Philippe and Barbara Grignon

July 1, 2002

This true story is dedicated to our granddaughter Jennifer who encouraged me to write and to her Osmondo whose gift pen I used to write the original draft.

My name is Philippe Paul Grignon. I was born on January 20, 1920 in the Quebec village of Ste. Agathe-des-Monts.

In 1941 I joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. After manning depot in Quebec City, wireless school in Montreal, Gunnery training at Mont Joli I received my W.A.G. badge (Wireless operator and Air gunner.) I arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in March, 1942.

When we set sail for Britain there were still snow patches and a tired, dreary look to the landscape. We were a large convoy and took twelve days to cross, avoiding German submarines. The Polish ship M/S Batory in which our group sailed was destroyed in a later action.

We disembarked in pouring rain at Greenoch, Scotland and boarded a train. Our first taste of wartime Britain was a long trip overnight with all blinds drawn as required by blackout rules. For nourishment we had a cup of Cha and a Wad (tea and a bun in Canadian English.) We were marched into Bournemouth, a seaside resort in the South of England. The hedgerow and gardens were in full bloom, I thought I was in Heaven!!

The "paradise" effect was soon dispelled a few days later when an M.E.109 German aircraft dive-bombed our hotel, the bomb missed us but killed an elderly couple sitting in their garden next door.

In the same period the hotel where our Officers were billeted was neatly cut in half with several casualties. Welcome to the war!

My first "operational" flying with a Canadian crew was doing Air-Sea Rescue over the North Sea in Anson aircraft. One memorable occasion involved locating a small boat in which people from Norway were trying to escape from the Nazi invasion of their country. We found them and were so elated we forgot to switch to our auxillary gas tank and nearly joined them in the water. We saved ourselves just a few feet off the water, radioed their position, they were given an escort and made it to safety.

My promotion to Officer rank came through and I was sent to Thorney Island on convert to four engine Liberator aircraft serving with the Royal Airforce Coastal Command.

Just as our crew was preparing for it's first "operational" flight I was summoned to the Adjutant's office. He informed me I was being transferred immediately to Squadron Leader Bulloch's crew at St. Eval, Cornwall. I protested but was told S/L Bulloch needed a good radar operator and as I passed with high marks in this category I was chosen.

As I later discovered S/L Bulloch was a War Ace in the Battle of the Atlantic and the expression was "What Bulloch wants Bulloch gets."

Two weeks later I returned to my old station to pick up personal gear left behind in my hurried departure. I was informed that my previous crew were all killed in a plane crash in which all depth charges exploded. Such are the fortunes of War.

I am honoured to have served with this highly decorated U-Boat destroyer. After I joined the crew we enjoyed a long quiet period which must have frustrated him. I like to think that when the German Navy heard Phil Grignon was on the radar they called off all operations in our area!!

In the Fall of 1944 the R.C.A.F. informed me my "tour" was completed. I became a flying radar instructor in Ireland. In some ways this was more strenuous than operations, flying with green crews trained in the sunshine of Texas or the flat Prairies. I survived one minor plane crash and developed a convenient case of Bronchitis. The next time this crew flew the pilot stalled the plane about 60 feet off the runway and sent three people to the hospital. He was removed from flying training.

In 1942 while on leave in London I met a Yorkshire Lass, Barbara Tomlinson, in a penny Arcade of all places. It must have been a penny well spent. We were married in St. John's Church, Wembley on May 29, 1944.

I was repatriated in February 1945, we were one the few times that wives and children were on the same ship. The men were in one area, women and children in another. We were permitted to have our meals together, those who were not too sick to eat! The passage was very rough, we were on the Aquitania, the last of the Four funnel ships. There were grapefruit and white bread not seen for years.

Then the separate train trips to various locations. Going and coming we passed through Pier 21, Halifax. It is now a Museum honouring the thousands of service personnel and immigrants who passed through it.

We hope to do so in person this year, health and wealth permitting.

Phillippe and Barbara Grignon

PS: We settled in the Toronto, Ontario area. We now have two children, seven grandchildren, and one great grandchild. We hope they will all enjoy reading this story.