CREW MEMBER PROFILE |
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Surname: |
CAMPBELL |
First Name/s: |
Alexander Grant |
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Service No/s: |
R149784 J85824 |
Service: |
RCAF |
Branch: |
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Awards: |
1939-45 Star, Aircrew Europe Star, Defence Medal, War Medal, Canadian Voluntary Service Medal & clasp. Operational Wings awarded 14 January 1947 |
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SERVICE RECORDS |
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Date |
Event |
Aircraft Flown |
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02 Jan 1942 |
Enlisted at No. 5 Reception Centre (RC), Regina, Saskatchewan as AC2. |
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03 Feb 1942 |
No. 2 Manning Depot (MD), Brandon, Manitoba. |
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12 Apr 1942 |
No. 5 Bombing & Gunnery School (B&GS), Dafoe, Saskatchewan. |
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24 May 1942 |
No. 4 Initial Training School (ITS), Edmonton, Alberta. |
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17 Jul 1942 |
Promoted to Leading Aircraftman (LAC). |
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19 Jul 1942 |
No. 2 Air Observer School (AOS), Edmonton, Alberta. |
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06 Nov 1942 |
Awarded Air Navigator’s Flying Badge & promoted to Sergeant (Sgt). |
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21 Nov 1942 |
No. 1 ‘Y’ Depot, Halifax, Nova Scotia. |
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12 Dec 1942 |
Embarked Canada. |
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18 Dec 1942 |
Disembarked UK. |
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19 Dec 1942 |
No. 3 (RCAF) Personnel Reception Centre (PRC), Bournemouth, Hampshire. |
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03 Mar 1943 |
Whitby, Yorkshire. Until 31 March 1943. |
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06 May 1943 |
Promoted to Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt). |
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01 Jun 1943 |
No. 6 Air Observer School (AOS), Moreton Valence, Gloucestershire. |
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06 Jul 1943 |
No. 30 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Hixon, Staffordshire; joins unknown crew. |
Wellington |
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12 Oct 1943 |
No. 11 Base, Lindholme, Yorkshire; administrative Base for No. 1 Group heavy bomber conversions. |
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12 Oct 1943 |
No. 1656 Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU), Lindholme, Yorkshire. |
Halifax |
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06 Nov 1943 |
Promoted to Warrant Officer 2nd Class (WO2). |
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08 Nov 1943 |
No. 1 Lancaster Finishing School (LFS), Hemswell, Lincolnshire. |
Lancaster |
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21 Dec 1943 |
Joined No. 576 Squadron, 'B' Flight at Elsham Wolds, Linconshire. |
Lancaster |
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21 Mar 1944 |
Discharged on appointment to a commission. |
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22 Mar 1944 |
Commissioned as Pilot Officer (Plt Off). |
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11 Apr 1944 |
Aulnoye; lost in LL830 UL-R2, aged 21 |
Lancaster |
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576 Squadron FLYING RECORDS |
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Date |
Aircraft |
Code |
Flight Details |
T/O |
Land |
Flt Time |
Crew |
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15 Feb 1944 |
ND402 |
UL-R2 |
BERLIN |
1715 |
0030 |
7h15 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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15 Feb 1944 |
ND402 |
UL-R2 |
BERLIN |
1715 |
0030 |
7h15 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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15 Feb 1944 |
ND402 |
UL-R2 |
BERLIN |
1715 |
0030 |
7h15 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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15 Feb 1944 |
ND402 |
UL-R2 |
BERLIN |
1715 |
0030 |
7h15 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb 'Cookie', 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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19 Feb 1944 |
LM439 |
UL-X2 |
LEIPZIG |
2345 |
0730 |
7h45 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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20 Feb 1944 |
