219 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca TOMLINSON, George Lawrence WWII George was born in 1925 in Cameron District, Minnedosa, Manitoba. The family farm in Cameron District, northwest of Minnedosa, Manitoba, was his home when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in Winnipeg on November 30, 1943. He was seventeen years old. His first posting was to #3 Manning Depot in Edmonton on December 5. He was there until just before Christmas, December 21. Then he was sent to Riverview School in Winnipeg for a refresher course to upgrade his education as he wanted to be in the aircrew. This course lasted from January 4 to March 25, 1944. Two days after he finished his refresher course in Winnipeg, George was posted to #9 Bombing and Gunnery School at Mont-Joli, Quebec. That is where he took his training as an Air Gunner (AG). He did his drogue training on Fairey Battles, single-engine aircraft, many of which were used in the early stages of the war in the Battle of Britain against the German Luftwaffe. Drogue training involved a long cable being towed by another aircraft, the end of which was fastened to a long white sock affair. This was the target at which George shot at as an air gunner, firing broadside. When the drogue was cut loose and had fallen to the ground at the conclusion of the exercise, the number of holes in it were counted and recorded and the Air Gunner’s score was tallied in relation to the number of shots fired. On completion of this course on June 16, 1944, George graduated as Sergeant Air Gunner (Sgt. AG) and was awarded his Air Gunner’s Wings. He was then posted to Three Rivers, Quebec on July 4, 1944 followed by a posting to Lachine, Quebec in preparation for overseas draft. He was in Lachine until July 28, when he sailed for the United Kingdom on the Empress of Scotland from Halifax. The ship was formerly the Empress of Japan. The name was changed to the Empress of Scotland after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entry of Japan into the war. After four or five days on the Atlantic, their ship docked in Liverpool. They made their unescorted voyage and travelled at a pretty good clip. Holding units for the RCAF personnel at Innworth and Bournemouth in the south of England is where he spent the time after debarkation until September 7 when he was posted to #10 Operational Training Unit in Abingdon, Berkshire where he trained flying Whitleys and Wellingtons. #10 O.T.U. at Stanton Harcourt was his next posting on October 23, 1944, for further Air Gunner Training. He was there until the following December 10. After returning, their crew was sent to #1663 Conversion Unit at Rufforth, Yorkshire, on March 8. There they changed from flying dual-engine aircraft to four motor Halifax III bomber aircraft. That was quite a change from Whitleys and Wellingtons. He was promoted to Flight Sergeant (FS) on March 12, 1945. On V.E. Day, March 8, 1945, he was posted to #415 Bomber Squadron at Eastmoor inYorkshire, flying Halifax aircraft. Then, on July 21, he was posted to #424 Squadron at Skipton-on-Swale, where he flew Lancaster aircraft on bomb disposal duty over the North Sea. This involved disposing of bombs from most #6 Bomber Group Stations. His promotion to Warrant Officer Second Class became effective December 16, 1945. When his assignment was completed, on October 2, they moved to #427 Squadron in Leeming, Yorkshire, for more bomb disposal duty as well as flying British soldiers home from Naples and Bari in Italy until May 16, 1946. At that time, his repatriation had come through and he sailed home on the Ile de France from Southampton, landing in Halifax. After a long train ride toWinnipeg and appreciated leave, he was discharged in Winnipeg on June 21, 1946. After his discharge, George returned to the farm in the Cameron District. During the winter months, he worked as an ice maker at the curling rink in Minnedosa from 1967 to 1986. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, Defence of Britain Medal, and War Medal 1939-1945. In 1966, he married Ann Ewachewski who worked as a stenographer for the Manitoba Department of Agriculture in Minnedosa. He and Ann raised a family of two sons, Jim and Scott. The boys farmed as Tomlinson Bros. following his retirement in 1992. They lived on the farm and enjoyed farm life as well as reading, fishing, gardening and curling. He was a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Minnedosa Branch for over fifty years. George passed away in 2019.
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