McCall, John Gordon (Gordon)

Gordon  McCall served in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) from 1942 to 1945. He enlisted in London, Ontario on May 24, 1942 (Regimental No. J35592). He trained in Ontario, initially as a navigator, and qualified as an air bomber on August 6, 1943. On October 22, 1943 Gordon embarked from Halifax on troopship Aquitania for Britain. He continued his training in Yorkshire and received pilot officer rank on November 10, 1943. He was posted to 428 Squadron (Ghost) of No. 6 (R.C.A.F.) Group of Bomber Command on July 21, 1944. Gordon was the bomb-aimer/navigator on a Lancaster and did a 32 mission tour of day and night bombing to Germany and France from Middleton St. George, Yorkshire between July 28,1944 and January 14, 1945.  He was promoted to Flying Officer. Following completion of his tour he received his Operational Wings and continued as an instructor at the Air Bomber School at Topcliffe near Thirsk, Yorkshire. After the war had ended, Gordon returned to Canada on troopship Duchess of Richmond disembarking in Halifax on August 20, 1945.

When Gordon enlisted in London, he and his brother Verne had both gone to sign up, planning on enlisting together. Verne was declined and told that he would have to delay his enlistment because he had to have his tonsils out first! Gordon and his brothers Raymond and Verne served overseas during WWII.

 Following his discharge from the R.C.A.F. on October 3, 1945, Gordon married Dorothy Madeline Moody on October 10, 1945 in Kintore. Gordon was the son of George and Margaret (Calder) McCall who lived at Lot 15 Concession 13, East Nissouri Township. He had four children, Carol, John, David and Elizabeth. Gordon and his family lived on the farm at Lot 15 Concession 13 until they moved to Woodstock in the autumn of 1954.