Leonard Arthur UNWIN

On The War Memorial Trail…. Remembrance Week 2024 –Remembering Those Who Served In The RCAF During WWII

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Remembrance_Day_2024_3840x2160

November 7, 2024.  As we reflect on the service and sacrifices made by so many who have served, both during conflicts and in peacetime, I took a look back at previous stories told over the years.  2024 commemorates 100 years of service for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a distinct military element, and so it seemed appropriate to dedicate this posting to stories previously told of those who served in the RCAF during WWII. 

…The Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside has a commemorative stone honouring Flight Officer Joe McIver….

IMG_20190807_101837076 Entrance to Air Force Heritage Park Summerside

Entrance to Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Several years ago we visited the Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside to look at the commemorative stone honouring Flight Officer Joseph ‘Joe’ Charles MCIVER of Kinkora, Prince Edward Island.  Joe was the navigator aboard B24 Liberator MkVIII EV895 on November 18, 1944, when it went down near the Arctic Circle while on anti-submarine patrol looking for a suspected U-boat off Gardskagi, Iceland.  There were no survivors.

You can read his story at:

IMG_20190807_101038750 McIver Commemorative Stone Summerside

Commemorative Stone at Air Force Heritage Park, Summerside, Prince Edward Island. (Photo credit: Pieter Valkenburg)

 … Pilot Elmer Muttart saved his crew and the Dutch village of Wons but sacrificed his own life to do so ….

The very first airman whose story was researched by Pieter was that of Elmer Bagnall MUTTART of Cape Traverse, Prince Edward Island, whose name is listed on the Cenotaph outside the Borden-Carleton Legion.  Elmer was the pilot aboard Halifax L9561 when it was shot twice by German night fighters on October 12, 1941, while the plane was on its way to a bombing raid on Bremen, Germany. 

After ordering the crew to bail out, Elmer managed to steer the burning plane away from the Dutch village of Wons, in the province of Friesland, before it crashed in a farmer’s field, just outside the village. He was the only casualty and is buried in Harlingen General Cemetery in The Netherlands.  The rest of the crew spent the war years in prisoner of war camps before being liberated. On October 12, 2019, a memorial panel was placed near the crash site in Wons to honour Elmer and his crew, an emotional journey for all of us who attended.

You can read his story here:

 … Pilot Hubert Hall was a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down in 1942 ….

John ‘Hubert’ HALL of Summerside, Prince Edward Island, was the pilot aboard Wellington Z1203, which crashed in The Netherlands near Mijdrecht on the night of March 28/29, 1942.  Hubert spent the remainder of the war years as a prisoner of war in POW camp Stalag Luft III, located in present-day Żagań, Poland, before returning home to Canada.

You can read his story at:

… Navigator Bunky FitzGerald is in an unmarked grave after Halifax W1175 crashed off the Dutch coast….

Rowan Charles ‘Bunky’ FITZGERALD, of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, was the navigator aboard Halifax W1175 of the 405th Vancouver Squadron RCAF when it was hit by shellfire (flak) as the plane was returning from Bremen, Germany on the morning of June 28, 1942. 

The plane crashed into a sandbank in the Wadden Sea, off the Dutch coast between the Island of Texel and the mainland, 15.5 km from Harlingen, in the province of Friesland.  There were no survivors. Only one crew member’s body was identified, and was buried in Harlingen General Cemetery in The Netherlands. His grave is between 3 unknown graves, one of which may just contain the remains of Bunky FitzGerald. 

You can read his story at:

… Pilot Lorne MacFarlane survived all his flights and returned home…

Pilot Lorne MACFARLANE, of Fernwood, Prince Edward Island, successfully flew 40 missions overseas and was then assigned to fly dignitaries, mail, and personnel between England and the front lines until the war ended.  After returning safely back to Canada, he was the Officer In Charge at RCAF No 1 Radio and Navigation School in Summerside, Prince Edward Island.

You can read his story at:

… Wireless operator Bob Dickie almost made it safely back to England…

Robert ‘Bob’ James DICKIE, of Carlton (now Borden-Carleton), Prince Edward Island, was the wireless operator aboard Lancaster JB312 on February 21, 1944 when it collided with another plane during a bombing sortie in Stuttgart, Germany.  Although badly damaged, the plane was able make it back to England, but then crashed as it approached the runway. There were no survivors. Bob is buried at Cambridge City Cemetery in England.

