WHITING, Donald Stuart

NAME                    WHITING          Donald Stuart
RANK                    Pilot Officer /  Air Gunner     87877                                                                                                                              2nd Tactical Air Force - Group 2 - 139 Wing
SQUADRON         RAF No. 180
                              “agreeably in manner, forcibly in act”
                              RAF Dunsfold  Airfield in Surrey
                              Squadron Markings EV                                                                                                          Born                       April 15, 1924 - Township of McGillivary - County of Middlesex - Ontario                                Residence             Centralia - Ontario                                                                                                                  Died                       August 21, 1944          20 years   4 months
Cemetery               Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery - Cintheaux - Calvados - France
                              XXII B 6
Parents                 Mr. Earl and Ethel Whiting - Centralia                                                                                  Brothers                Mr, John and Norman Whiting - Centralia                                                                          Sisters                  Mrs. Agatha Murray - London - Ontario                                                                                                                       Miss Melba and Whiting - London - Ontario                                                                                                               Miss. Jean Whiting -  Centralia - Ontario             

Donald was born on April 15, 1924 in Middlesex County and while growing up in Centralia he enjoyed softball, hockey and running the hurdles. His hobby was hunting. He went to public School in Eden from 1930-38 and at that time the family moved to Huron County. He took high schooling in Exeter from 1938-40 and completed Grade X. Growing up he had scarlet fever, measles and whooping cough. The family would have attended Centralia United Church and possibly Bayham United Church. Prior to enlistment he worked for his father on the family homestead.

Canada

Donald traveled to London to enlist into the Royal Canadian Air Force on September 7, 1942 and was given the rank of Aircraftsman 2. At the time he was 5' 7" tall and weighed 150 pounds. He had a dark complexion with brown eyes and hair. The day he enlisted he was posted to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto and then following his stay here he was posted to No. 1 Technical Training School i n St. Thomas - Ontario.                                    On the first day of spring in 1943 the next posting was to RCAF Trenton to No. 2 Ground Gunnery Training School. It eas here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. Then it was west to the prairies of Manitoba to No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School at MacDonald. While in Manitoba he obtained the rank of Sergeant. Following his training here it was east to New Brunswick to RCAF No. 34 Operational Training School on July 24. His final posting in Canada was to "Y" Depot in Halifax in preparation for heading overseas. Sergeant Whiting then travelled by rail to New York City on approximately October 6-7 and then embarked from the USA and arrived and disembarked in the United Kingdom on October 16 and from there reported to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre in Bournemouth - Dorset. He received 2 months of advanced training with the aircrew he would be flying on missions with.                                                                                                                                      On March 28, 1944 he was assigned to RAF No. 13 Operational Training Unit based at RAF Bicester - Oxfordshire and trained on the Bristol Blenheims. He obtained the rank of Flight Sergeant while training here.

In the Field

Then on May 12 he was assigned to his squadron RFAF No. 180 Squadron based at RAF Dunsfold - Surrey. He received the rank of Pilot Officer while with the squadron.
He continued to fly air operation flights and in a letter sent home dated August 16, 1944, he stated he had
completed 33 missions which was a complete tour over enemy territory. Both he and his crew wanted to
complete 50 missions.
Pilot Officer Whiting and his crew in Mitchell  FW 124 were on a mission to Elbeuf in France, and were airborne at 3:00 am and then should have been over the target at 4:00 am. At some point this aircraft was shot
down and it crashed into a farm field at Moulineaux near Rouen. The farmer Monsieur Coeuille dug a grave and buried P/O Whiting close to his house and marked the grave with a cross. He did this with the rest of the crew as well. They had been detailed to attack enemy troop movements near Elbeuf on the River Seine. Other aircraft on the flight to the target reported heavy enemy flak from the Dieppe area and slight inaccurate flak from the Pont L' Evergue. Visibilty on the way to target was poor with total cloud cover over the target. There was also reports of enemy night fighters being encountered.

In April of 1946 his mother received the Memorial Cross. His mother Ethel in January 1947 received the medals awarded to Donald which included the 1939-45 Star, the France and Germany Star, the Defence and War Medals along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with clasp.

Donald is honoured and remembered on the Exeter Cenotaph and on the Usborne - Hensall Cenotaph in addition to being remembered on the Memorial Plaques of the Exeter High School and Centralia United Church and possibly at Bayham United Church. He is also honoured and remembered in the Books of Remembrance located in the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament and in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and he is honoured and remembered on the RCAF Bomber Command Memorial.