Hogg, Donald Allan

 Flying Officer Donald Allan Hogg was a son of Allan G. Hogg and Mary Mabel Martin of Thamesford. He attended Thamesford Public School and the Thamesford Continuation School from 1926 to 1934. From 1934 to 1939 he attended Sir Adam Beck High School in London. In 1939 and 1940, he was a student at the Galt Air School.

Donald was enrolled in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) at Galt on March 30, 1940. Classified as general duties rather than aircrew, he completed basic training at 1 Manning Depot in Toronto. On April 5, 1940 he was posted to the Technical Training School in St. Thomas and then RCAF Station Mountainview, Ontario on July 4, 1941. He was promoted steadily: Aircraftsman 1 on June 30, 1940, Corporal August 9,1940, and Sergeant on October 1, 1941.

On May 22, 1942, Sergeant Hogg was remustered to aircrew and sent to 5 Initial Training School at Belleville. From there he was sent to 8 Air Observer School at Ancienne Lorette, Quebec where he completed his navigation training.

Promoted from sergeant to Pilot Officer on November 20, 1942, he sailed to England December 29, 1942. There Donald received further training at 8 Aircrew Observer School Sidmouth from April 10 to May 8, 1943. Promoted to Flying Officer on May 20, he was posted to 9 (Operational) Advanced Flying Unit on May 25 and then 22 Operational Training Unit at Graydon on June 29, 1943.There he linked up with his crew and on August 24, 1943 went to 1659 Heavy Conversion Unit. On September 21, 1943, Flying Officer Hogg and his crew took off in a Halifax bomber JD 325 for a mission against Frankfurt. German fighters entered the bomber stream over France and shot down a number of aircraft including Hogg’s and all men were killed in the impact.

Flying Officer Hogg in buried in Carignan Communal Cemetery in France. He was survived by his wife, Phyllis Marie Leury of Stirling, Ontario, his parents, as well as his sisters Mary and Margaret. -- Courtesy of St. Marys Journal Argus.