Bessette, Gordon Macmillan
Personal Information
Rank | F/S |
Forename(s) | Gordon Macmillan |
Surname | Bessette |
Gender | M |
Age | 29 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 26-02-1944 |
Next of Kin | Son of Edward Bessette and Minnie Belle Bessette (née MacMillan), of Vernon, British Columbia, Canada. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Handley Page Halifax III |
Serial Number | LW420 |
Markings | PT-U |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | Germany |
Burial/Memorial Place | Durnbach War Cemetery |
Grave Reference | 4. G. 28. |
Epitaph |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 2 |
Panel Number | 130 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | R/151914 |
Service | Royal Canadian Air Force |
Group | 6 |
Squadron | 420 (Snowy Owl) |
Trade | Pilot |
Country of Origin | Canada |
Other Memorials
Location | Outside former St. Georges Hotel, Teesside Airport, County Durham |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Slate Tablet on Memorial Stone |
Memorial Text | In memory of those who served at RAF Croft, 1941-1945 including 420 Sqn RCAF |
Location | Village Green, Tholthorpe, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Stone Memorial, inscribed Metal Plaque and Maple Tree |
Memorial Text | A memorial, in English & French, to those Canadians who served at RAF Tholthorpe during WW2, including 420 (RCAF) Sqn |
Location | Former Control Tower, Tholthorpe Airfield, North Yorkshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaque |
Memorial Text | A memorial to those Canadians who served at RAF Tholthorpe during WW2, including 420 Sqn |
Miscellaneous Information
Gordon was born at Vernon, British Columbia on 4 March 1914. His father was a fruit farmer born in British Colombia and his whereabouts are now unknown. His mother was born in Nova Scotia and sadly died on Christmas Day in 1923. His next-of-kin was shown as an aunt, Lillian MacMillan, on his enlistment papers. The schools he attended were General Wolfe 1921-1929, King Edward 1930-1932 and Lord Byng 1933-1937. He then went to the University of British Columbia 1937-1938 where he studied Arts followed by the University of Washington 1939-1940 and studied chemistry. The sports he enjoyed were rugby, golf and baseball and his hobby was photography. Gordon worked as a labourer at Pantoon Bridge Builders, Seattle, 1939-1940, at Austin Company, Seattle, Washington during 1940 also as a labourer and then at Orchard Point, Washington as a mechanic machinist during 1941. He then enlisted on 18 February 1942 in Vancouver. |
After enlistment and initial training, Gordon was posted to the U.K. and embarked from Halifax on 16 May 1943 arriving at 3PRC on the 24th. He then continued to 15 (P) AFU 22 June 1943, 18 (P) AFU 27 July 1943, 22 OTU 24 August, 61 Base 19 November 1943 and 420 Squadron 1 February 1944. Gordon was to lose his life later that month on 26 February 1944. |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The National Archives
Fellow Servicemen
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 25-02-1944 |
End Date | 26-02-1944 |
Takeoff Station | Tholthorpe |
Day/Night Raid | Night (6% moon) |
Operation | Augsburg. 594 aircraft, 21 losses (3.6%) although at least four were Lost due to collision. A highly successful raid in clear weather conditions with more than 2000 tons of bombs being dropped. This was another two-wave raid after the success of the Schweinfurt raid the previous night. This raid was controversial because it completely destroyed the beautiful old town and, due to the very high concentration, very little damage to the industrial areas that one might have expected to be the target. Approximately 3000 houses were destroyed and 85000+ people were bombed out of their homes. It was exceptionally cold and as a result the River Lech was frozen over, limiting the supply of water to fight the many large fires that resulted from the bombing. Of particular note was the loss of works of art, which local reports put at an astonishing 800 million Reichmarks. The Germans were quick to condemn this raid in the media and coined the phrase 'terror bombing'. Bombing during the second wave did spread to the suburbs and an important aircraft component factory and the M.A.N. factory were damaged. |
Reason for Loss |