You can read his story at:

… Pilot Leonard Unwin’s plane crashed on Christmas Eve…

Pilot Leonard Arthur UNWIN, of Windsor, Ontario, was a flying instructor in Summerside, Prince Edward Island and Moncton, New Brunswick, before going overseas in May 1943.  On December 24, 1944, he left from his base in Belgium, one of the pilots in a section of 4 Typhoon planes on an armed reconnaissance in the Utrecht area in The Netherlands. While attacking a convoy of three German trucks in Woudenberg, the plane’s tailpiece broke off, the plane destabilized, and crashed. He’s buried in Woudenberg Municipal Cemetery in The Netherlands.

You can read his story at:

… Flight student Ralph McCutcheon lost his life in a training accident…

Flight student Ralph Gordon MCCUTCHEON, of Toronto, Ontario, but who was born in Buffalo, New York, USA, lost his life in a tragic accident that happened during his training at the No. 9 Service Flying Training School RCAF in Summerside, Prince Edward Island on the morning of June 11, 1942.  While training in a Harvard MK2 plane, it crashed in a farm field in North Tryon, Prince Edward Island.

You can read his story at:

… Gunner William Andrew Hood was aboard the last flight of Halifax JD215…

William Andrew HOOD, of Little Bras D’or, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, was the mid-upper gunner aboard Halifax JD215 when it was shot down over The Netherlands on June 29, 1943.  None of the crew survived. He’s buried in Eindhoven General Cemetery in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

You can read his story at:

… Navigator Arnold Hupman was aboard Lancaster X KB728 VR-V when it exploded over Arnhem, The Netherlands…

Navigator Arnold Freeman HUPMAN, of East Side of Ragged Island, Shelburne County, Nova Scotia, lost his life when the Lancaster bomber he was in, Lancaster X KB728 VR-V, was attacked by a German night fighter and exploded on the outskirts of Arnhem, The Netherlands as it was returning from a bombing operation against the synthetic oil plant at Sterkrade in Germany on the night of June 16 to 17, 1944. There were no survivors, and all 7 crew members are now buried in the Canadian War Cemetery in Groesbeek, The Netherlands.

You can read his story at:

… Pilot Douglas MacKenzie did not survive the last flight of Halifax DT630…

Jack ‘Douglas’ MACKENZIE,  of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was the pilot of Halifax DT630 (call sign VR-T), one of 8 heavy Halifax bombers sent on a night raid to Hamburg, Germany on February 3, 1943.  It was shot down by a night fighter over the province of Drenthe in The Netherlands. 4 men died, including Douglas, while 3 survived and spent the remainder of the war in prisoner of war camps.  He’s buried in Sleen General Cemetery in The Netherlands, along with the other 3 casualties of that flight.

You can read his story at:

… Pilot Dusty Millar’s spitfire ran out of fuel and crashed…

George Glenn ‘Dusty’ MILLAR, of Winnipeg, Manitoba, was killed on September 28, 1944 while flying a Spitfire Mark IX on patrol with his squadron over Nijmegen, The Netherlands. After Dusty reported on his radio that the plane was low in fuel, it crashed southeast of Weibosch near Schijndel, in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant.  He is buried in Uden War Cemetery in The Netherlands.

You can read his story at:

May we never forget the sacrifices made by these airmen, and their families, during WWII.  Unfortunately, while we live free in Canada, so many people today live in a war zone and are experiencing death, uncertainty, and insecurity in not knowing what will happen next.  Lest we forget is never more appropriate.

If you have a story to tell, please let Pieter know. You can email him at memorialtrail@gmail.com, comment on the blog, or send a tweet to @researchmemori1.  

© Daria Valkenburg

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On The War Memorial Trail….. The WW2 Pilot Who Lost His Life In The Netherlands On Christmas Eve

/ On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter & Daria / 2 Comments

April 3, 2021. Sometimes a story is so sad that it’s difficult to write.  That was the case during our Memorial Trail visit in Europe in 2017 when we fulfilled a request by Paul Schurman to visit the grave of a WW2 RCAF serviceman who was a flying instructor at the No. 9 Service Flying Training School RCAF in Summerside, and boarded at the home of Paul’s parents.

Leonard Arthur Unwin. (Photo source: Canadian Virtual War Memorial)

Flight Lieutenant Leonard Arthur UNWIN, born January 2, 1917 in Sheffield, England, was the son of James Arthur Unwin and Minnie Goswin, who immigrated to Windsor, Ontario, where Leonard grew up. He was married to Evelyn Marie Paris.

Leonard enlisted on June 6, 1940 in Windsor, Ontario and was in the first RCAF class held at Windsor Airport.  In addition to being a flying instructor in Summerside, he was also an instructor in Moncton, New Brunswick, before going overseas in May 1943.  He served in England, France, and Belgium.

