ST. GEORGE RURAL CEMETERY
On 19-September-2008 Sheri & myself visited the ten (10) gravesites of airmen from No.34 Operational Training Unit, Pennfield Ridge.
SMITH/PUTT (22-November-1942):
| Sgt. Desmond Smith (GB1477985) was authorized to take off at 1645 hours for the purpose of carrying out local training in Ventura AE868. The aircraft took off at 1650 hours. When half-way down No.3 Runway the engine commenced to misfire, the pilot, however, continued to take off and gained altitude. The port engine cut out immediately at 75 feet and the port wing dropped. The aircraft made a steep turn to port, narrowly missing the trees at the northwest end of No.3 Runway. It straightened out and gained height, commencing a skidding turn to port, it approached the west end of No.2 runway (east-west) in almost a direct line with No. 3 Hangar. The aircraft was observed at about 200 feet to skid to port, turn completely over, the nose dropped and the aircraft struck the ground in a vertical position with the starboard wing and nose hitting about the same time. At the time of the crash, there was a strong cross wind. The pilot was evidently attempting to make a crosswind landing. The undercarriage had also been retracted. Upon striking the ground the aircraft burst into flames and the fire fighting crew had trouble in putting them out. Both occupants (SMITH & Sgt. Gerald St. George PUTT (NZ416039) were killed and the aircraft destroyed.
This accident, which numerous airmen witnessed, has been recounted numerous times in print, video and verbal narratives. Anyone who witnessed this horrific crash has never forgot it no matter how hard they have tried to eradicate its memories from the pages of their mind. Sgt. SMITH and Sgt. PUTT were buried with full military honours 25-November-1942 at St. George Rural Cemetery, St. George. |
DYASON (05-January-1943):
| LAC William Henry DYASON (GB1186005) was part of the original echelon of airmen who came over from the UK to help establish No.34 Operational Training Unit, first at Yarmouth and then Pennfield Ridge.
Sailing for Canada, leaving behind his young wife Ellen Emily (HAGUE) DYASON (1913-1980) who was 3/4 months pregnant with their first child Michael (1942-1971). On 04-December-1942 DYASON was admitted to the Station Hospital seriously ill with tuberculosis meningitis, succumbing to the illness 05-January-1943 (age 30). Buried with full military honours 08-January-1943 at St. George Rural Cemetery, St. George. |
WILLIAMS/ NORRIS (23-January-1943):
| P/O Baden Bala WILLIAMS (J/21199) and a crew of two (P/O Geoffrey Alexanader NORRISS (NZ421334) & Phillip William McCARTHY (J/21050)) took off at 0910 hours in Ventura AE872, authorized to carry out formation flying for one hour and 30 minutes with Sgt. Edward John TOVELL (AUS414526) and crew in Ventura AE658. WILLIAMS and TOVELL were to share the leadership time in the formation, normally splitting the flying time into four portions.
After flying for about one hour in formation and at a time when the aircraft were heading back towards the aerodrome at a height of 2,000 ft. WILLIAMS was leading; he gave the visual break-away signal and then broke away in a steep dive turn to port and TOVELL broke off in a steep climbing turn to starboard. TOVELL lost sight of Ventura AE872 but later saw a fire on the ground. Eyewitnesses residing some 9 miles from St. Stephen and 37 miles from Pennfield Ridge stated that they saw two Ventura aircraft flying in formation when one broke away to the left and made a large circle, going into a steep bank and crashed into Hills Mountain which is about 300 feet higher than the surrounding country. The aircraft, Ventura AE872, burst into flames on impact, exploded and was totally destroyed. All the occupants were killed. P/O WILLIAMS & P/O NORRISS were buried with full military honours 26-January-1943 at St. George Rural Cemetery, St. George. P/O McCARTHY, a member of the Canadian Olympic team in 1926, was buried in Ottawa. |
HARRIS/WILLIAMS/BATES (26-February-1943:
| At 1437 hours GMT, a W/T message was received from an aircraft flying in formation, to the effect that the aircraft with which it was flying had suddenly broken formation and had, it was believed, crashed. On receipt of this message, W/T contact was again made with the reporting aircraft, but the latter was by this time in the circuit, ready to land. On landing, the crew were instructed to report to the Operations Room, where they were interrogated by the Chief Instructor. Aerial search was immediately organized and four aircraft took-off on search. Although intensive aerial search was continued during the day, and a broadcast appeal for information was made over the Fredericton Radio, nothing of any interest was discovered.
The aircraft was located by two brothers out hunting on November 22, 1943 near New Zion. P/O HARRIS, Sgt. WILLIAMS and Sgt. BATES were buried with full military honours 26-November-1943 at St. George Rural Cemetery, St. George. Sgt. OTTO was buried in North Bay, ON. |
ROGERS (29-May-1943):
| Whilst on a formation day training fight, Ventura I, AE678, Sgt. Albert Ernest Edward (Buck) ROGERS (AUS421828) (P) and Sgt. Leslie Albert (Skinny) ELLIS (AUS422151) (WAG), both pupils of No.12 Course, overshot and hit trees on attempting to make a forced landing after experiencing engine trouble, and crashed 9 miles N.W. of St. George. The pilot was killed but the WAG. escaped with only slight injuries. The aircraft was completely wrecked.
MEMORIES OF AN AIRMEN: “…we were crewing up and it was a fairly casual procedure. First, Keith Herman and I teamed up, he was a Bomb Aimer/Navigator (Observer), from Adelaide. Then Joe Carey, a Gunner from the Ranges, Murrurundi, NSW and then Skinny Ellis as my Wireless Air Gunner (WAG). An all Australian Crew. When we were doing 3 plane formations practice, Skinny was flying with Buck who had omitted to change over the petrol cocks and both engines stopped, compelling Buck to force land immediately. A pine limb came through the Perspex and impaled him to his seat, killing him stone dead.” Sgt. ROGERS was buried with full military honours 02-June-1943 at St. George Rural Cemetery, St. George. |
SENCIALL (09-June-1943):
| LAC Frank Leslie SENCIALL (GB1137087) died in Station Hospital, Pennfied Ridge, on 9th June, 1943, of pulmonary embolism following an operation for appendicitis.
Survived by his wife Doris and two (2) children, Audrey & Ian, the latter of whom we lost January 15, 2019 LAC SENCIALL was buried with full military honours 11-June-1943 at St. George Rural Cemetery, St. George. |
In 1963 Gaynor Parry WILLIAMS (RCAF), brother of P/O Baden Bala WILLIAMS (J/21199) remarked: “Now that twenty years have passed and new, young men are on earth, now is the time to tell you what my brother was like, Grandmother wondered if the plane had burned, I wondered if, in his fearless way, he had made that one fatal mistake. In an instant it was finished and the hills that he loved received him. And now no one mourns him, no, not even I. It will take such a short time to give you his dreams. All that is left of him, In giving I will remember him…”
These columns are designed to awaken the general public’s interest and by sharing the stories of few of those who served at Pennfield Ridge we too will remember.
Christian Larsen currently serves as President of Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society. He has been actively involved in researching the genealogical & military history of Pennfield Parish for nearly four decades. From 2009 until 2017 he hosted the annual Pennfield Ridge War Memorial Services. Recognized at the provincial & federal levels for his work with Veterans having been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012); Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal (2023); Minister of Veteran Affairs Commendation (2024) & King Charles III’s Coronation Medal (2025). He can be reached at: ppmhsociety@gmail.com
