DUNN, Harvey Adam

NAME                  DUNN                   Harvey Adam                                                                                                RANK                  Flight Sergeant / Navigator          99798
                            RCAF Group 6     RAF Bomber Command     
SQUADRON       RCAF No. 419 “Moose”
                            “beware of the moose”
                            Middleton St. George Airfield in Durham
                            Squadron Markings VR O                                                                                                      Born                     August 24, 1914 - Township of Proton - County of Grey - Ontario                                    Residence           Fordwich - Ontario                                                                                                                      Died                    January 9, 1943          28 years  4 months                                                                      Cemetery            Sage War Cemetery - Sage - Lower Saxony - Germany
                            7 E 6
Father                 Mr. George Dunn - Fordwich / Orangeville                                                                            Sister                  Mrs. Mabel Wilson - Fordwich - Ontario

Harvey was born on August 24, 1914 and took all of his schooling at Dundalk Public School 1921-27 and Dundalk High School 1927-32. As he grew up he enjoyed playing hockey, softball and soccer. He and his family would have attended Erskine Presbyterian Church in Dundalk before moving to Fordwich. Prior to his enlistment he had been employed as a farm labourer for Mr. Harold Doig of Fordwich.

Canada

He enlisted in London on May 28, 1941 and upon enlistment he was 5'7" tall and he weighed130 pounds. He had a fair complexion with blue eyes and fair hair. He was given the rank of Aircraftsman 2 and sent to No. 1 Manning Deport in Toronto. From June 21- July 27 he was posted at the Technical Training School in St Thomas -Ontario. The next posting was to No. 1 Initial Training School in Toronto and it was here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. At the beginning of September LAC Dunn returned to No. 1 Manning Depot for 4 weeks. His following posting took him to Malton to No. 1 Air Observer School. Here he was 20 out of a class of 29 with a 75% average.                                                                                                                         As 1942 began he was posted to No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School in Jarvis and while here received the rank of Sergeant.  Here he was 21 out of a class of 34 and received  a 68% average. The next posting on February 15 took him east to No. 2 Air Navigation School in Pennfield Ridge - New Brunswick. His average here was 66% and he was 65out of a class of 89. From here he was sent to No. 1 "Y" Depot in Halifax. Sergeant Dunn transferred to the RAF Training Pool on April 24.

Overseas

On the following day which was April 25, 1942 Sergeant Dunn embarked from Halifax and Canada and Disembarked overseas in the United Kingdom on May 8. He attended No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre a day later and stayed there until May 26 when he was posted to No. 10 Advanced Flying Unit where he trained until June 23 when he was posted to No, 22 Operational Training Unit based at Wellesbourne Mountford - Warwickshire. While here he was promoted to the rank of Flight Sergeant. Flight Sergeant arrived at RCAF Squadron 419 on September 9 for his posting.

The mission for the January 9, 1943 was a "Gardening" mission to the Tangerine Sector that included the Frisian Islands of the Netherlands, the German Bight and the Kattegat. Aircraft would carry long torpedo looking mines and these fell to the sea by parachute. These missions were dangerous and boring. The Royal Navy decides where to drop the mines as they knew the enemy sea routes. This mission would have taken place in the darkness and Navigation would have to be precise. Aircraft that were laying mines had to be aware of high and low tides, the depth of the water and the direction of approach. They would release the mines at180 mph and from 1,500 feet. They would then make a12 minute timed run before release. Dangers included enemy flack cannon barges, enemy minesweepers, coastal gun emplacements.                                  Halifax Mkii lifted off the runway at Middleton St. George in the dark at 4:32 pm and was carrying 2 - 1,500 pound mines. Flight Sergeant Dunn was the Navigator for this mission. There were 121 aircraft dropping mines this night with 97 reporting mines were dropped successfully and 4 aircraft did not return. No. 419 had 5 aircraft in the air on this mission. The aircraft was shot down off the coast of the Frisian Islands. Flight Sergeant Dunn was killed as were the rest of the crew. Three bodies were recovered and four were never found. The remains of Flight Sergeant Dunn washed ashore a month later on February 8.He was originally buried in the Lutheran Cemetery of the island of Borkum - Germany. It was reported from other aircraft that visibility was good but there were two enemy flak ships that exchanged fire with at least one aircraft.            Our research by  now tells us that Halifax W7857 with Flight Sergeant Dunn as Navigator was shot down over the North Sea approximately 20 miles west of Vlieland at 10:15 pm by an enemy night fighter. The pilot was Oberleutnant Hans-Joseph Jabs of Nachtjadgeschwader 1 IIGruppe and was based at Venlo in the Netherlands near the German border and flew the BF110.                                                                    Flight Sergeant Dunn is honoured and remembered on the Canadian Fallen site at www.canadianfallen.ca/79062/DUNN, On 419 Squadron site www.419squadron.com/W7851.html, at the RAF Bomber Command Museum, on the RCAF Bomber Command Memorial, on the Fordwich - Ontario Cenotaph and on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.                                                                                                  During June of 1946, Mrs. Mabel Wilson the sister of Flight Sergeant Dunn was issued the Memorial Cross and in June his father received the medals issued to his son which were the 1939-45 Star, the Aircrew Star, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.

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