Birth Date: 1919-February-04
Born:
Parents: Son of John F and Mary Anne MacDonald, of Little Pond, Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Spouse:
Home: Little Pond, Prince Edward Island
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
429 (B) Sqn- Squadron
Fortunae Nihil Nothing to chance
Base
RAF Leeming
Rank
Pilot Officer
Position
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Service Numbers
J/87169
Prev: R/212219
Aachen Germany
Brusthem (St Trond) Cemetery, near crash site
Remains were later exhumed from this location and reburied
Although buried in Belgium, Pilot Officer MacDonald is also commemorated at two sites in Canada, The Royal Canadian Air Force Cenotaph in the Holy Trinity Anglican Church Cemetery in Middleton, Nova Scotia and at the family plot in Saint Francis de Sales Cemetery in Little Pond, Kings County, Prince Edward Island
James Ignatius MacDonald (1919 -1944) - Find a Grave Memorial
429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF Leeming. Halifax BIII aircraft HX 352 AL-L missing during operations against rail yards in Aachen, Germany. Outward-bound, the aircraft was intercepted and shot down by the night fighter crew of Hauptmann Struning & Oberleutnant Apel of the 3/NJG 1, from Venlo airfield in the Netherlands in Heinkel He 219 A-0 G9+EL
The bomber crashed at Gellik, Lanaken, Limburg, Belgium
Pilot Officer JI MacDonald (RCAF), Pilot Officer JL Michell (RCAF)(USA), Flying Officer D McKenzie (RCAF), Sergeant JI Jolley (RAF), and A.N. Smith (RAF) were also killed. One Canadian, Sergeant HD LaPointe (RCAF) survived and was taken Prisoner of War
There were three 429 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LW124 AL-N and LW137 AL-K for additional information on these aircraft and crews
[Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...
"Belgians Remember Them": RAF aircraft's crash sites: Gellick
No 429 Squadron was the 10th bomber unit and 27th squadron formed by the RCAF overseas in WWII. It was formed in November 1942 at East Moor, Yorkshire, UK as part of No 4 Group of RAF Bomber Command. On April 1, 1943 it became part of No 6 (RCAF) Group at No 62 (RCAF) Base, still remaining at East Moor until August 1943, when it moved to Leeming, Yorkshire as part of no 63 (RCAF) Base: it remained at Leeming until its disbandment in May 1946. It undertook strategic and tactical bombing operations. After the cessation of hostilities in Europe, it remained in England and transferred to No 1 Group, where it was engaged in transporting troops from Italy (Operation DODGE).
The squadron, with squadron code AL, flew Vickers Wellington Mks III and X until August 1943, when it re-equipped with Handley-Page Halifax Mk II, which it flew between August 1943 and January 1944, and Mk V between November 1943 and March 1944. These were superseded by Halifax Mk III aircraft in March 1944. In March 1945, the squadron re-equipped with Lancaster Mk I and III. In summary of its activities, it flew 3221 sorties, including airlifting 1055 PoWs back to England, for the loss of 71 aircraft. 9356 tons of bombs were dropped. The squadron was awarded45 DFCs and 2 Bars to DFC, 1 AFC, 1 CGM and 7 DFMs. Battle Honours were: English Channel and North Sea 1943-45, Baltic 1943-45, Fortress Europe 1943-44, France and Germany 1944-45, Biscay Ports 1943-44, Ruhr 1943-45, Berlin 1943-44, German Ports 1943-45, Normandy 1944, Rhine, Biscay 1943-44. Wikipedia,Moyes, Kostenuk and Griffin
Squadron History (Bomber Command Museum PDF)
The squadron was reactivated at St. Hubert, Quebec on 21 August 1967 as a Tactical Transport Unit. It flew de Havilland CC-15 Buffalo aircraft for the Canadian Forces Mobile Command and was integrated into the Canadian Armed Forces on 1 February 1968. In August 1981 it was renamed 429 Transport Squadron and moved to CFB Winnipeg . The final move was in 1990 to 8 Wing in Trenton, Ontario . The squadron was disbanded in 2005.
Two years later in August 2007, 429 Squadron was again re-activated, this time operating the CC-177 Globemaster III strategic transport aircraft. It used these new aircraft in support of Canada's operations in Afghanistan.
30 Lancasters from 408 and 419 Squadrons were joined by 60 Halifaxes from 424, 427, 429, and 433 Squadrons on an attack of the 2 rail yards at Aachen. The crews were over the target at between 16,000 and 20,000 feet, releasing 810,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, one rail yard was severely damaged with some damage to the others.
While some of the group attacked Aachen, 45 Halifaxes from 426, 428, 431, and 434 Squadrons were ordered on an attack of the Coastal Gun Batteries at Trouville. The crews were over the target at between 6,000 and 7,500 feet, releasing 421,000 lbs of high explosives. According to reports, bombing was successful. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
429 Bison Squadron (Fortunae Nihil) RAF Leeming. Halifax BIII aircraft HX 352 AL-L missing during operations against rail yards in Aachen, Germany. Outward-bound, the aircraft was intercepted and shot down by the night fighter crew of Hauptmann Struning & Oberleutnant Apel of the 3/NJG 1, from Venlo airfield in the Netherlands in Heinkel He 219 A-0 G9+EL
The bomber crashed at Gellik, Lanaken, Limburg, Belgium
Pilot Officer JI MacDonald (RCAF), Pilot Officer JL Michell (RCAF)(USA), Flying Officer D McKenzie (RCAF), Sergeant JI Jolley (RAF), and A.N. Smith (RAF) were also killed. One Canadian, Sergeant HD LaPointe (RCAF) survived and was taken Prisoner of War
There were three 429 Squadron Halifax III aircraft lost on this operation. Please see aircraft serials LW124 AL-N and LW137 AL-K for additional information on these aircraft and crews
[Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...
"Belgians Remember Them": RAF aircraft's crash sites: Gellick
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)
