Author: Malcolm Kelly

A picture of the No. 405 Squadron aircraft LQ-A
SPROG stories

SPROG STORIES

Mr. D.H. Palmer, of Dundalk, in western Ontario, was a well-known local photographer who on a day in 1914 found himself with two special new subjects. His wife had given birth to twin boys – Charles and James. One of those would grow to an old age and be a […]

A picture of Hugh Joseph McArthur
SPROG stories

SPROG STORIES

When you look into the eyes of Hugh McArthur, you see a young man of great confidence, and a belief in himself, his future, his town, his country. They flash with life. Hugh Joseph McArthur was born in 1920, to Joseph and Margaret, of 299 Sixth Street, Midland, Ontario – […]

SPROG stories

SPROG STORIES

Oliver Packer quickly put together his heavy diving gear kept on a special raft maintained by his Newport Fire Department and headed north into Lake Memphremagog on what he already knew would be a recovery mission. The raft was pulled by a United States Customs boat and their task this […]

SPROG stories

SPROG STORIES

Airmen on both sides of the European war shared the same universal fear of having to bail out over the English Channel. The cold was killing, no matter the time of year. Even if you could get into a dinghy the chance of being seen in the expanse was small. […]

SPROG stories

SPROG STORIES

One of the great statistical mysteries of life in Bomber Command finds the two most dangerous times for aircrew were in the first five or last five of the required 30 operations to finish a tour. Rookie crews (Sprogs) seem to make sense. They hadn’t had time to learn the […]

Bob with his crew. Pilot Don Rombough in the centre. Bob Middleton on the right.
SPROG stories

SPROG STORIES

Robert J. Middleton, who died on Wednesday morning at 98 years old, grew up in a hard-working east end neighbourhood of Toronto, down by Coxwell Avenue, and Dundas Street. An athletic youth, he was consumed and enthralled by the exploits of aviation pioneers, including Lindberg, Wop May, Amelia Earhart, and […]