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Wartime Heritage
ASSOCIATION
Remembering WWII
Nova Scotia Casualties
Querino Di Persio
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Querino Di Persio
R/76376
Flight Sergeant
601 Squadron, RAF, Royal Canadian Air Force
October 24, 1918
Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, NS
December 19, 1940
21
Halifax, NS
Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, NS
Chauffeur
Roman Catholic
Single
Rosario Di Persio (Father)
Sydney Mines, Cape Breton, NS
July 16, 1942
23
Alexandria (Chatby) Military And War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt
O. 125
Commemorated on Page 69 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance
Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on February 16
Flight Sergeant Di Persio was the son of Rosario and Secondina Di Persio and husband of
Mary (Bryden) Di Persio of North Sydney, Nova Scotia.
Flight Sergeant Di Persio, having completed
initial flying training proceeded over seas to England
in October 10, 1941. May 25, 1942 departed the
United Kingdom for Malta arriving there June 9.
1942. On July 3, 1942 he was transferred to 601 RAF
Squadron at Alexandria, Egypt.
On July 13, 1942, Flight Sergeant Di Persio was
the pilot of a Spitfire (BR 459), one of four taking off
on an offensive sweep. As his aircraft began to
climb, taking off into the wind, it was hit by a
Hurricane aircraft of 33 Squadron that was taking off
across wind out of a cloud of dust. When the
Hurricane section was seen to appear through dust
cloud, it was to late for throttling back to avoid an
accident. The Spitfire crashed and burst into flames.
Flight Sergeant Di Persio was killed instantly.
His mother, Secondina Di Persio, was named
National Memorial Silver Cross Mother in 1987.
