Remembering World War II

Hedley Charles Cormick Goodyear

Hedley Charles Cormick Goodyear Flight Lieutenant J/10281 61 RAF Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force November 10, 1918 Grand Falls, Newfoundland April 25, 1941 Moncton, New Brunswick Sydney, Cape Breton, NS 22 5 feet, 9 inches Fair Hazel Brown Single Student United Church Florence Goodyear (Mother) Sydney, NS April 24, 1944 25 Hanover War Cemetery, Germany 4.C.1. Commemorated on Page 164 of the Newfoundland Book of Remembrance Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 24, July 11, October 22 Hedley Charles Cormick Goodyear was the son of Roland Clement Goodyear and Florence (Cormick) Goodyear of Sydney, Nova Scotia. He was the brother of Oswald, Roland, David, and Florence Joan. His brother Oswald Raymond Goodyear also served with the RCAF during WWII as a Flight Lieutenant with RAF Transport Command, Bermuda. While born in Newfoundland, Hedley lived with his family in Cape Breton for ten years. He attended public school in Grand Falls, Newfoundland between 1925 and 1931 and the Sydney, NS Academy between 1931 and 1935. He attended Upper Canada College in 1939-1940 and immediately prior to enlistment was a first year Engineering student at Mt. Allison University in Sackville, NB. Between 1935 and 1940 he was employed in a number of different jobs that included a ledger keeper at the Bank of Nova Scotia, sales, truck driver ad as a desk clerk in the summer of 1940 at Keltic Lodge, Ingonish, Cape Breton. He was a Corporal with COTC program at Mt Allison University, and in the Cadet Corps at Upper Canada College and at the Sydney Academy. Following his enlistment, Hedley trained in Canada until March 29, 1942. He arrived in the United Kingdom on April 4, 1942. While serving with 1660 Conversion Unit he was the pilot of Mancester I l.7482 aircraft with a crew of seven when on a non-operational flight on January 2, 1943 the aircraft was caught in a heavy snowstorm. The aircraft had departed Coleby in clear weather; however, was diverted from returning to base because of the storm. While attempting to land at Waddington and then climbing though the storm, icing of the aircraft forced the crew to abandon the aircraft. As pilot, Flight Lieutenant Goodyear gave the order for the crew to abandon the aircraft and he followed. All survived. He joined 61 RAF Squadron on April 21, 1944. On the night of April 22/23, 1944, Flight Lieutenant Goodyear was second pilot on Lancaster III LM476, of No.61 Squadron, RAF Skellingthorpe, with a crew of eight on a bombing operation over Brunswick, Germany. The aircraft failed to return to base. Post-war it was determined that the aircraft had been shot down by anti-aircraft artillery and crashed near Dallensen, Germany. The aircraft exploded on contact with the ground. Two members of the crew had bailed and were taken as prisoners of war. Five bodies were recovered, including Flight Lieutenant Goodyear and buried in the local cemetery at Lugde. A sixth body was never recovered. In 1949 the five bodies at Lugde were re-interned in the Hanover War Cemetery,

Sources: findagrave.com Canadian Virtual War Memorial