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 great influence on many students of history. The other would not see it through the Second World War.
Charlie and Jim graduated from high school in 1933, and went different directions. The latter found teaching and was already working at a local comprehensive school before war broke out. The former worked as a farm labourer, then a milk truck driver, as the Depression droned on.
War gave Charles a true direction – he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940, and went through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan at St. Eugene, along the Ottawa River, and then earned his wings at Moncton, New Brunswick.
Heading overseas, he eventually landed at No. 405 Squadron, Bomber Command, in 1942. They gained a superb pilot, leader, and ferocious warrior.
At one point, while the unit had been leant to Coastal Command, the Handley Page Halifax crew attacked a U-boat at low level in the Bay of Biscay. On another mission, to bomb Flensburg, Palmer waited for the bombs to be dropped then skirted down to low level so his gunners could take pot-shots at anti-aircraft locations.
He landed successfully at base despite a tire shot out.
That all earned Charlie a Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded by King George VI, at Buckingham Palace.
His aggression certainly caught the eye of 405’s commander, Johnny Fauquier, himself destined to be Canada’s most-famous bomber leader.
Completing his 30 operations, Palmer stood down for a while, did some instructing and then wound up back at 405 in August, 1944, this time as a Wing Commander, running the famous squadron. They had in the interim converted to Lancasters and moved to No. 8 Group, Pathfinders.
September 26, a Tuesday, the very senior Palmer crew (including three DFCs and two DFMs) took off at noon from Gransden Lodge, in PB 129 (LQ-A) for the short trip to Cap Gris Nez, supporting Canadian troops moving up the coast. It was a low-level mission, aimed at the four big guns of the battery in the area.
Over the target, they dropped their markers, were hit, the a/c caught fire, three men were able to get out but five others were still in the Lancaster when it hit the ground next to four red Target Indicators dropped previously to help the bomb aimers coming behind.
According to a returning aircrew (story listed in the 405 Operational Record Book that day), someone dropped a yellow marker to warn others away, but a follow up bomber dropped on the fire of the a/c or the reds. There is no way to know if this had anything to do with the deaths.
Lost were Charles Palmer, Wilfred Goddard, Wilfred Peacock, Charles Laishley, and Fred Frey. Hugh Anderson was injured and went to a POW camp, while Albert Wilcock, and Irvin Lauckner evaded and made it back to Allied lines.
Charles’ twin brother Jim served in the RCAF as a radio operator, survived the war and went on to a long teaching career. He was a huge influence on this author while at East York Collegiate Institute, in Toronto.
I will never forget him.
Per Ardua ad Astra to the brave crew.
