Douglas, Pilot Officer John Dempsey

Service highlights

  • Service number: J9935
  • Born 28 May 1919 in Stratford
  • Student at St. Marys Collegiate Institute from 1935 to 1938
  • Worked as a miner for Creighton Mines in Sudbury
  • Served as a private with the Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury Regiment, 9 October to 7 November 1940
  • Enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at North Bay on 6 May 1941
  • Commissioned as a pilot officer on 23 January 1942
  • Flight instructor at RCAF Station Trenton
  • Killed 20 February 1942 in a training crash near Frankford
  • Buried at Avondale Cemetery, war grave maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  • Commemorated on the World War II plaque at St. Marys Town Hall

A Life and Service Remembered

John Dempsey Douglas was born in Stratford on 28 May 1919 and raised at St. Pauls, a rural start that shaped the practical rhythm of his early years. He attended St. Marys Collegiate Institute from 1935 to 1938, then headed north to work, becoming a miner at Creighton Mines in Sudbury. It was a hard, grown up job for a young man, and it suggests someone used to responsibility and long days.

Before he ever wore RCAF wings, he did his part at home. From 9 October to 7 November 1940, he served as a private with the Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury Regiment under the National Resources Mobilization Act, completing the required period of training intended for home defence. It was not glamorous service, but it was part of the country’s preparation, and part of his.

He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at North Bay on 6 May 1941. Training moved quickly through Toronto and on to flying training near Hamilton, then advanced training at Camp Borden. He graduated on 23 January 1942 and was commissioned as a pilot officer. He was not sent overseas. Instead, he was transferred to the Central Flying School at RCAF Station Trenton as a flight instructor. That posting mattered. Instructors carried the weight of building new pilots safely, one flight at a time, in an era when training itself could be deadly.

On 20 February 1942, while coaching a Pilot officer, Charles Fuller Hanisch (J8226) seven miles north west of Frankford near Belleville, the aircraft went into a spin and crashed. Both John and the Charles were killed in the impact. John’s war ended in Canada, not because he was spared danger, but because he was doing the dangerous work of preparing others.

He was buried in Stratford at Avondale Cemetery. His grave is considered a war grave and is maintained by the Canadian agency of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. He was survived by his parents, William and Margaret Douglas of Lot 13, Concession 9, Downie Township, and four sisters. His name remains on the World War II plaque on the south wall of St. Marys Town Hall.

Major battles and operations

  • Home defence training service in Canada under the National Resources Mobilization Act, October to November 1940
  • RCAF aircrew training in Ontario, 1941 to January 1942
  • Flight instruction duties at the Central Flying School, Trenton
  • Killed during a training flight, 20 February 1942

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