Bio / Text:
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Summary 1 training
Bruce Macpherson grew up in St. Thomas, Ontario. He volunteered in the Royal Canadian Air Force in December, 1940 and trained to become a Spitfire fighter pilot.
1940 12 December, 1940
No. 1 Manning Depot, Toronto
Recruiting Unit COTC, (Canadian Officers' Training Corps)
1941 02 08 February 8, 1941
No.1 BGS, (Bombing & Gunnery School) in Picton, Ontario
guard duty training
first flight was in a Fairey Battle
1941 03 23 March 23, 1941
No. 3 ITS, (Initial Flying Training School) Victoriaville, Quebec
1941 05 04 May 4, 1941
No. 4 EFTS, (Elementary Flying Training School), Windsor Mills, Quebec Fleet Finch aircraft
eight or nine hours of training in a Tiger Moth and solo-ed
Graduated, promoted LAC, (leading aircraft man)
1941 06 21 June 21, 1941
No. 9 SFTS, (Service Flying Training School), Summerside, Prince Edward Island
(scroll down the link to 004/150)
military instructors
eighty hours of instruction on the Harvard
1941 09 01 September 1, 1941
Graduated and Commissioned
got his wings
given embarkation leave (dates needed)
1941 09 02 September 2, 1941
No. 1 “Y” Depot in Halifax, Nova Scotia
embarcation depot The Empress of Canada
high speed crossing without a convoy to Liverpool
No. 3 PRC, (pilot reception centre) Bournemouth, where the Australians and Canadians first arrived
1941 09 18 September 18, 1941
A.F.U. (Advanced Flying Unit) to RAF overseas
Posted to OTU, (Operational Training Unit) Hawarden, Flintshire
the first time we flew the Spit, a Spit 1 with the pump up undercarriage
Summary 2 MSFU (Merchant Ship Fighter Unit)
1942 01 26 January 26, 1942
posted to Wellingore No. 412 Squadron RCAF
1942 05 05 May 5, 1942
MSFU Speke
Empire Lawrence was sunk May 27, 1942 by aircraft north of North Cape, Norway, Barents Sea.
(MacPherson was one of the pilots on board, another, Al Hay did launch on the single Hurricane launch, he survived as did MacPherson after the sinking)
1942 06 04 June 4, 1942 ???
At Murmansk - Found Ralph Bishop (fitter) in hospital and got him out
were in Murmansk 1 month
1942 06 30 June 30, 1942 ???
went back on the Hydrabad (Corvette). Got back to Speck
Summary 3 Tunisia
1942 08 August, 1942
No. 93 Squadron RAF at Andress, Isle of Man
1942 09 08 September 8, 1942
No. 93 squadron moved to Wansford, Northamptonshire
flew Spit Mk Va
1942 11 November, 1942
Operation Torch
went by convoy down to Gibralter
1942 11 13 November 13, 1942
To Maison Blanche
Sixteen aircraft were flown out by pilots arriving at Maison Blanche.
1942 11 21 November 21, 1942
To Souk-el-Arba commencing operations in support of forward troops.
1942 12 01 December 1, 1942
shot down by bf 109 F/O B.E. Macpherson back later
date???
shot down was near Medjez el Bab
Bedouin Desert nomads helped me with my parachute, took me back on the donkey to the close base where they drove me back
pilots at that time carried a little chit that explained in Arabic who they were
still have it and also a gold Louis
1942 12 31 December 31, 1942
Souk-el-Khémis
1943 01 12 January 12, 1943
shared a Ju 88 Probable near Souk el Arba 16:45 – 17:50
1943 05 13 May 13, 1943
La Sebala
1943 07 05 July 5, 1943
Hal Far, Malta
I went to Malta on preparation for the invasion of Italy.
ordered on leave so, that was the end of the tour. It was a lot of fun.
1943 12 06 December 6, 1943
went to Bagotville for 6 months
Summary 4 No. 412 Squadron
https://www.rcafassociation.ca/heritage/history/rcaf-and-the-crucible-of-war/412-squadron/
1944 06 06 June 6, 1944
left on June 6 (D Day) and joined No. 412 Squadron RCAF.
met Jack Shepherd in London and gathered at Beny-sur-Mer
1944 06 19 June 19, 1944
B4 Beny-sur-Mer, France
1944 08 08 August 8, 1944
B18 Cristot, France
1944 08 29 August 29, 1944
B28 Evreux, France
1944 09 02 September 2, 1944
B26 Illiers l’Eveque, France
1944 09 03 September 3, 1944
B44 Poix, France
1944 09 06 September 6, 1944
B44 Evere, Belgium
1944 09 21 September 21, 1944
B68 Le Culot, Belgium
1944 10 04 October 4, 1944
B84 De Rips, Netherlands
1944 10 15 October 15, 1944
B80 Volkel, Netherlands
1944 12 06 December 6, 1944
B88 Heesch, Netherlands
1945 01 01 New Year’s Day, 1945
No. 412 Squadron were scrambled and directed towards Venlo from their base at Heesch. Around 09:50, No. 412 Squadron netted seven aircraft, all fighters except for one Ju 88.
1945 01 20 January 20, 1945
On January 20 1944 lost in snowstorm ran out of gas
F/Lieutenant B. E. Macpherson
scroll down to January 20
https://verliesregister.studiegroepluchtoorlog.nl/rs.php?aircraft=&sglo=T5135&date=&location=&pn=&unit=&name=&cemetry=&airforce=&target=&area=&airfield=
http://143.95.41.247/wikibase/50641
Pilot Officer B.S. McPhee
Pilot Officer W. J. Walkom
F/Lieutenant F. H. Richards
Later
marched to Stalag Luft 7a Moosburg
Sulzbach to Moosburg
1945 04 27 April 27, 1945
Liberated by General Patton
Moosburg
Walked to 10 km to Landshutt and boarded DC3s to England, train to Bournmouth, back to Canada
