223 The Royal Canadian Legion MANITOBA & NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO COMMAND www.mbnwo.ca WILSON, James Murray WWII James was born on September 25, 1919, in Neepawa, Manitoba, the son of James and Jane Wilson. He was raised in Shoal Lake, Manitoba where his father was a grain buyer. James enlisted in Winnipeg on September 5, 1940, in the Royal Canadian Air Force. As a Sergeant Pilot, he was stationed in England where he died during training exercises when his Armstrong-Whitley aircraft crashed near RAF Brackla Highland County Scotland. He was 22 years old. James is commemorated at the Kinloss Abbey Burial Ground and the Shoal Lake War Memorial. WOODCOCK, Gerald “Harvey” WWII Harvey received his Air Gunner’s Wing upon graduation in Dafoe, Saskatchewan, as Sergeant Air Gunner. He was one of three sons of John and Pearl Woodcock who enlisted in World War II. Early in 1942, he was posted overseas to the United Kingdom. He underwent further training in the UK before being involved in air operations over enemy-held territory. He had been overseas about a year and a half when his family received word that he was missing in action and later confirmed killed in action. The last raid Harvey participated in was on July 29-30, 1943, over Hamburg, Germany. In this bombing operation, 777 aircraft took part, composing of 340 Lancasters, 244 Halifaxes, 119 Stirlings, 70 Wellingtons, and four Mosquitoes. The intension of the raid was to approach Hamburg from almost due north and bomb the northern and northeastern districts which had so far not been bombed. The Pathfinders marking the area for bombers came in more than two miles too far east and thus marked an area just south of the devastated firestorm area. The main bombing force crept back almost four miles but did produce very heavy bombing in the Wandsbek and Barmbek districts, as well as part of the Uhlenhorst and Winterfuds districts. Seven hundred and seven aircraft dropped 2,318 tons of bombs on these mostly residential areas. A total of 28 aircraft were lost: 11 Halifaxes, 11 Lancasters, 4 Stirlings, and 2 Wellingtons. Flight Sergeant Air Gunner Gerald Harvey Woodcock, more commonly called Harvey, Royal Canadian Air Force #78 Squadron (Nemo Non Paratus), age 24, was killed in action on July 30, 1943, when his Halifax aircraft #JB798 was shot down southwest of Lubeck at Bad Oldesloe, Germany. He is buried in Plot 6A, Row 7, Grave 10 in the Oberstdorf Cemetery in Hamburg, Germany. F/O Baillie, Sgts. T. Campbell (RAF), W.E. Goodacre (RAF) and J.R. Nicholls (RAF), were also killed. Harvey’s brother, Kenneth John, Rifleman, was also killed in action on March 30, 1945. Harvey was awarded the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, Defence Medal, and War Medal 1939-1945.
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