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The Last Journey of RCAF Stranraer 946 - In memory of the crew and Stranraer 946
Available at " blurb.com ": 1) Hardcover 13" x 11" / 33 cm x 28 cm; 100 pages, Dust Jacket $94.54 USD; 2) Hardcover with design on hardcover $97.54 USD; Instant PDF Version $20.13 USD; e-book $4.53 USD.
Hardcover
First published November 23, 2012
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January 27, 2020
Would be a very important read for family members especially, and with that in mind, as much family information as known is noted below.
HISTORY of the Circumstances of RCAF Stranraer 946.
1941 Nov 4:
One report suggests that the Stranraer was piloted by Sgt. Jack Bliss. P/O Gerald Palmer, was listed by the RCAF as the pilot. The Supermarine Stranraer 956 and its crew went missing between Penticton and Patricia Bay, B.C. Their mission was a flight from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to Patricia Bay, B.C. After an intermediate stop in Penticton, they left the seaplane base there at 1026 Local Time (LT). A few minutes after departure the radio operator informed ground of their ETA Patricia Bay at 1300 LT. At 1400 LT, the crew changed frequency and informed ground of their position north of Vancouver flying in very bad weather conditions with snow falls. The aircraft failed to arrive, and SAR operations were conducted for almost a week before the search was suspended.
Crew members:
1) Sgt. Jack Fenton Bliss, 25 (son of Charles F. + Ruth Mary Bliss of Santee, California, and husband of Novell Bliss);
2) Cpl John Robert Bruce Fernie, 27 (son of George Fernie + Martha nee Jefferies Fernie and husband of Violet nee Heinz Fernie, of Rimbey, Alberta);
3) Cpl P/O Gerald Searing Palmer, 22 (son of Frank Marion + Carrie Lee Palmer of Raymond, Alberta);
4) LAC Charles Murray Ross, 34 (son of Joseph Edward + Eliza Corning nee McConnell Ross, and husband of Margaret Dorothy Ross, of West Vancouver, B.C.;
5) LAC Gilbert Fowler Willett, 38 (son of Norman + Hester Willett, husband of Florence E. Willett, of Granville Ferry, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia).
Commemorated at the Ottawa Memorial on the NE point of Green Island, and overlooking Rideau Falls. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not give details of the circumstances of their crash site. The International Wargraves Photography Project added their names at Find A Grave in March 2007 and details were subsequently added. The CWGC was approached to make the Mount Baldwin site an official War Grave but as at 2016 have not approved the request.
1947 The wreckage was found by a prospector who reported it to RCMP in Squamish.
1948 the RCAF located the site located on the southeast side of Mount Baldwin at 1427m below the ridge between the higher and lower peaks, between the Raffuse and Indian River drainage systems, about 10 km south east of Squamish.
1948 A rock cairn and wooden cross were erected at some point.
1986 Hellcat Venture Company undertook a project to re-identify the crash site of 946 and erect a monument to replace the deteriorated cross.
1988 Hellcat Venture Company raised a memorial plaque at the crash site in 1988:
SGT JACK BLISS
CPL JOHN FERNIE
CPL GERALD PALMER
LAC CHARLES ROSS
LAC GILBERT WILLET
STRANRAER 946.5 SQN RCAF CRASHED
4 NOV 1941 THIS CAIRN RAISED BY
VENTURES OF SQUAMISH 1988.
Ventures involved in the raising:
Advisor: Rick Johnson
Author: Mike Wallace
Venture Leader: Kevin Woods
Ventures: Cory Daniel; Chris Neufeld, Keith Bullington.
2012 Michael Wallace of Squamish publishes his book and presents copies
to the following:
1) The Squamish Historical Society (Bianca Arnold-Peters, Pres.)
2) The Squamish Legion
3) The Family of Gerald Fernie (Ken Fernie + family visited cairn in 2004)
Note: Apparently other family members may have received a book too, but there were at least a couple of families whose descendants could not be found, including LAC Charles Ross Murray. Charles siblings included:
1) Myrtle Jean Ross 1895-1985 who married Henry Ashley and had no children
2) Muriel Kate* Ross 1896-1964 who married Sydney Percival Seymour (1888-1988) and who had two children: Eldon Seymour 1915-2000 and Phylis Muriel Seymour (Mrs. James Owen Ramsay 1912-1986) 1918-2011
3) Minnie Adeline Ross 1897-1982 who married Thomas Cyril Inglis (1879-1942) and had four children: Lila Claire Inglis (Mrs. Les McLeod) with no children; Elizabeth Joy Margaret Inglis (Mrs. Francis "Frank" George Milburn) 1923-2003 with six children; Eleanor Alice Inglis (Mrs. Ernie Falkner, with two children, and later Mrs. Bob Laidler); Maxton Inglis (1925-2011) with Ena had four children;
4) John Allister Ross (1899-1985) who with Ivy (1899-1939) had three children and later married Gertrude May Seymour from England.
5) Dorian Alfred Ross (1903-1942) who was the storekeeper at Vernon Military Camp. He never married and had no chldren, and died of TB of the lungs. His curved grave is simply marked "Dorion 1903-1942";
6) Evelyn Frances Ross b 1904 who married Frederick Cottell b 1901;
7) Evan Ross b June 1906 in Vernon.
