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MacGillivray, Dougal

    Date of birth:
    April 16th, 1918 (Pine Grove-Lochiel/Ontario, Canada)
    Nationality:
    Canadian (1931-present, Constitutional Monarchy)

    Biography

    Dougal MacGillivray was born on 16th April 1918 as the son of John Archie MacGillivray and Mary MacMaster at the MacGillivray farm, Pine Grove, Lochiel. He attended the Pine Grove public School. His heart and life was soccer. He played with the Pine Grove team and later in the RCAF Wireless and the Ottawa RCMP soccer teams.

    On 11th January 1941 he joined the RCAF and was trained as wireless operator and air gunner at the Montreal Wireless School and the Mountain vieuw Gunnery. November 1941 he went to England and was placed with No. 15 Squadron, Royal Air Force. From December 1942 he spent fourteen months in training and instruction with the RAF. After a leave home to Canada he returned to the United Kingdom in May 1944 to join No. 428 (RCAF) Squadron, flying as bombardier/wireless operator with Z-Zebra crew.
    During their 55th bomraid, one over Dortmund, the plane was hit by flak, severely wounding the pilot. Dougal took over the controls, although he had only received one training in a simulator, and brought back the plane safely to an emergency airfield in England.

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    Period:
    Second World War (1939-1945)
    Unit:
    No. 428 (RCAF) Squadron
    Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

    Sources

    Photo