Fingal

 

Location:  Elgin County     N 42.74167   W -81.34265

Sculpture is in Shedden beside the Keystone Complex, 35921 Talbot Line.

Plaque is at the entrance to the Fingal Wildlife Management area, west of the village of Fingal, 34469 Fingal Line.

 

 

This memorial is found in two locations.  First is the beautiful metal sculpture that can be found at the same location as the Shedden War Memorial featured last week.  Second is at the entrance to the Fingal Wildlife management Area, which was once the home of the RCAF #4 Bombing and Gunnery School during World War II.

The sculpture is a silhouette of a Lysander aircraft which was used extensively at the #4 Bombing and Gunnery School.  A small plaque below the sculpture tells a brief story of the facility and the aircraft.

The historic plaque west of Fingal tells the story of the school and lists the names of those who died here during training for service in the skies over Europe.  The contributions of these air training schools, that are scattered throughout Ontario and across the country, can never be forgotten, as they trained air crews from several nations and where instrumental in the victory of World War II.

 

 

Marker text:

Sculpture:

#4 BOMBING AND GUNNERY SCHOOL

FINGAL

This facility, located west of Fingal, trained non-pilot air

crew from November 27, 1940 to February 17, 1945.

Over 6000 personnel graduated and were sent to theatres

of war throughout the world.

In tribute to #4 B&G this memorial site includes a 1/4

scale silhouette of a Lysander aircraft.  The Lysander was

typical of the aircraft used to pull "drogues" or targets for

practice by flyers and gunners.  Three Lysanders crashed

near Fingal during training flights, killing their crews.

 

 

Plaque front:

RCAF NO. 4 BOMBING AND GUNNERY SCHOOL

No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School was a unit of the British
Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The Plan, from April 29,
1940 to March 15,1945, graduated over 130,000 air crew, of
which 73,000 were Canadians. No. 4 B&GS consisted of the
main station at Fingal;  bombing ranges at Dutton,
Melbourne, Frome and Tempo;  a Marine Section at Port
Stanley;  and bombing and gunnery ranges on Lake Erie.
No. 4 B&GS operated from November 25, 1940 to February 17,
1945, during which time over 6,000 non-pilot aircrew members
graduated from the School. This memorial is dedicated to
all who served at No. 4 B&GS, especially to those named
on the back of this plaque, who lost their lives in the
course of the duty at Fingal.

Erected by:
Kettle Creek Conservation Authority
Private Donations
Province of Ontario

 

Plaque back:

"I give them eternal life and
they shall never perish." John 10:28

8 Dec 1940, BATTLE 1650.
C2789 F/0 L.A. HOOD, (USA) PILOT
R78032 AC2 E.W. BOURNE, CREWMAN
R71450 AC2 J.H. MCNALLY, CREWMAN

23 NOV 1942, LYSANDER, 2332.
R116691 SGT/PILOT R.C. GRAY
R76059 CPL H.H. HILCHIE, DROGUE OPERATOR

6 JAN 1943, LYSANDER, 1540.
F/SGT E. PRENTICE, PILOT
CPL M.M. NICHOLSON, DROGUE OPERATOR

19 OCT 1943, LYSANDER, 2427.
WO2 M.T. LAVOIE, PILOT
LAC L. RENAUD, DROGUE OPERATOR

2 DEC 1943, GROUND ACCIDENT,
R165966 LAC E.J. DEPLANCHE
 

1 AUG 1944, ANSON I, 6711
J42808 P/O K.M. JOYCE, PILOT
J44121 P/O T.H. REES, INSTRUCTOR
R149817 LAC D.F. MCLAY, STUDENT
429023 LAC S.C. TURNER, R.A.A.F., STUDENT

12 AUG 1944, ANSON I, 6276.
R203152 SGT E.D. HAWKINS
R209421 SGT R.D. SHARP

20 JAN 1945, BOLINGBROKE IV(T), 10019.
J29114 F/O J.D. ALLAN, PILOT
441609 LAC L.C.J. WATT, R.A.A.F., STUDENT
8256F LAC W.T.F. NEVILLE, R.A.A.F., STUDENT