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Dodds, Vernon Fairbank

Date of birth:
October 5th, 1920 (Winnipeg/Manitoba, Canada)
Date of death:
July 21st, 1944 (Reutum/Overijssel, The Netherlands)
Buried on:
Commonwealth War Graves Roman Catholic Cemetery Tubbergen
Grave: 7.
Service number:
J/89743
Nationality:
Canadian (1931-present, Constitutional Monarchy)

Biography

Vernon was born on October 5 1920 in Winnipeg, the son of William Ernest Dodds (Scottish) and Dorice Elizabeth Dodds nee Fairbank (English) of Winnipeg. They were married in 1918 in Edinburgh Scotland.
He was married on March 20 1943 in Winnipeg with Eleanor May Dodds nee Conway of Winnipeg. His sisters were Opal Dorice Jansen and Emerald Phyllis Pagne.
He was a mechanic and member of the Presbyterian Church. He spoke English and a little French and his sports were basketball, rugby and hockey. His hobbies were cars and motors, mechanical drawings and carpentering.

He enlisted on February 18 1942 in Winnipeg and he went thereafter on July 22 1943 overseas to the UK.

Vernon was killed in action on Friday July 21 1944 age 23 due to a crash at the Weustboerweg Reutum near Tubbergen before or after an attack on Bottrop in Germany.
The other fallen RCAF crew members were P/O Alfred J. Britts age 28 in grave 7, F/O Joseph J.R. Johnson age 30 in grave 7 and F/Lt James D. Virtue age 28 in grave 10. The other fallen RAF Volunteer Reserve crew members were F/O Anthony G. McCarthy in grave 9 and Sgt Thomas Davenport age 21 in grave 8.
The other RCAF crew member F/Sgt Michael S. Stoyko age 28 survived the crash and he could evade then and he survived the war.

He served with the 405 Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Pilot Officer
Unit:
No. 405 (Vancouver) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
Awarded on:
January 29th, 1947
RCAF Operational Wings

Sources