BURCHELL, Donald Frederick
NAME BURCHELL Donald Frederick
RANK Flight Sergeant SQUADRON RAF No. 425 Allouette Squadron
“I shall pluck you”
Group 4 Bomber Command
Dishforth in Yorkshire
Squadron markings KW S Born November 12, 1916 - Brussels - Grey & Morris Townships - County of Huron Residence Perth
Died November 9, 1942 26 years
Cemetey Sage War Cemetery - Oldenburg Land – Niedarachsen - Germany
I B 3
Parents Mr. Fred & Maggie Eileen Burchell - Perth - Ontario
Donald was born in Brussels on November 12, 1916. He and his family attended Melville Presbyterian Church in Brussels and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Perth.. Growing up he had scarlet fever. He very much enjoyed hunting and fishing. He received his public schooling at Brussels Public School 1921-1930 and he took his high school education at the Brussels Continuation School 1930-34. During high school he was with Huron Militia up to 1933 and then in 1941 he was with the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish. Prior to his enlistment he worked for his father in the family business as a salesman
Canada
On March 15, 1941 Fred travelled the approximately 40 miles to Ottawa and enlisted into the Royal Canadian Air Force. At that time he stood 6' tall and weighed 168 pounds and he had a ruddy complexion with gray eyes and dark brown hair. He received the rank of Aircraftsman 2 before being posted to No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto that same day. On April 11 he was then posted to Trenton until summer when on July 6 he was posted to the flatland of Manitoba to No. 3 Wireless School based at Winnipeg. While here he received the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. He was posted here until October 15 when he was assigned to No. 1 Composite School at Trenton. On November 9 his next posting took him to No. 6 Bombing and Gunnery School located at Mountain View - Ontario. In Gunnery he placed 12 in a class of 37 and in Air Training he placed 2 out of 7. His average was 70%. He was awarded his Air Gunner Badge on December 8, 1941 and on the same day obtained the rank of Flight Sergeant. .On December 10 he received orders to proceed to No. 1 Y depot in Halifax.
Overseas
While still at Y Depot he volunteered for the RAF Training Pool on January 7, 1942 and shortly after he embarked from Canada for overseas and disembarked in the United Kingdom on January 20 and a day later reported to No. 3 Personnel Centre at Bournemouth. His first posting overseas took him to RAF No. 7 Air Gunner School based at RAF Stormy Down - Wales. The next posting was to RAF NO. 16 Operational Training Unit at RAF Upper Heyforf in Oxfordshire. The last posting was to RCAF 425 Squadron based at RAF Dishforth - Yorkshire on August 15, 1942.
In the Field
For the mission of November 9, 1942 Wellington MK iii BK 557 KW- S was airborne at 17:36 hours and was on a mine - laying mission and received crippling damage by the German 8. Flak Division over the area of the Frisian Island before it crashed at Bad Zwischenhan near Oldenburg in Germany. Flight Sergeant Burchell was the rear gunner and was originally buried in Bad Zwischenahn near Emden in Germany. The pilot of the aircraft was from Perth - Ontario and Warrant Officer 2nd N. J. Wellwood from Whitechurch became a prisoner of war, survived and returned to Canada. He was the only survivor.
Flight Sergeant Burchell was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the Aircrew Europe Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp. In July of 1945 his mother Maggie received the Memorial Cross.
Fred is honoured and remembered on the Brussels Cenotaph and on the Memorial Plaques of the churches he attended. He is also remembered on the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and at the RCAF Bomber Command Museum.
