos that I took of Grandpa's escape kit that I would like to share.

 

Welcome J.W. ! You have a great grandfather. Nice pictures by the way. I would love if you could find something about the Giffin family in the archives. He's the only one missing in our galery and it's so sad because he's precisely the one who did not make it on that terrible mission

 

Toronto was a much smaller city in the 40s than it is now so it is rather likely that information about specific families does exist. I hope to get to the archives this week.

 

I will cross my fingers then.If possible, check the late July , early August 1945 local papers. There might be an orbituary with his picture at those dates. (the legal time between "presumed dead" and "dead" was 12 months)

 

good to know

 

Welcome aboard Wes. As you have already discovered you are in fine company on this Forum. Cheers Grampa.

 

Your heart warming tribute is felt deeply. So nice to know that the efforts and sacrifices of so many are being appreciated to this day. Thanks to you and people such as you Skipper. EAC

 

Here it is; a photo, taken by my grandson, of myself and this remarkable poster. How to go about thanking, first of all Skipper67 & Christian, then all of you great people with your many helpful postings of such interesting details.

Thanks again,
Alex Campbell

 

Amazing image Skipper!

 

You are very welcome. It is a privilege to see a picture which symbolizes some of our joint efforts and seeing Alex Campbell holding it is the best award we can get.

 

Great photo and a great piece of art! What a fantastic collaboration!

You are being very humble Skipper67, you didn't even let them mention your real name in the newspaper article! It just goes to show that everyone involved with this has their heart in the right place.

I just wanted you all to know, that I've added Mr. Campbell to our Rogues Gallery, he's near the top with the other WWII veterans.

WWII Forums Rogues Gallery

 

Alex how fun ! you and that great print...........

secondly that has to be your backyard yes / cactus in Canada ? also that vine looks very familiar ~ morning glory subtype with huge white or pink flowers ? ours is all over our patio posts but this year no blooms ...........

ok back to topic

 

Thanks Peppy. That's the way it's meant to be. Alex wanted to protect my privacy, but some people know my name and it's no secret at all. In fact Wayne read about me in a Canadian newspaper online some time ago, he sent me an email but already suspected it was me before he sent it.

 

At long last here is Bob's photo. In the centre of the front row is Bob Giffin and on his left is his bomb aimer "Buck" Bennet. I'm still hoping to find the names of the rest of the crew.

Yes, that is a cactus. It's been sitting in that pot for eight years, never needs watering. You are correct, it is a morning glory with pink/purple blooms. My wife was pleased by your observant eye. Thanks Erich.

Alex Campbell

 

This picture is a beauty. I will do my best to find to find the other names. My first step will be to enlarge the badges to find out who is a gunner (AG) .The man on the first row, in the middle, with the pilot wings seems to be the skipper (P/O ?) . The man near him could be the flight engineer. I'll check for confirmation.

 

Yes Bob Giffin was the pilot in his crew and he was the captain or skipper. The letters "P/O" would indicate the rank of Pilot Officer, F/O - Flying Officer, F/L- Flight Lieutenant, S/L- Squadron Leader etc. I believe Bob was a F/O at the time and Buck Bennet the bomb aimer (on Bob's left) was a P/O then. Good luck Alex Campbell

 

Thought you might like to see this, if you haven't seen it before. It's something I received quite some time ago. Alex Campbell

 

Very true and yes "we will remember them"