LM439 |
UL-X2 |
STUTTGART |
2340 |
0740 |
8h00 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries. |
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24 Feb 1944 |
ND402 |
UL-R2 |
SCHWEINFURT |
1820 |
0225 |
8h05 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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25 Feb 1944 |
ND402 |
UL-R2 |
AUGSBURG |
1820 |
0225 |
8h05 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Aircraft factories Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 56x 30lb and 1,122x 4lb incendiaries |
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22 Mar 1944 |
LL830 |
UL-R2 |
FRANKFURT |
1850 |
0050 |
6h00 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,062x 4lb incendiaries |
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24 Mar 1944 |
LL830 |
UL-R2 |
BERLIN |
1855 |
0320 |
8h25 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 924x 4lb incendiaries |
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26 Mar 1944 |
LL830 |
UL-R2 |
ESSEN |
1945 |
0115 |
5h30 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4,000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,170x 4lb incendiaries |
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30 Mar 1944 |
LL830 |
UL-R2 |
NUREMBERG |
2200 |
0615 |
8h15 |
P1 Fg Off F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Built-up area Load: 1x 4000lb ‘Cookie’, 108x 30lb and 1,020x 4lb incendiaries Attacked by Bf-109; returned fire, but no damage was sustained to either aircraft |
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10 Apr 1944 |
LL830 |
UL-R2 |
AULNOYE |
nk |
FTR |
uk |
P1 Flt Lt F.S. Barnsdale |
NOTES: |
Target: Marshalling yards Load: 12x 1,000lb and 4x 500lb bombs Likely take off time 2320, but this is not shown in the Squadron records. The aircraft was shot down by Hauptmann Helmut Bergmann of 6/ NJG-4 in his Bf-110 at 0230 to the north of Solesmes (the second of seven bombers he shot down that night in just 46 minutes). The aircraft came down in Haussy, 10 miles E of Cambrai; there were no survivors |
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PERSONAL INFORMATION |
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Details |
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Alexander Grant Campbell was born 7 Oct 1922 in Williamstown, Glengarry County, Ontario, Canada. He was the son of The Revd. Harvey Binkley Campbell DD, BA, and Grace MacLennan Grant, later Montreal, Province of Qubec Nov 1922 – Apr 1930, Ontario Apr 1930-Aug 1932, Montreal, PQ Aug 1932 – Jul 1938; Regina, Saskatchewan Jul-1938 until enlistment. He had two sibling brothers: Robert Roy (his twin) who also died on active service with 419 Squadron RCAF on 13 May 44 (Louvain) and Donald Harvey (1927 – 2010). He attended the following schools: 1928-1938 - Woodlands Primary School, Verdun, Ontario 1938-1941 - Central Collegiate, Regina, Saskatchewan 1941-1941 – Regina College, Saskatchewan 1940-41 – Collegiate Cadets Sep-Dec 41 – Auxiliary Battalion, Regina College - Private
One wonders how his parents coped with this double loss but perhaps their faith gave them some comfort. Records for 1947 show the preparations made by Alexander and Robert’s father and mother (Reverend Harvey Campbell and Mrs Grace (née Grant) Campbell) to visit their sons’ graves in France and Belgium.
The Prince Albert Daily Herald (23 April 1952) reported the naming of various unnamed bays, islands, lakes and rivers in honour of the fallen. One of these is Campbell Bay ‘5*15' N, 104*36 W; Campbell Bay Lac La Ronge. Named in Memory of Alexander Grant Campbell, Pilot Officer, Royal Canadian Air Force, Killed in Action, April 11, 1944, Age 21, Buried in France Robert Roy Campbell, Flying Officer, Royal Canadian Air Force, Killed in Action, May 13, 1944, Buried in Belgium; Brothers from Regina, Saskatchewan - On Active Service To Their Country’ https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/artifact/3051360 |
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PHOTOS & DOCUMENTS |
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Details |
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A G Campbell on enlistmentGovernment of Canada Library and Archives |
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A G Campbell MedalsCanadian War Museum |
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A G Campbell Medals FrontCanadian War Museum |
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Campbell brothers commemorated at Campbell BayCanadian War Museum |
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Newwspaper ReportBrock Kerby |
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