Tuesday August 9th 2011

Come celebrate Oshawa Peacekeepers day

Don Duncan, Canadian serving with Radar Crew in Forgotten War

Don Duncan born in Green River, Ont. along with his brother Gordon responded to the call to duty to serve Canada at the age of 20 years old in the Second World War. Don joined the new RAF Radar Calibration Crew and was trained over a three month period by the RAF in Clinton, Ontario Canada along with 75 fellow Canadians who maintained the permanent and mobile radar crews in India and along the India Burma border during World War Two. Radar was innovative new technology defending the Indian colony from the invading Japanese

He was shipped overseas in March 1943 first to Edinburgh, Scotland then to Bournmouth, England and was billeted with the 403 Squadron in Valley, Wales( A night fighter crew)
Don worked to calibrate the ground radar stations along with other crew member members which included 40% Canadian and 60% British. When they shipped to the Burma border the crew was 60% Canadian and 40% British. He waited between three and four months awaiting to be shipped out which happened on Nov. 1943.

Top Row: Don and Gordon(Brother), Don Duncan at General Story, Don Duncan
Second: Canadian Radar Crew in India, Don’s Military Card, Duncan Family Portrait
Third: Original Names of Canadian crew, Radar Crew Reunion in Ottawa, Canadian Crew in India
Four: Cpl Don Duncan’s metals, Don Duncan(Now)
Five: Burma Star Pin, Burma Star Tie

Don’s life on the Burma India border started with a dangerous convoy trip across the Atlantic dodging the submarines and after spending a short time in the UK then he sailed on a former Dutch pleasure ship, the Marnyxvan St. Aldegonde commonly called the Marnix. around the Rock of Gilbratar on route to India. Alas, the ship was hit by a torpedo from a German fighter and they survived the blast to regain their trip to Bombay (Mumbai) India.

After arriving in Bombay India on December 1943, the 75 Canadians were scattered across Canada.
He joined the 62 Squadron(RAF) transport which involved daily maintenance over three shifts, starting the engines was a tough job.

Names( Original)

Don recalls how the villages on the Burma border was the domain of the British and Indian soldiers while at night the Japanese visited the same villages for supplies. An interesting relationship. The Japanese used the Radar Station as a beacon.

One of his memories of food whilst serving was eating ” Bully Beef and Rice” every day.

Don suffered from Dysentry and Jaundice while in the tropics and returned to his hometown in Green River, Ontario in December 1946 with substantial weight loss and he recalls spending alot of time next to the woodstove in the family General store.

Don served in the famous “Forgotten War” which had 8,000 Canadians during the Burma Campaign who served with the British Fourteenth Army.

In August 15, 2010, 100 veterans of the campaign gathered in Ottawa to celebrate their achievements

In honour of those who served see memorial dedicated on August 15, 1995 in Kingston Ontario

RCL Branch 43 Event Nov 11, 2010

Here is a collection of pictures from the luncheon at Branch 43 in Oshawa

http://www.flickr.com/photos/glennmcknight/sets/72157625363284740/

To obtain any of these full size pictures contact Branch 43

BBC Documentary

WWII Docu-drama of the effects of Allied Landcaster bombing runs over fictional German city, both on RAF crews, and German pilots and civilians

Documentary based on the novel Bomber by Len Dayton

Seven Audio recordings

http://www.archive.org/details/RafBomber2

Camp X Video

http://video.lfpress.ca/video/entertainment/movie-trailers/18849390001/inside-historic-camp-x/71964757001

Inside historic Camp X
March 14, 2010 19:57
To some it’s just a beat up old building that needs to be torn down. If that ever happens, they will be tearing down a piece of Canadian history. Take a walk inside historic Camp X.

Report from the Aleutians: 1943

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2780483724942444910&hl=en#

 

Report from the Aleutians

47:04 – 3 years ago

A official documentary movie about the misson of the US forces on an island of the Aleutians, from which US bombers are attacking the Japanese occupied island Kiska. The movie includes footage from a bombing raid over Kiska with B-17 and B-24 bombers.

Sgt Sam Magee of FSSF  from Oshawa was involved in this invasion

 

Pictures in Oshawa Nov 11, 2009

A collection of pictures of parade and event in Oshawa

WW 2 NFB Film on Food and War

Food, Weapon of Conquest

Watch this video on nfb.ca

This 1940s wartime newsreel shows the food shortage in Nazi-occupied countries that have been forced to hand over their farm produce to Germany, leaving their own populations hungry. Part of the Canada Carries On series.

Great Educational Resource

I found a great educational resource today developed by the founder of Wikipedia, Dr. Larry Sanger

The site is called Watchhow

The site states..

…imagine collecting all the best free educational videos made for children, and making them findable and watchable on one website. Then imagine creating many, many more such videos.

Just think: hundreds of thousands of great short videos, and other media, explaining every topic taught in schools, in every major language on Earth.

Http://www.watchhow.org

World War One History

The link to World War I videos and slideshows are at
http://www.watchknow.org/Default.aspx?content=2bdd8622-4736

World War Two History

http://www.watchknow.org/Default.aspx?Category=980

Oshawa Peacekeepers Day-1st Annual August 9th, 2009