August 9, 2026. Several months ago, an article sent by Don Coutts, nephew of WWII pilot Elmer Bagnall MUTTART, about Flying Officer Bernard Delbert FORBES, an airman from North Bay, Ontario, who died in a February 1, 1953 plane crash in Newfoundland, led to the discovery that one crew member was Corporal Joseph ‘Donat’ GALLANT of Urbainville, Prince Edward Island.  (See Shared from BayToday.ca: Tragic 1953 crash that killed North Bay airman still remembered: https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/tragic-1953-crash-that-killed-north-bay-airman-still-remembered-11879654?utm_source=Email_Share&utm_medium=Email_Share&utm_campaign=Email_Share)

Born March 17, 1918 in Urbainville, Prince Edward Island, Donat was the son of Cyrus and Edna Gallant.  A WWII veteran, he was living in Wellingon, Prince Edward Island, with his wife Mary Émilie (nee Gaudet) Gallant, who he’d married on October 4, 1943.  They were the parents of three children – Ronald, Sandra, and Gerald.

We were interested in finding a family member, if possible, and thanks to several Gallants who lived in the area where the airman came from, Pieter was soon put in contact with Evelyn Gallant, wife of Donat’s son Ron.

….The leadup to the crash…

Donat had re-enlisted in the RCAF on January 8, 1948 in Summerside, Prince Edward Island. According to an article in the February 20, 1953 edition of the Telegraph-Journal of St. John, New Brunswick, Donat had been “…stationed at the Chatham RCAF base before transfer to Greenwood, where he completed a flight engineer’s course in November…”

Based in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, he was a member of No. 405 ‘Eagle’ (Maritime Reconnaissance) Squadron, a long-range patrol unit involved in maritime surveillance and Arctic sovereignty. Originally formed on April 3, 1941 in England as the first RCAF bomber squadron overseas, and serving as an elite Pathfinder force unit. Disbanded on September 5, 1945, it was reformed on April 1, 1947 as No. 405 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron at RCAF Station Greenwood, and was later re-designated No. 405 Maritime Reconnaissance Squadron in 1950, and today is known as No. 405 Maritime Patrol Squadron. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/405_Long_Range_Patrol_Squadron)

In January 1953, two Lancaster KB868 and Lancaster KB914 crews, from No. 405 ‘Eagle’ (Maritime Reconnaissance) Squadron, were sent to Keflavik, Iceland, to take part in an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercise.

However, on Saturday, January 31, 1953, both crews received orders to proceed to Goose Bay, Labrador, to participate in the search for a missing civilian twin-engine Beechcraft 18 Expeditor. The plan was to fly to the vicinity of Bluie West One (now Narsarsuaq Airport) located near the southern tip of Greenland, and then do a track crawl to Goose Bay, while looking for any signs of the missing aircraft.  (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narsarsuaq_Air_Base)

Both Lancasters left Keflavik on Sunday, February 1, 1953. Lancaster KB914 left Keflavik at 7:31 am (1031 Zulu).  Lancaster KB868 arrived safely around 3:30 pm (1826 Zulu) at RCAF Station Goose Bay, landing with the plane coated with heavy snow.  Goose Bay was getting dumped on by heavy snow and the base was ‘socked in’.  (NOTE: Zulu Time is the world standard time used in aviation. Also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), it remains constant, unaffected by Daylight Saving Time changes.)

…. Lancaster KB914 didn’t have a safe arrival….

By the time that Lancaster KB914, which had been directed to the search area, began approaching Goose Bay at 4:26 pm (1926 Zulu), not only was the base ‘socked in’, but the Ground Control Approach (GCA) system was unserviceable, and the aircrew had no visibility.

With the situation preventing the plane from landing at Goose Bay, the pilot, Thomas Claude WAGAR, was ordered to divert to the RCAF Station in Torbay, Newfoundland (now St. John’s International Airport). The plane was at a height of 2,135 metres (7,000 feet) and had five hours of fuel left. The order was acknowledged, a course was plotted to their new destination, and the plane headed in an easterly direction.  The estimated time of arrival at Torbay was 7:09 pm (2209 Zulu), well within safe fuel limits.

At 5:30 pm (2030 Zulu), however, an urgent message was sent to Goose Bay notifying them that the pilot had just feathered two of the four Rolls Royce Merlin engines and they were returning to Goose Bay. Feathering refers to turning the propeller blades so their thin edges point directly into the oncoming air. This stops the blades from spinning in the wind and cuts down heavy drag, helping to keep the plane steady.

Arrival at Goose Bay was estimated at 6:00 pm (2100 Zulu). 16 minutes later the pilot requested a weather update for Goose Bay. This was sent but not acknowledged. Radio contact between ground personnel and the plane suddenly ended. Lancaster KB914 was declared missing.

…. Lancaster KB914 wasn’t found until June….

When a massive air search, hampered by more bad weather and two other missing aircraft that also required attention, was unsuccessful, the search was called off on February 16.  In addition to the missing Lancaster and Beechcraft, a British York transport, carrying troops to Jamaica via Gander, vanished over the Atlantic on February 2, with cold, blowing snow still sweeping the area.

A February 3, 1953 article in the Globe and Mail noted that “…an extensive search from Greenland and Labrador bases found no trace of a Philadelphia-owned Beechcraft which disappeared Friday on a flight between Goose Bay, Labrador, and Greenland.  The Lancaster went down Sunday while searching for the civilian plane, which carried two men…”

Months went by, until, on June 15, 1953, the wreckage of the Lancaster KB914 was spotted from the air by D.P. Saunders, a civilian pilot with the Ottawa-based Laurentian Air Services.  An RCAF ground search party flew out to the wreckage site to recover the human remains and to investigate the scene.

