LEST WE FORGET 115 CROMPTON, Harry WWI Harry Crompton was born on June 7, 1884, in Bradford, England, the son of Harry and Mary Crompton. He moved to Hawarden, Saskatchewan where he was living with his wife Leona when he enlisted in Regina on October 23, 1914, at the age of thirty. He listed his occupation as town policeman. Sgt. Major Crompton was serving with the 28th Battalion of the Canadian Infantry in France when he was killed in action on September 15, 1916. His battalion was moving to a position in what would become the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, part of the larger Somme Offensive. The battle featured the use of tanks for the first time in armed warfare. Harry Crompton is commemorated at the Vimy Memorial. CROSS, Robert Tracy WWII Tracy was born in Yorkton, Saskatchewan on December 5, 1923. He signed up in Yorkton in 1942 doing his basic training in Lachine, Quebec; then spent four months in Moose Jaw and three months in St. Thomas, Ontario where he met his best friend in the forces, Roy Wells from Swift Current, SK. Tracy’s rank was Leading Aircraftman – A Group. He then went to #11 Service Flying Training School where they were using Twin Engine Cessna Crane aircraft. Tracy served in several units, #6 Bomber Command (worked on Auster aircraft); #666 AOP (Air Observation Post) Squadron and #443 Spitfire Squadron serving in England, Holland, and Germany. When the World War II ended, that was when Tracy was sent to Europe, the rest of the time he was stationed in England. They had to be very resourceful in how they repaired planes with minimal equipment. Tracy noted that when he was with the AOP Squadron, it was a mixture of Army and Air Force personnel and the uniform that they wore was a mixture of both branches of the service. They wore Army battle dress but with a blue wedge cap and blue shirt which was part of the Air Force uniform. In 1942, there were only three AOP Squadrons in the entire Air Force. More were added as the war progressed. Another interesting fact was that in the AOP Squadron the pilots of the single engine spotter planes were Army personnel. These brave men had no protection as they flew reconnaissance taking photos, etc. The pilots of the AOP were Air Force and the ground crew was part of the Air Force as well. Because the AOP Squadron was very mobile, they lived in tents. Tracy was discharged in Winnipeg in 1946. He is a member of The Royal Canadian Legion Yorkton Branch 77.
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