Remembering my great-uncle Flight Sergeant Archibald Don Gordon, RCAF,
405 Squadron, killed in action April 6, 1943, over the Bay of Biscay.
Buried in Plot 1, Row AB, Grave 5 Pornic War Cemetery, France.
May his sacrifice not have been in vain.
Yours in remembrance …
Dorothy
~*~
©Dorothy E. Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2021 … Aimwell CreativeWorks
In memory of
Sergeant Archibald Don Gordon, Royal Canadian Air Force,
405 Squadron
Served as flight engineer on a Halifax bomber which was shot down over the
Bay of Biscay.
Deceased. April 1943
Age 21
Archie was a happy Scottish lad. One of seven children who immigrated to northern Alberta with their parents in the early 1920s as part of the Soldiers Settlement Act. His father was a proud member of the Black Watch and had served proudly.
Archie had a keen sense of humour and was a true friend to his sister Alice, my grandmother, who felt his loss deeply.
If you want peace, be peace. This is the best way to honour the memories of those who gave their lives that we might live in peace times.
Thanks for visiting.
Dorothy
~*~
©Dorothy E. Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2019
Aimwell CreativeWorks
~*~
Their blood was lost;
In battle died
While far away
Their mothers cried.
The war not theirs,
But fought they did
For noble cause
Their bodies bled.
With open heart
And focused mind
They gave their all
For humankind.
Remember them,
Forget them not,
Our precious freedom
Their lives bought.
~*~
Stream of consciousness words for a day of remembering.
~*~
A salute to my great uncle, Flight Engineer Archibald Don Gordon, Bomber Command 405 Squadron killed in action April 6, 1942 over the Bay of Biscay, France. He was 23 years old.
Thanks for visiting …
Dorothy
©Dorothy E. Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2018 … Aimwell CreativeWorks
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©Dorothy E. Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2018 … Aimwell CreativeWorks
~*~
Somewhere near Bolton Abbey in rural Yorkshire, England, stands this old Roman (?) wall which someone some time ago appears to have tried to “integrate” into an expanded road system. Looks to me like the small archway helps to accommodate cyclists. At any rate, it’s a real study … and a bit of a head scratcher.
Kudos to the local government for not tearing down history in favour of all things modern.
Thanks for visiting …
Dorothy
~*~
©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2018 … Aimwell CreativeWorks
Nothing quite like the quest for the perfect dress.
Image taken at VE-Day re-enactment in Yorkshire, 2013.
Thanks for visiting …
Dorothy
~*~
©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2016
Weekly Photo Challenge: Alphabet
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This image speaks to the writer in me.
Every letter of the alphabet is represented in this old word processor, which is only a few decades removed from the model I learned to type on way back when.
Carbon copies and triplicate, white out and erasers.
“Those were the days,” she sighed with a hint of sarcasm.
Image captured at Heritage Park in Calgary, Alberta.
Thanks for stopping by …
Dorothy
~*~
©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2016
Weekly Photo Challenge: Victory
“God bless you all. This is your victory! It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land. In all our long history we have never seen a greater day than this. Everyone, man or woman, has done their best. Everyone has tried. Neither the long years, nor the dangers, nor the fierce attacks of the enemy, have in any way weakened the unbending resolve of the British nation. God bless you all.”
Winston Churchill … May 8, 1945
Whitehall, London
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During a visit to Yorkshire two years ago we stopped at a village that was hosting a victory re-enactment of the Second World War. We didn’t stay long, but were there long enough to enjoy the spirited revival of an extraordinary moment in British history.
The gentleman in this image delivered a powerful rendering of Winston Churchill’s victory speech and was my obvious choice for this challenge.
~*~
Peace and prayers for Paris at this difficult time.
Thanks for visiting,
Dorothy
©Dorothy Chiotti … All Rights Reserved 2015
~*~
Two Percheron horses are goin’ home to their paddock for some well-deserved R&R after an afternoon taking wagon loads of tourists around the Bar U Ranch National Historic Site near Longview, Alberta,
Thanks for visiting …
Dorothy
~*~
©Dorothy Chiotti … Aimwell CreativeWorks 2015
A reprise of a tribute to my Uncle Archie Gordon killed in WWII. Sadly, one of many ~ lest we forget …
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On April 6, 1943, a Halifax bomber with 405 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, in which my great uncle, Sergeant Archibald Don Gordon, was flight engineer, was shot down over the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France.
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The second youngest of a large farm family living in northern Alberta, he was a bright and cheerful chap adored by everyone. He was closest in age to my grandmother and they were fast friends.
He volunteered.
On the back of his photo (above) my grandmother wrote:
“He said, ‘Someone has to do it.'”
He was in his early 20s when he left for war. He did his duty for his country and paid the ultimate price.
Sergeant Gordon’s body was recovered and is buried in the war cemetery in Pornic, France.
My grandmother had custody of his service medals until the day she died, and they remain in the…
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