Remembering World War II

Robert Lloyd Burchell Sergeant R/1124720 Royal Canadian Air Force August 10, 1923 Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia August 30, 1941 Halifax, Nova Scotia Glace Bay, Nova Scotia 18 5 feet, 6 inches Medium Blue Brown Truck Driver United Church Single Joseph Robert Burchell (Father) Glace Bay, Nova Scotia April 9, 1943 19 Ottawa Memorial, Ontario Panel 2. Column 5. Commemorated on Page 141 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Displayed in the Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower in Ottawa on March 25 Robert Lloyd Burchell was the only son of Joseph Robert Burchell (1890-1943) and Annabelle (McLeod) Burchell of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. Robert attended Glace Bay Central School (1929-1938) and Glace Bay High School (1938-1941). He played football with the Glace Bay High School Team, basketball and boxing at the YMCA, and enjoyed swimming, dancing, reading and listening to the radio. His hobby was model aircraft building. He had attempted to take flying lessons but was not considered old enough for instruction. On leaving high school he was employed with Vails Laundry and Dry-cleaning in Sydney, NS as a truck driver prior to his enlistment with the RCAF. On enlistment, he indicated his interest in becoming a pilot or observer. He had initially applied on July 31, 1941 at the mobile recruiting unit in Cape Breton but was not given a medical as he was still under age. He submitted his application to Halifax, NS on August 10, 1941. He indicated that his interest was to “aid Canada’s war effort and help keep Democracy secure” and he was interested in flying. Robert completed his initial training at No 1 Initial Training School on Course 42 from December 7, 1941 and February 1, 1942 and at No 9 Elementary Training School on Course 49 from February 16, 1942 to April 10, 1942 at Trenton, Ontario. He then completed Wireless and Gunnery training at Guelph, Ontario and received his WAG Badge on January 25, 1943. Robert was then assigned to RAF Nassau in the Bahamas on February 18, 1943. On April 9, 1941, while stationed at RAF Nassau, with 111 Operational Training Unit, Sergeant Robert Burchell was the Wireless Air Gunner on a Mitchell II aircraft with a crew of seven that departed the airfield on an operational training flight. The aircraft completed the 1st detail of the exercise, landed and re-bombed and took off at 10:10 am to complete the 2nd detail. The aircraft failed to return to the airfield. Air searches of the sea area off New Providence, Bahamas, failed to find the aircraft. A dinghy was retrieved by surface search; however, it was empty and damaged. No trace of the seven crew members was discovered. Sergeant Burchell is listed on the Ottawa Memorial and on a family memorial in the Greenwood Cemetery in Glace Bay, NS.

Robert Lloyd Burchell

Source: Canadian Virtual War Memorial findagrave