BELL, Alvin Donald Gould

NAME                  BELL                Alvin Donald Gould
RANK                  Flying Officer   24222                                                                                                                                                  Group 6     RAF Bomber Command                                                                
SQUADRON       No. 432 “Black Panther”
                            Leaside Squadron
                            “ferociously toward the light”
                            RAF East Moor Airfield in Yorkshire
                            Squadron Markings QO                                                                                                          Born                     April 16, 1917 - Hensall - Township of Hay - County of Huron                                        Residence           Hensall - Ontario                                                                                                                      Died                    January 27, 1944          26 years   9 months
Memorial             Runnymede Memorial - Englefield Green – Egham - Surrey - England
                            Panel 245                                                                                                                                  Wife                     Corporal Helen Bell - with the RCAF overseas -Ukbau - Knightbridge in London                                                      Mrs. Helen Bell - Marysville - New Brunswick                                                                                                            Mrs.Helen Shackell -  Winnipeg -Manitoba and Marysville New Brunswick                                Parents                Mr. William and Carolyn Bell - Hensall - Ontario                                                                  Brother                 Mr. Mr. William Jr. Bell - Hensall - Ontario                                                                              Sister                   Mrs. J. D. Carter - London - Ontario

Alvin was born in Hensall on April 16, 1917. Growing up he had the whooping cough and measles. His hobbies were reading and photography and mechanics. He liked baseball, track and field and especially the high jump , boxing, rugby and softball. He took his public schooling at SS 10 Hay Township from 1923-29, completed his education at Hensall Continuation School and Exeter High School from 1929-34. He then attended the University of Western Ontario from 1934-39 and left with a Bachelor of Arts Degree with honours in Mathematics and Business and following this took a correspondence course from the Pilman Institute located in New York from 1935-37 and studied Scientific Mind Training. Alvin spoke English, French and some German. Prior tohis enlistment he had been working for his father on the family farm. The Bell family would have attended Hensall First Presbyterian Church.

Canada

Alvin made the trip to London on February 3, 1941 and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force. Upon his enlistment he stood 5' 10" and weighed 175 pounds. He had a medium complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. He received the rank of Aircraftsman 2. From February 3-April 4 he was attached to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto. His first posting was from April 5-April 26 while at No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School in Fingal- Ontario. It was a short trip to St. Thomas from April 27-June 5 while he attended Technical School. Here he was given the rank of Aircraftsman 1. Then from June 6-September 1 he was at No. 3 Training Centre in Montreal - Quebec. . From September 2-July 4, 1942 he was posted to No. 13 Service Flying Training School in St Hubert - Quebec.  He received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman and Corporal.                                                                                   In the summer of 1942 while at No. 13 Service Flying Training School he was again posted to No. 3 Training Centre from July 5-July 18. His next posting from July 19-September 12 was to No. 5 Initial Training School in Belleville - Ontario. His average was 85% and he placed 11 out of 79. Then it was on to No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School from September 13-November November 7 at Jarvis- Ontario.  His average was 79% and he placed 8 out of 27. From November 8-March 4,1943 he was posted to No. 10 Air Observer School in Chatham - New Brunswick.                                                                                                                                                        He spent 4months here up until March 4, 1943. He received the rank of Sergeant while posted here. His average was 72% and he placed 12 out of 19. From March 5-June 12 he was posted to No. 34 Operational Training Unit based at Pennfield Ridge - New Brunswick. He was married on May 29 while posted here. On June 13 in preparation for overseas duty he was posted to No. 1 "Y" Depot in Halifax. On June 22 he transferred to the RAF Training Pool. Sergeant Bell embarked from Canada out of Halifax on June 23 and disembarked in the United  Kingdom on July 1. A day later he reported to Bournemouth to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre where he was posted until August 16. From there his first posting in the UK was to RAF Atherstone near Stratford - Warwickshire from August 17-Nove  mber 28. He was given the rank pf Flying Officer while training here. The next posting took him to RCAF Heavy Conversion Unit 1666 based at RAF Wombleton - Yorkshire.

In the Field

On January 15, 1944 Flying Officer Bell was posted to RCAF No.432 Squadron which was based at RAF East Moor in Yorkshire.                                                                                                                                                    For the mission of January 27, 1944 the target was the largest city in Germany which was Berlin. This is where the Nazi Government was located. Hitler was there. There were industries such as textiles, iron and steel, rail cars, breweries, chemical facilities and steel. Berlin produced 10% of the Luftwaffe aircraft engines and precision instruments along with 1/3 of Germany's electrical output, 25% of the German tanks were produced here and 50% of the German artillery was produced in Berlin and area. Flying Officer Bell and his crew were flying Lanacaster MkII LL 638  QO M and this mission was the first for this aircraft. It is possible thatthis crew was on their first mission together.                                                                                                                                       On January 27th, a large formation of RAF & RCAF Bomber Squadrons were sent on a mission to Belin. 
From 432 Squadron there had been 15 aircraft detailed for this mission. F/O Bell and his crew
were airborne at 17:51 hours. On the way to Berlin and out over the North Sea they first met the German fighters and it is believed that Lancaster LL 638 M went down as the bomber stream was preparing for the bomb run. Berlin was cloud covered and sky markings had to be used. Lancaster LL 638 M was shot down near Doberitz in Germany into the Crossinsee, a lake about 15 miles se of Berlin. This aircraft with F/O Bell onboard crashed at 20:40 hours. Today the Crossinsee is part of Berlin. Luftwaffe night fighter pilot Oberleutnant Gustav Thom was attached to II.NJG.5 flying out of Luftwaffe base Brandis in Suchsen and he was flying a Bf 110.G4 which is a Messerschmitt 110.  Four crew members were located and identified and were originally buried in 3 cemeteries which were Elsgrund, Wernsdorfand and Schmokwitz. Flying Officer Bell and two crewmates have never been found and their namesare inscribed on the Runnymede Memorial.

In the month of February 1946 Flying Officer Bell's wife who had remarried received the Memorial Cross. Then at a later date she received the medals awarded to Flying Officer Bell which were the 1939-45 Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp.

Flying Officer Bell is honoured and remembered on the Roll of Honour of RCAF Operational Training Unit that was based at Pennfield Ridge in New Brunswick and on the Memorial Plaque of the First Presbyterian Churchin Hensall. He is honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance that sit in the Centre Block of Parliament Hill and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial. He is honoured and remembered on the Memorial Plaque of Exeter High School and on the Memorial Plaque of Western University. He is honoured and rememberedat the RCAF Bomber Command Memorial.