AC2 Charles Urbain Richard R89726

[Paul Squires]

Now here is a real mystery.

In the book They Shall Grow Not Old is an entry:

Richard, Charles Urbain AC2 R89726. From Arichat, Nova Scotia. Died Apr. 18/41. Recruiting Centre, Hamilton, Ontario. AC2 Richard was on leave without pay when he died of natural causes while in the General Hospital at Niagaar Falls, Ontario. AirCraftman Second Class Richard is buried at Arichat, Nova Scotia.

Problem is, there is no record of AC2 C.U. Richard. Not in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, or Library and Archives Second World War Service Files War Dead section.

Possibly AC2 Richard applied to the RCAF, but died before he was enlisted.

Curious.

All the Best,

Paul
Wetaskiwin

[georgetanksherman]

Question Paul,

"Possibly AC2 Richard applied to the RCAF, but died before he was enlisted."

If AC2 Richard was waiting to join, would they have given him a personnel number and rank prior to enlisting ? and why the unpaid leave ?

I know all services work a bit different, so I am only asking to try to understand the RCAF way of doing things.

Hope all is well !

George

[Paul Squires]

Hi George,

I have found references to unpaid leave for airmen who have enlisted, but not yet been called up to active duty. Also for planting and harvesting crops. But those references are for airmen who are referenced on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Library and Archives Canada database. What is unusual in this case is that he has a serial number, and is the They Shall Go Not Old, but there is no reference to this airman in other sources.

Another possibility is that he did not die, but was for some reason not called to serve. I met one airman sho served in the airforce, later the RCN as a pilot, and lived to retire, but is included in TSGNO in error.

Thus the mystery.

Paul

[Temujin]

Now here is a real mystery.

In the book They Shall Grow Not Old is an entry:

Richard, Charles Urbain AC2 R89726. From Arichat, Nova Scotia. Died Apr. 18/41. Recruiting Centre, Hamilton, Ontario. AC2 Richard was on leave without pay when he died of natural causes while in the General Hospital at Niagaar Falls, Ontario. AirCraftman Second Class Richard is buried at Arichat, Nova Scotia.

Problem is, there is no record of AC2 C.U. Richard. Not in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, or the Canadian Virtual War Memorial, or Library and Archives Second World War Service Files War Dead section.

Possibly AC2 Richard applied to the RCAF, but died before he was enlisted.

Curious.

All the Best,

Paul
Wetaskiwin

I agree with George, he wouldn’t have been assigned a rank and a Service Number I believe BUT on second thought men went thru recruitment and then were either sent home or on leave without pay waiting for their initial training course to start



Unfortuately I can’t find anything on him. The only record (exactly what you posted) is in CASPIR

IMG_3776.jpeg (253.38 KiB) Viewed 40 times

[Temujin]

Hi George,

I have found references to unpaid leave for airmen who have enlisted, but not yet been called up to active duty. Also for planting and harvesting crops. But those references are for airmen who are referenced on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Library and Archives Canada database. What is unusual in this case is that he has a serial number, and is the They Shall Go Not Old, but there is no reference to this airman in other sources.

Another possibility is that he did not die, but was for some reason not called to serve. I met one airman sho served in the airforce, later the RCN as a pilot, and lived to retire, but is included in TSGNO in error.

Thus the mystery.

Paul

Found his name in the Book of Remembrance
https://veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/m ... /page/3470

[Temujin]

Hi George,

I have found references to unpaid leave for airmen who have enlisted, but not yet been called up to active duty. Also for planting and harvesting crops. But those references are for airmen who are referenced on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Library and Archives Canada database. What is unusual in this case is that he has a serial number, and is the They Shall Go Not Old, but there is no reference to this airman in other sources.

Another possibility is that he did not die, but was for some reason not called to serve. I met one airman sho served in the airforce, later the RCN as a pilot, and lived to retire, but is included in TSGNO in error.

Thus the mystery.

Paul

Found his name in the Book of Remembrance for the Second World War
https://veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/m ... /page/3470

IMG_3778.jpeg (771.53 KiB) Viewed 34 times

Note, on the record above you will note that his rank is listed as A2 this was the French abbreviation Aviateur 2e classe in English is Aircraftsman Class 2

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembran ... -and-units

Below is from the Books of Remembrance rank chart used in the Book for the Second World War

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