8) Charles Murray Ross (1908-1941) was the youngest child. He married Margaret Dorothy Robinson (1904-1985) 5 Oct 1928 in West Vancouver.
HISTORY of the Circumstances of RCAF Stranraer 946.
1941 Nov 4:
One report suggests that the Stranraer was piloted by Sgt. Jack Bliss. P/O Gerald Palmer, was listed by the RCAF as the pilot. The Supermarine Stranraer 956 and its crew went missing between Penticton and Patricia Bay, B.C. Their mission was a flight from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia to Patricia Bay, B.C. After an intermediate stop in Penticton, they left the seaplane base there at 1026 Local Time (LT). A few minutes after departure the radio operator informed ground of their ETA Patricia Bay at 1300 LT. At 1400 LT, the crew changed frequency and informed ground of their position north of Vancouver flying in very bad weather conditions with snow falls. The aircraft failed to arrive, and SAR operations were conducted for almost a week before the search was suspended.
Crew members:
1) Sgt. Jack Fenton Bliss, 25 (son of Charles F. + Ruth Mary Bliss of Santee, California, and husband of Novell Bliss);
2) Cpl John Robert Bruce Fernie, 27 (son of George Fernie + Martha nee Jefferies Fernie and husband of Violet nee Heinz Fernie, of Rimbey, Alberta);
3) Cpl P/O Gerald Searing Palmer, 22 (son of Frank Marion + Carrie Lee Palmer of Raymond, Alberta);
4) LAC Charles Murray Ross, 34 (son of Joseph Edward + Eliza Corning nee McConnell Ross, and husband of Margaret Dorothy Ross, of West Vancouver, B.C.;
5) LAC Gilbert Fowler Willett, 38 (son of Norman + Hester Willett, husband of Florence E. Willett, of Granville Ferry, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia).
Commemorated at the Ottawa Memorial on the NE point of Green Island, and overlooking Rideau Falls. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission does not give details of the circumstances of their crash site. The International Wargraves Photography Project added their names at Find A Grave in March 2007 and details were subsequently added. The CWGC was approached to make the Mount Baldwin site an official War Grave but as at 2016 have not approved the request.
1947 The wreckage was found by a prospector who reported it to RCMP in Squamish.
1948 the RCAF located the site located on the southeast side of Mount Baldwin at 1427m below the ridge between the higher and lower peaks, between the Raffuse and Indian River drainage systems, about 10 km south east of Squamish.
1948 A rock cairn and wooden cross were erected at some point.
1986 Hellcat Venture Company undertook a project to re-identify the crash site of 946 and erect a monument to replace the deteriorated cross.
1988 Hellcat Venture Company raised a memorial plaque at the crash site in 1988:
SGT JACK BLISS
CPL JOHN FERNIE
CPL GERALD PALMER
LAC CHARLES ROSS
LAC GILBERT WILLET
STRANRAER 946.5 SQN RCAF CRASHED
4 NOV 1941 THIS CAIRN RAISED BY
VENTURES OF SQUAMISH 1988.
Ventures involved in the raising:
Advisor: Rick Johnson
Author: Mike Wallace
Venture Leader: Kevin Woods
Ventures: Cory Daniel; Chris Neufeld, Keith Bullington.
2012 Michael Wallace of Squamish publishes his book and presents copies
to the following:
1) The Squamish Historical Society (Bianca Arnold-Peters, Pres.)
2) The Squamish Legion
3) The Family of Gerald Fernie (Ken Fernie + family visited cairn in 2004)
Note: Apparently other family members may have received a book too, but there were at least a couple of families whose descendants could not be found, including LAC Charles Ross Murray. Charles siblings included:
1) Myrtle Jean Ross 1895-1985 who married Henry Ashley and had no children
2) Muriel Kate* Ross 1896-1964 who married Sydney Percival Seymour (1888-1988) and who had two children: Eldon Seymour 1915-2000 and Phylis Muriel Seymour (Mrs. James Owen Ramsay 1912-1986) 1918-2011
3) Minnie Adeline Ross 1897-1982 who married Thomas Cyril Inglis (1879-1942) and had four children: Lila Claire Inglis (Mrs. Les McLeod) with no children; Elizabeth Joy Margaret Inglis (Mrs. Francis "Frank" George Milburn) 1923-2003 with six children; Eleanor Alice Inglis (Mrs. Ernie Falkner, with two children, and later Mrs. Bob Laidler); Maxton Inglis (1925-2011) with Ena had four children;
4) John Allister Ross (1899-1985) who with Ivy (1899-1939) had three children and later married Gertrude May Seymour from England.
5) Dorian Alfred Ross (1903-1942) who was the storekeeper at Vernon Military Camp. He never married and had no chldren, and died of TB of the lungs. His curved grave is simply marked "Dorion 1903-1942";
6) Evelyn Frances Ross b 1904 who married Frederick Cottell b 1901;
7) Evan Ross b June 1906 in Vernon.
8) Charles Murray Ross (1908-1941) was the youngest child. He married Margaret Dorothy Robinson (1904-1985) 5 Oct 1928 in West Vancouver.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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