Preliminary study of the ground showed that the aircraft had gone in almost vertically. Forest damage was limited due to the impact, although debris had struck trees up to 91 metres (100 yards) distant when the Lancaster exploded. The human remains were recovered on June 21.

….Why did the plane crash?…

According to the crash report, the plane crashed 153 km (95 miles) southeast of Goose Bay at around 5:46 pm (2046 Zulu). The plane’s engines had been covered with ice, and the plane’s de-icer did not work properly.

A summary of the evidence in the crash report indicated that “…from the position of the crash….” the plane was “….62 miles off track….”  (62 miles is about 100 km)

“….The pilot had reported that he was returning to Goose Bay with two engines feathered….”  No 1 and No 4 engines showed no issues, while the “…propellers of Nos. 2 and 3 engines indicated that they were in the feathered position…” suggesting that the plane “….was flying on the two outboard engines….”

With the inboard engines feathered, this meant that “…as some of the pilot’s instruments are operated by vacuum pumps (one on each inboard engine) he would be denied the use of his artificial horizon, turn and bank and directional gyro…”

As well, “….the hydraulic system would be inoperative….” as these were also on the inboard engines.  “….As the carburetor air intake shutters are hydraulically operated, the pilot would be unable to change the position of the shutters…” from where they were positioned before the engines had been feathered.

Why were the two engines feathered?  About one hour after the ordered diversion from Goose Bay to Torbay, “…the pilot was compelled to feather Engine No. 2 due to severe icing…” but the port de-icer didn’t work.  “….A short time later, the pilot found it necessary to feather No. 3 engine due to overheating…”

The pilot couldn’t see where he was flying, his artificial horizon and directional aids were inoperable, as was the hydraulic system.  Then, “…shortly before the accident, No. 1 engine failed or partially failed due to icing, resulting in complete loss of control by the pilot…”

Evidence showed that “…as two of the crew members had their parachutes on, it is more than likely that the pilot was attempting to have the crew bail out after he experienced loss of control…”

….The crew of Lancaster KB914…

Donat was one of two Flight Engineers aboard the last flight of Lancaster KB914.  The rest of the crew members were:

• Pilot – Flying Officer (F/O) Thomas Claude WAGAR DFC, from Kingston, Ontario but born in Parham, Ontario, aged 32. (DFC refers to Distinguished Flying Cross)
• Co-Pilot – Flying Officer (F/O) Charles Bruce SCOTT, from Saint John, New Brunswick, aged 27.
• Navigator – Flying Officer (F/O) Stephen James DECKER, born in Cooks Harbour, Newfoundland, aged 24.
• Navigator – Flying Officer (F/O) Douglas David Richard WOOD, from Peterborough, Ontario, aged age 21.
• Radio Officer – Flying Officer (F/O) Bernard Delbert FORBES, from North Bay, Ontario, aged 23.
• Radio Officer – Flying Officer (F/O) Frances ‘Frankie’ Steward FOWLOW, from St. John’s, Newfoundland, aged 24.
• Radio Officer – Flying Officer (F/O) Thurland Mabury TATE, from Grand Manan, New Brunswick, aged 22.
• Flight Engineer – Corporal Roger David Joseph LALONDE, from Kirkland Lake, Ontario but born in Cobalt, Ontario, aged 30.

….A mass funeral was held for all 9 men in Greenwood…

A mass funeral was held on June 26, 1953 in Greenwood, Nova Scotia, for the nine airmen. The ceremonies took place in the Catholic Chapel and in the Station Drill Hall after which the body of each airman was transported to his Canadian hometown for final burial.

….Donat is buried at Baie Egmont (St. Jacques) Cemetery…

Evelyn Gallant noted that after the mass funeral service in Greenwood, there was another service held  “….in Egmont Bay church….” (St. Philippe et St. Jacques Roman Catholic Church)

Ron Gallant, the oldest of Donat’s children, was 7 when his father died.  He said he “…remembered the soldiers at the church and the guns at the funeral. After the funeral, Father Burke brought us home.  My mother never remarried, and is buried next to my father….”

Donat was buried in Baie Egmont (St. Jacques) Cemetery in Prince Edward Island.  We visited the cemetery one beautiful, sunny day in June, and Pieter placed Canadian, Prince Edward Island, and Acadian flags by his grave.

….A memorial in Greenwood honours the crew of Lancaster KB914…

On May 27, 2022, a ceremony to honour the crew of Lancaster KB914 was held, with a memorial placed in the Commemorative Garden at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum at 14 Wing Greenwood.  (The family of Frances ‘Frankie’ Steward FOWLOW did attend the ceremony: https://auroranewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/pdf/Archive/2022/4322news.pdf)

Ron said he never met the families of the other crew members, and was unable to attend the 2022 ceremony as he was recovering from an operation.  However, he and Evelyn subsequently visited Greenwood to see the memorial.

Thank you to Ron and Evelyn Gallant for providing photos and information, to Shawn Rainville for newspaper research, and to Don Coutts for letting us know about the last flight of Lancaster KB914. Thank you to Wendy Nattress, who prepared the map showing the flight path for Lancaster KB914.

The flags placed at Donat’s grave during our visit were donated.  Our thanks go to:

• Alan Waddell, Constituent Assistant, on behalf of Heath MacDonald, MP for Malpeque, for the Canadian flag.
• Matt MacFarlane, MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) for District 19, Borden-Kinkora, Prince Edward Island, for the Prince Edward Island flag.
• La Société acadienne de Clare at the request of Simone Comeau, for the Acadian flag.

Pieter’s research efforts to find photos and families of soldiers continue. Do you have a story to tell? Email Pieter at memorialtrail@gmail.com, or comment on the blog.

© Daria Valkenburg

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