493 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND SPROULE, William Harold “Bill” Bill was born on July 18, 1918 in Brampton, Ontario. He was a Flight Sergeant and rear gunner on a Whitley bomber. His flight training was completed in Winnipeg, Manitoba. DuringWorldWar II, he was attached to the RAF 58 Bomber Squadron and was shot down in the North Sea off the coast of Holland on the morning of October 11, 1941 while returning from a bombing raid in Essen, Germany. He was the only surviving crew member and was captured by German soldiers when he reached the shore. While recuperating in the hospital from gunshot wounds to his head and legs, the German officer who shot his plane down came to visit him. He spent the remaining years of the war in various Prisoner of War camps throughout Germany and Poland. Some years after the war, he was able to locate and contact this German officer and they remained friends corresponding with each other until his death in 1996. In their correspondence the most poignant phrase sticks to mind “Forced to be enemies but chose to be friends”. He was a long-time member of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 15. William passed away on September 29, 1996. STANDING, William Gordon “Gord” Born in Ottawa, and during his childhood, Gord became interested with Ham radios and decided to join the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII in February 1940. His experience sent him to Toronto and Montreal Wireless schools for training and was shipped overseas to England and as a Corporal and Sergeant, worked as a Wireless Operator. In early 1943 he returned to Canada for Air Crew training and Bomber training in Manitoba where he received his commission as a Captain. In 1944 he was shipped back to England to train on Bomber aircrafts and later joined Squadron 415 as a Navigation Air Bomber. As part of his crew, he performed 30 bombing missions over France and Germany striking trainyards, refineries, shipyards, airfields and a submarine. Following WWII, he transferred to the RCAF auxiliary reserves before being transferred back to the regular force as a Flying Officer in 1952 serving on Pinetree Radar Stations in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Newfoundland, Ontario and New Brunswick and became a Flight Lieutenant. He received several decorations, campaign stars and other awards including the 193945 Star. Following his release in 1968, Gord used his technical knowledge repairing televisions for Sears for 13 years. He also joined the Experimental Aircraft Association and built an aircraft which he flew for a period of five years. Gord at 100 years old, is a 34-year member of the Captain A. Roy Brown Branch 192 in Carleton Place. SPURR, Herbert Herbert was born on July 14, 1880 in Lincolnshire, England. He and his wife came to Canada and settled in Ravenswood, Ontario in 1914. He enlisted in the Army to serve in World War I on January 18, 1915 with 34th Battalion, later 1st Battalion of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. He sailed on SS Corsican. While Herbert was on the front trenches, a portion of bursting shell struck him in the head producing one-inch depressions. His right eye was also injured. The removal of the eye was necessary. He was in Boulogne Hospital for three weeks and Moorfield Eye Hospital for seven weeks. Herbert had eight months in Flanders-France before his injuries. After his discharge in 1920, Herbert farmed in Ravenswood and raised a family. He was in poor health for many years due to his war injuries. Herbert passed away on May 6, 1960 and is buried at Ravenswood Cemetery.
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