405 Squadron – “The Canadian Squadron”

6 GROUP, RCAF

Canadian government policy was that Royal Canadian Air Force bomber squadrons and personnel should belong to a Canadian Group if wartime conditions permitted. To achieve this, 6 (RCAF) Group was formed on 25 October 1942. Its first AOC was George Brookes. English by birth, he had emigrated to Canada with his parents when aged 16. Brookes was given the huge task of setting up from scratch a complete bomber Group on English soil. His contribution was so outstanding the he received the Order of Bath. He was succeeded as AOC by C M McEwen (Canadian by birth) in February 1944.

Headquarters for 6 Group was at Allerton Park, Knaresborough, and Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

BENNETT & THE CANADIANS

Bennett wrote in his book Pathfinder[1]:

“I gained another squadron, No 405, when 6 Group was formed. This raised an awkward matter of principle, as I had insisted from the outset that I would not have any segregation or differentiation in the Path Finder Force. Thus, when the Australians came to me at one stage and asked whether I would have an Australian squadron, I refused point-blank, much to their surprise. The question of the 405 Squadron was different, because it was affiliated to a complete Main Force Group. Nevertheless, I insisted that the crews of this so-called Canadian squadron must not be more than 50 per cent Canadian. I maintained this principle right until the end. I did agree that the CO would always be a Canadian, and it started off under the command of Wing Commander Fouquier, a thoroughly ‘press-on’ type if ever there was one.”

Canadian aircrew in the Pathfinders were not only to be found in 405 Squadron; there was also a sizeable Canadian contingent in other Pathfinder squadrons, among whom were PAUL DAVID and BROCK ROBERTSON, two of the notable Canadians on 97 Squadron.

[1] D C T Bennett, Pathfinder: Wartime Memoirs (Frederick Muller, London, 1958).