James Kennedy Anderson

This story is shared by the Trust with kind permission from Mavis Williams, Researcher.

James Kennedy Anderson was born on the 17^th of December 1922 at the Grace Hospital, Winnipeg in the Province of Manitoba, Canada, the only son of David Guy Hamiliton and Margaret Burnett Anderson. They lived at Suite 7, Bannerman Blk, Charles Street at then moved to 2271 Jefferson Avenue, West Vancouver, British Columbia.

James' father, David, had been born in Kirkaldy, Scotland, as had James’ mother, Margaret. She had emigated to Canada in 1910 and David had emigrated in 1913. His father returned to serve in the First World War with the 2nd Battalion, Sherwood Foresters and she came back in 1917 to get married to David in the U.F.C Manse at Dysart, Fife.

David Anderson in his Sherwood Foresters uniform

They returned to Canada to start their married life. The 1931 census of Canada records that he worked as a Shipper, Merchants Consolidated and that Margaret's widowed mother had emigrated to join them in the mid-1920s.

James attended Pauline Johnson Primary School from 1928 to 1933 and then Inglewood High School from 1933 to 1940. He was a keen sportsman and played tennis, table tennis, baseball, soccer and basketball.  In July 1940 he had been a Driver for Burrard Laundry Ltd, 3rd & St. David’s, North Vancouver but he left to take up, and completed, a course at the Dominion-Provincial Youth Training Centre for Aircraftsmanship.

When he joined up on 22 November 1940 he said the wanted to enlist for ground duties as an air frame mechanic but his service history was to be a different one. He spent the years between November 1940 and May 1943 training in Canada and was then transferred to the RAF Trainee Pool on the 25th May 1943 and arrived in the UK on the 4th June 1943. He was with the Army at Brighton from the 2nd to the 14th of July 1943 and then transferred to 42 OTU on the 20th of July 1943. After training at P.T.S Ringway in October 1943 he transferred to 1665 OTU from 1st December 1943 and was then posted to 196 Squadron on the 3rd of January 1944.

So, with little battle experience, James Kennedy Anderson, along with thousands of other young men, were thrust into D-Day knowing they were risking their lives. One cannot fail to admire these young men who gave their lives so we could live in freedom.

He served as a navigator in 196 Squadron, Royal Air Force and on D-Day his squadron were tasked with taking the gliders across the Channel in the early hours of D-Day as part of Operation Tonga. They successful released the glider but as they started to return to the UK they were hit by flak. The incident report compiled by the RAF and sent to the RCAF Casualty Officer gives us more details about what happened next.

The aircraft was hit by enemy flak, shortly after leaving the target but it climbed to a height of 4,500 feet where the two inner engines out [sic]. The order was given by the pilot to "Prepare to abandon aircraft, put on parachutes", and this order was acknowledged by three members of the crew, however, F/O J. K. Anderson, an R.C.A.F. member of this crew and one not R.C.A.F. were not heard to acknowledge it. The aircraft broke cloud at 2,500 feet and the pilot thinking that he would have to ditch the aircraft as they were over water at the time, asked the navigator for a course to take them home but was informed by a member of this crew that the navigator, F/O J.K. Anderson and the air bomber, not R.C.A.F personnel, had baled out. F/O Anderson is assumed to have baled out at approximately 3,500 feet on the 6th June, 1944 at approximately 01.15 hours. The aircraft and the remaining members of the crew crash landed at Ford airfield.

The report also states what happened to James' body.

A telegram from the I.R.C.C. [International Red Cross Committee] quoting German information, states that the body of FO Anderson was washed ashore on the 22nd July, 1944 near Cap Gris Nez, approximately 10 miles South-West of Calais, France and buried on the 24th July 1944, in the Communal Cemetery, Marquise, Grave no. 94.

James Anderson was re-interred in the Canadian Permanent Cemetery, Calais on the 14th August 1945.

Original battlefield cross for James Anderson

 

Calais Canadian Cemetery today