101 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca DAVIES, WilliamT. W. WWII William was born in Welwyn, Saskatchewan, in 1915. He enlisted in October 1940 with the Canadian Provost Corps serving in the United Kingdom. He was discharged in January 1946. William had been a member of Russell Branch 159 of The Royal Canadian Legion for 57 years before he passed away in 2007. DELMAGE, Albert Edward “Bert” WWII Bert was born in Minnedosa. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in January 1943, in Winnipeg. Prior to this, he lived on the family farm in Cameron District, north of Minnedosa. His initial training took place in the Ford Building in Winnipeg, followed by a posting to Manning Depot at Lachine, Quebec. Bert proceeded to Technical School at St. Thomas, Ontario, (TTS), where he took a course in Air Frame Mechanics and graduated as a rigger on January 12, 1944, with Honours. His next posting was to Ferry Command in Dorval, Quebec, where he worked mainly on B-25 Mitchells, B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses.These aircraft were flown from Dorval to Britain via Goose Bay, Labrador, for air operations by aircrews in Bomber Command. Bert was then posted to the R.C.A.F. Operational Training Unit at Boundry Bay, BC, where crews were being trained on B-25 Mitchells and Liberators for operations in the Japanese theatre of war.They were also being trained on Kitty Hawk fighter aircraft. On February 21, 1945, while at Boundry Bay, Bert spotted a Japanese balloon over the mainland. A Kitty Hawk from 133 Squadron was immediately dispatched and shot it down. The balloon landed off the end of the runway. No one was allowed to go near it for fear of germ warfare. It was picked up by the appropriate personnel and they never saw any more of it. Bert’s dad, Simon Delmage, died on V.E. Day, 1945. Bert got his discharge near the end of the following August. In 1950, he married Doreen Petrick of Brandon. They raised three children. Bert returned to the farm for a while, then trained as an electrician at the University of Manitoba. He worked as an electrician for many years before retiring on February 25, 1983. He received a letter of appreciation and medal for his 36 years in the Public Service from Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Bert kept busy in retirement, golfing and spending time with the retired civil servants’ organization, and the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon. His son was one of the original people involved in the C.A.T.P. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945.
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