On December 24, 1944 he left from his base in Belgium and was shot down in The Netherlands.  According to the British Royal Air Force report, Leonard was one of the pilots in a section of 4 Typhoon planes “….on an armed recce in the Utrecht area. The section sighted and duly attacked three lorries moving along a road south east of Amersfoort….”

The first two planes encountered “…little flak...” Leonard was in the third plane.  The pilot of the 4th plane reported that “…by the time F/Lt Unwin and himself attacked, there was quite intense light flak coming from fields on either side of the road.  They dived from approximately 7,000 feet and he observed F/Lt Unwin’s strikes on the way down….” 

Unfortunately, Leonard’s plane “….continued in the dive and blew up either on hitting the ground, or quite close to it….”

Leonard is not buried in one of the Canadian War Cemeteries, but in a municipal cemetery in Woudenberg, one of two Commonwealth burials in a huge cemetery …. Leonard Unwin and a pilot from New Zealand.

We were looking for the typical Commonwealth headstone we’d seen in other cemeteries, but were unsuccessful.  Since the cemetery was so big, Pieter and I split up, hoping one of us would be able to spot it.  Nothing.

Pieter had disappeared in another direction, looking for someone to help us.  Just as I was about to give up, the groundskeeper came by on his bicycle.  I asked him if he could speak English and he said yes.  (It’s amazing to me how it’s never Pieter, who speaks the language fluently, who has these encounters!)

Luckily for me, the groundskeeper, who introduced himself as Theo Imminkhuizen, said yes, and I explained that I was looking for a Commonwealth grave.  Theo noticed I was holding a Canadian flag (plus a PEI flag, which he would not have recognized) and asked if I was looking for a Canadian grave.  Yes, I said, and he offered to show me where it was. 

Pieter came by when he saw me talking to someone, so we all went together.  We were very lucky to have encountered Theo as we would not have found the grave.  Instead of a Commonwealth stone, it was a grave in the Dutch tradition.  The only thing different was that the headstone was written in English, instead of Dutch.  This was the same for the pilot from New Zealand buried next to Leonard.

Pieter by the grave of Leonard Arthur Unwin. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Paul Schurman had told Pieter that Leonard’s family had heard that when the plane crashed, Leonard’s body lay on the ground for days as the Germans refused to bury him, or to allow the Dutch to do so.  This was a warning of what happens to those who oppose the Germans, people were told. 

Pieter mentioned this horrible story to Theo, who confirmed it was true. He wasn’t buried until December 27.  If we didn’t mind to wait a few minutes, he had something to show us that he had in his office.

Commemorative plaque honouring Leonard Arthur Unwin. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

While Theo went upstairs to his office, an older man came by and stopped for a chat.  He introduced himself as Wout Blokhuis, and explained that he was a retired funeral director who had been involved in many burials in the cemetery.  Now retired, he likes to walk the cemetery grounds on a daily basis.

Theo returned with a plaque honouring Leonard, and said it’s put out by his grave every Liberation Day, on May 5.  The plaque is in Dutch, but Pieter was kind enough to provide this translation:

Leonard Arthur Unwin

Canadian Leonard Unwin stopped his education in 1940 to volunteer for the Canadian Air Force.  At the age of 27, he died during an attack on German troops.

On December 24, 1944, during an attack on an enemy target in the province of Utrecht, around 16:00 hours, he attacked a convoy of three German trucks on the Stationweg in Woudenberg.  During the dive, the plane’s tailpiece broke off, the plane destabilized, and crashed. 

In 2012, Leonard’s family visited Woudenberg from Canada.  They visited the site of the plane crash, and his grave.  They brought with them a small bag containing Canadian soil, to be spread on Leonard’s grave.

At the Woudenberg Municipal Cemetery.  Left to right: Wout Blokhuis, Pieter with the plaque, Theo Imminkhuizen. (Photo credit: Daria Valkenburg)

Thank you to Paul Shurman for bringing Leonard’s story to our attention, and a big thank you to Theo Imminkhuizen for his kindness in helping two Canadians find a grave.  If you have information to share about Canadian soldiers buried in The Netherlands, please email us at dariadv@yahoo.ca, comment on the blog, or send a tweet to @researchmemori1.  

You are also invited to subscribe to our YouTube Channel: On The War Memorial Trail With Pieter Valkenburg: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ591TyjSheOR-Cb_Gs_5Kw. 

© Daria Valkenburg