WEIR, John Emerson

NAME                   WEIR                John Emerson          
RANK                   Flight Sergeant / Wireless Operator / Air Gunner          69586                                                                                   RAF Group 3     RAF Bomber CommandRESIDENCE        Wroxeter - Ontario
SQUADRON        No. 40 Royal Air Force
                             “to drive the enemy from the sky”
                              Alconbury Airfild in Huntingdonshire
                             Squadron Markings BL E                                                                                                        Born                     March17, 1918 -  Wroxeter -Township of Howich - County of Huron - Ontario                    Residence            Wroxeter - Ontario                                                                                                                    Died                     October 15,1941          23 years  7 months                                                                    Cemetery             Durnbach War Cemetery - Gmund am Tegernsee – Miesbach - Bavaria - Germany
                             I G 10-11
Parents                Mr. David and Ann Weir - Wroxeter - Ontario

John was born on March 17, 1918. As a boy he liked to play rugby and baseball. He took his public schooling at SS No.13 Howick Township from 1923-31.Following public school he then went on to Continuation School in
Wroxeter during1931-35. His record states he attended the Canadian Institute of Science and Technology in Toronto and was studying Aeronautical Engineering 1938-39. He and his family attended Wroxeter United Church. Following his schooling in Wroxeter he worked in a gas station from 1936-37 and then went into mining 1937-39 and worked in Torburn Gold Mine in Kirkland Lake as a machine operator.

Canada.                                                                                                                                                                       
In 1940 John travelled to Toronto and on June 24 enlisted into the RCAF. When he enlisted he stood 5' 9" tall and weighed 174 pounds. He had a medium complexion with blue eyes and brown hair. Aircraftsman 2nd spent a week at No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto before being posted to No. 2 Initial Training School in Regina from June 30-August 16. He was promoted to the rank of Leading Aircraftsman. The next posting was back east on August 17-December 19 to No. 1 Wireless School in Montreal. Here he was 29 out of 170 men and had 72%. Just prior to Christmas 1940 he was posted on to No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School in Fingal - Ontario from December 20-January 29, 1941. While at No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School he received the rank of Sergeant. Here he was 25 out of 60 men with a  71% average.                                                                                                            On January 30, 1941 his orders took him to the Militia Rest Camp and embarkation Pool  at Halifax - Nova Scotia.

Overseas

Sergeant Weir embarked from Halifax and Canada on approximately February 24 and disembarked in the United Kingdom on March 1 before reporting to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre on March 2-15 in Uxbridge near London. Sergeant Weir's first overseas posting was to No. 15 Operational Training Unit based at RAF Harwell - Oxfordshire from March 15-April 2. While based here they were trained for night bombing missions in the Wellington bomber. His next posting sent him to No. 1 Signals School based at RAF Cranwell - Lincolnshire from April 2- May 17. From here he was assigned to N0. 20 Operational Training Unit - Lossiemouth in Moray Scotland from May 17-August 10. His last posting was to RAF 40 Squadron where he was promoted to the rank of Flight Sergeant and also received his Air Gunner Badge on August 10th, 1941.

In the field

The target for the mission of October 14/15was Nuremburg which was the birth place of Nazism and factories produced armaments for the German war effort. Flight Sergeant was the Wireless Operator on            Wellington bomber Z 8782 which lifted off from the runway at Alconbury in Hampshire at 11:01 pm on the night of October 14. For this mission the bomber stream numbered 80 aircraft and during the mission 4 aircraft were lost. Conditions on the way to Nuremburg were poor with icing taking place and very thick cloud. Over Karlsrue Wellington Z 8782 crashed. The cause of the crash could have been from enemy night fighter action or there could have been a collision between aircraft. In any case Wellington Z 8782 exploded in mid flight and all crew members perished.

In January of 1946 Flight Sergeant Weir's mother received the Memorial Cross and shortly after that she received his Operational Wings. Flight Sergeant Weir was awarded the 1939-45 Star, the Aircrew Europe Star, the War Medal, the Defence Medal along with the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and clasp.

Flight Sergeant Weir is honoured and Remembered on the Wroxeter United Church Memorial Plaque, on the Virtual Canadian War Memorial. on the international Bomber Command Centre at losses.internationalbcc.co.uk/loss229843 and on the Fordwich - Ontario Cenotaph.