Sergent Melvin Ellwood Burnard

ergent Melvin Ellwood Burnard was born June 29, 1923 in Jedburgh, Saskatchewan, Canada to parents (Jennie) Irene Bursee from Woodstock, Ontario and Howard Burnard from Stratford, Ontario who relocated to farmsteading in Saskatchewan. Melvin participated in softball and hockey. After he had received his Grade 10 education from Creekside School Division in 1939, he farmed at his family’s farm until 1942 to join in WWII with the Royal Canadian Air Force, enlisting on November 9, 1942 in Regina, Saskatchewan. He was 5’10-1/2”, 132 lbs, medium complexion, brown hair and blue eyes. His religion was United Church. He was engaged to my Aunt Helen Merkley. “This boy wants to be a pilot in air crew. He is courteous clean and neat and good appearance - Should be satisfactory with training”. He left for training in Brandon, Winnipeg, Pre-Aircrew Education Course at UBC in Vancouver, No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School and No. 1Y Depot in Halifax, Nova Scotia, No. 3 B&G School in MacDonald, Manitoba, and Trenton, Ontario. After taking the RCAF final examinations dated April 29, 1943 at UBC his marks: English 57, Mathematics 97, Signals 60, Aircraft Recognition 100! He is now qualified for AG - Air Gunner! He received his Air Gunners Badge on August 6, 1943. On August 26, 1943 he deployed from Halifax, Nova Scotia to the United Kingdom. Sgt Melvin Burnard was an Air Gunner in a crew of 8: Pilot Alfred Terrell, Pilot Albert Evans, Navigator Frederick Garland, Flight Engineer Clifford Evans, Air Bomber Peter Hatton, Wireless Operator Alan Myles, and fellow Air Gunner Kenneth Miller in the aircraft Lancaster III ND565. After only serving 2 months, they left base at 18.49 hours for an operational attack. During the Berlin Raid on March 24, 1944, the aircraft Lancaster ND565 KM-C of 44th Rhodesia Squadron was returning homebound from Berlin, Germany in high winds when the plane strayed off course, drifting south over the Ruhr! At 0001 hours it was shot down by German 88 mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank artillery guns (flak) at Angermund. The German history of night time battles was confirmed in it’s manuscript “-44 Sqn Lancaster ND565: hit by 2. & 3./schw. Flak Abt. 177, 5./schw. Flak Abt. 233, 1.-3./schw. Flak Abt. 472 and 1./schw. Flak Abt. 642, crashed at Düsseldorf-Angermünd at 00.07 hrs.” It crashed at Angermund, 10 km north of Dusseldorf astride the main railway leading to Duisberg. On March 25, 1944 a telegram letter is sent to Mr Burrard “it is with very deep regret that I have to confirm the news that your son, Sergeant Melvin Ellwood Bernard, failed to return from an operational flight over enemy territory on the night of 24/25th March, 1944. May I, on behalf of the squadron, take this opportunity of expressing our most profound sympathy to you and your anxiety, and we all sincerely hope that he has escape uninjured.” Another letter is sent next day, June 26, 1944 “confirming my telegram of recent date, I regret to inform you that advice has been received from the international Red Cross society at Geneva concerning your son, Sergeant Melvin Elwood Bernard, previously reported missing on Active Service. …”missing believed killed”. Sergent Melvin Ellwood Burnard, #R203545 at nearly 21 years of age was buried with a cross “At Rest” in Plot 7. B. 11., Reichswald Forest War Cemetery, Cleves, Germany along with the other 7 squad members. Afterwards my Aunt Helen enlisted in WWII, and I believe she travelled overseas to learn more about the circumstances of his death and to visit his grave. When she returned she married his younger brother “Uncle Bubby” and in June of 2007, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary!