Remembering World War II

Name: Bernard Laird Tedford Rank: Pilot Officer Service Number: J/17609 Service: 427 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force Date of Birth: August 28, 1919 Place of Birth Montreal, Quebec Date of Enlistment: June 4, 1941 Place of Enlistment: No. 4 Manning Depot, St. Hubert, Quebec Address at Enlistment: 272 Berkeley St, Toronto, Ontario Age at Enlistment: 21 Height: 5 feet, 10 ½ inches Complexion: Fair Hair Colour: Brown Eye Colour: Blue Occupation: Junior Machinist Marital Status: Single Religion: Presbyterian Next of Kin: Blanche Martha Tedford (Mother), Toronto, Ontario Date of Death: June 13, 1943 Age: 23 Cemetery: Texel Den Burg Cemetery, Texel Municipality, Noord-Holland, Netherlands Grave: Plot K, Row 3, Grave 52 Bernard ‘Barry’ Laird Tedford was the son of Laird Antonio Tedford (b. 1881) and Blanche Martha (Feltmate) Tedford (1892-1941). Bernard’s mother was born in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia and died November 21, 1941, after Bernard had enlisted in the RCAF. His father was a Kraft Salesman (and was deceased by the time of Bernard's enlistment) and was born in Montreal, Quebec. Bernard had one sister – Christine (Tedford) Balagus (b. 1923). Bernard attended Ford School in Dufferin, Ontario from 1927-1933, followed by a correspondence course from 1933-1935. He played handball and baseball. Bernard worked in Toronto as a mechanics helper in a garage from 1936-1938, as a garage attendant for two years, as a painter’s apprentice for one year, and then as a saw and machine operator. He enlisted on June 4, 1941, and after enlistment and training in Canada, he was posted to the United Kingdom. After embarking from Canada, he in the UK on May 13, 1942. He was assigned to No. 22 Operating Training Unit (22 OTU) on July 7, 1942, 419 Squadron on September 30, 1942, 427 Squadron on November 17, 1942, and No. 1659 Conversion Unit on April 19, 1943. Bernard was serving as a wireless operator with 427 Squadron in June of 1943 when he went missing on June 13th. Barry was the radio operator of the British Halifax bomber DK183 that on a raid to Bochum, western Germany when it was shot down by a night-fighter near the village of Den Hoorn on the island of Texel, one of the Wadden Islands which form an archipelago off the north coast of the Netherlands. Texel is some 5 kilometres from the mainland and is in the municipality of Texel, in the province of Noord Holland in north west Netherlands. He was one of 4 of the 7-man crew of the bomber who were killed. Pilot Officer Bernard Laird Tedford was interred at the Den Burg Cemetery on Texel Island. His grave inscription reads, “That unselfish life, it has not died.”

Bernard Laird Tedford

Source: Canadian Virtual War Memorial findagrave