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 – then a hard working manufacturing, ship building, and port town.
He was a smart young man, learning to speak English and French fluently, and loved hockey and softball. His Midland High report card shows not a great interest in school, though the highest marks are in literature, and geometry.
There’s something restless in that report, as though Hugh was looking for something else.
He found it.
After working as a bread salesman for a local bakery, he signed up on a lake freighter and spent two seasons on the crew of Capt. Hudson (this could be the steamer Superior), out of Toronto. The war called, however, and in August of 1940, Hugh answered.
Joining the RCAF and going through Manning Depot and Initial Training School, in Toronto, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan sent him to Guelph for radio. Earning his brevet, the next stop was Ferry Command, which was establishing flying delivery routes for aircraft across the Atlantic.
Somewhere in there, Hugh met Miss Grace Christie, of Verdun, Quebec, and became engaged. They did not marry right away, as so many young couples had done.
This was the beginning of a good career in the air force, including flying and fighting in North Africa, right after the November, 1942, invasion. Then there was some time spent flying with a Royal Australian Air Force squadron in the Middle East.
Eventually, after a time in hospital back in England, Hugh went to No. 6 ( C ) Operational Training Unit, in north east England, on the Irish Sea. There he used his Ferry Command and operational experience to help train new radio operators for Coastal Command.
On Dec. 6, 1944, Vickers Wellington aircraft HF 199 overshot the runway, stalled, and crashed, killing everyone on board. Including Warrant Officer 1 Hugh McArthur.
Per Ardua ad Astra to the brave crew of Orval Backes, Jack Baird, Cecil Baldwin, Jack Sheldon, Albert Volny (Wolny(, Albert Wotton, and Hugh McArthur.
