08 April 2015

M/S Batory

The "Daily Dairy of No.34 Operational Training Unit" (Yarmouth) contains the following entry: "The first echelon of No.34 OPERATIONAL TRAINING UNIT under the command of GROUP CAPTAIN A.C. EVANS-EVANS sailed from GOUROCK, SCOTLAND in R.A.F. Transport "M/S BATORY" p.m. 8th April, 1942, and docked, after a comfortable and uneventful voyage, at HALIFAX, N.S. p.m. 16th April, 1942. We then entrained over-night arriving at YARMOUTH, N.S. a.m. 17th April, 1942, the Officers being quartered in the Officer's Mess of the R.C.A.F. Station as guests and the senior N.C.O.'s and Airmen in our own portion of the Station."  The journal entries show that the Unit was established at Yarmouth from 18 April 1942 until 27 May 1942.
M/S Batory taken in 1936 at Hoboken, New Jersey (USA).
Photograph courtesy Cpl. Eric Leslie Lane (
GB547108)

Pennfield Ridge War Memorial Service (2014)



02 June 2013

Remembering John William Birdwood MacKenzie (1919-2013)

Alexandria Egypt - Sept 1944

31.03.1941
Enlisted No 2 as Navigator
16.08.1941
No.1 AOS Malton, Ontario, Canada
09.11.1941
No.1 BGS Jarvis, Ontario, Canada
26.02.1942
No.2 ANS Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick, Canada
09.03.1942
No.3 PRC Bournemouth, U.K.
15.04.1942
No.1 OTU, Silloth, U.K.
24.06.1942
First Operation, Germany
19.07.1942
459 Squadron till 2.11.1943
12.11.1943
No.1 METS – El Ballah – Bombing Leaders Course
13.01.1944
Ahqem Bombing Leader till 3.7.44.
27.11.1944
No.7 OUT, Tocumwal, Australia, Liberators
21.02.1945
No.23 Squadron, Nth.Australia
08.07.1945
No.21 Squadron, Moroai till 8.2.46.
21.02.1946
Discharged

11 January 2013

Remembering Cpl. George Richardson (1921-2013)

Cpl. George D Richard, RCAF Wreath (24 July 2011)
Peacefully at the Charlotte County Hospital, St. Stephen NB on January 11, 2013, Mr. George Donovan Richardson, husband of Mrs. Charlotte (Mitchell) Richardson of Lambert’s Cove NB. Born at Deer Island NB on March 13, 1921, he was the son of the late Audley and Ruby (Stuart) Richardson. A loving husband, father and uncle, George is survived by his wife, Charlotte, one son, Paul Richardson of Fredericton NB and by several nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition to his parents, Audley and Ruby, he was predeceased by one son, Mark Richardson, one brother, Lawrence Richardson and by one sister, Geraldine Gardiner.

Prior to his retirement, George was a self employed Fisherman. He was a veteran of the Second World War having served with the Royal Canadian Air Force in England. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends.

As keeping with George’s request, there will be no visitation. A graveside service will be held at the Fairhaven Community Cemetery at Calder’s Head NB in the spring. In George’s memory, donations to a charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated by the family. Arrangements in the care of the St. George Funeral Home & Crematorium, 26 Portage Street, St. George, NB.

SOURCE: St. George Funeral Home website.

26 September 2012

Legendary war artist Bruno Bobak dies at age 88



Bruno Bobak and his wife Molly Lamb both served as war artists during the Second World War.
New Brunswick's arts community is mourning the loss of legendary Canadian war artist Bruno Bobak.

Bobak, of Fredericton, died Monday night at the Saint John Regional Hospital after being diagnosed with throat cancer earlier this summer.

He was 88.

Bobak was painting as recently as last winter, having contributed a large canvas to the Aspects of Fredericton exhibition at Gallery 78.

"He was a treasure to the whole province. People in Fredericton, or New Brunswick, will not be the same from now on," said gallery owner Inge Pataki, who collected and sold Bobak's paintings and was a close friend.

"He had an incredible dry humour, and very interesting to talk to because the field of conversation was just borderless. So I remember very fondly interesting and animated conversations at the dinner table. He was a wonderful man to know," she said.

On Tuesday, staff at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery in Fredericton were busy hanging in tribute three of his best-known works, called The Seasons, which depict him and his wife Molly Lamb during the seasons of their life.

Gallery director Bernie Riordon, who wrote a book on Bobak's career, said his paintings of people are particularly memorable.

"He painted them not only to see into them, but to see through them. He had a special X-ray vision — he captured the spirit and the essence of the sitters."

Riordon describes Bobak as one of the country's greatest artists and a national icon.

"He affected a lot of artists. He influenced a lot of collectors. He was an iconic figure who had a real strong sense of place and time and who made a special contribution, not only in New Brunswick but to the Canadian art scene," he said.

Riordon, who knew Bobak well, not only as a painter, but also as a friend and fishing companion, said he left a lasting legacy beyond his paintings.

"He was relaxed, he was kind, generous. He was a true lover of the salmon, and a great respect for the landscape and for the wilderness. A true environmentalist, and just a very kind, gentle, and passionate, and humanist person," Riordon said.

Attributed to success to war art


Bobak and his wife, Molly Lamb, were both enlisted by the federal government to detail its efforts in the Second World War after placing first and second in an art competition in 1944.

Bobak, who was only in his early 20s, was the country's youngest war artist.

"I wasn't old enough to go into a beer parlour, but I was old enough to be killed," he told CBC News during a 2006 interview.

Bobak had recently graduated from art school in Toronto when he joined the army as part of the Royal Canadian Engineers.

It was a time that Bobak said helped contribute to his success.

"Had the war not appeared when I was 19 years of age, I probably would still be struggling for recognition," he told CBC News in 2003.

According to the Military Museums' website, Bobak also reflected that becoming a war artist may have saved his life because most of the company he had been with was killed during their first day in Europe.

Bobak documented war scenes in Belgium, Holland and France, including Normandy.

In a 2002 interview with the CBC, he described the dual role of the war artist.

"There are two ways of looking at war art. One is a historical thing, and the other is a personal creative thing. And actually being a war artist combines the two," he said.

"Either you're making a document, or you're also trying to express yourself as an individual."

In 2006, Bobak told CBC News he was happiest when he was fishing and gardening, but he was also proud of his legacy as a painter.

"Being well-recognized as an artist is something that I'm happy about and [I'm] hoping to leave a small mark, or any kind of mark, enriching the cultural life of the country," he said.

Numerous prestigious awards


Bobak was born in Wawelowska, Poland and emigrated to Canada in 1927.

He began studying art at the age of 13 in Toronto under Arthur Lismer, a member of the Group of Seven and subsequently studied under future war artists, such as Carl Schaefer and Charles Goldhammer.

Bobak and his wife moved to Fredericton in 1960 after he was appointed artist-in-residence at the University of New Brunswick in 1960.

Bobak also served as the director of the UNB Art Centre from 1962 until his retirement in 1986.

During that time, Bobak became more versatile and well-known for his landscapes, prints and large oil paintings of the human body.

He received several prestigious awards and honours over the years, including being named a Member the Order of Canada in 1995, along with his wife.

"Their energy and enthusiasm as teachers, fund-raisers and arts advocates have helped create a climate for artistic and cultural growth in New Brunswick and earned them the respect of the academic world and the community beyond," according to a statement by the Governor General of Canada.

Bobak's works are found in collections across Canada.

Many of his war paintings are part of the collection at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

Bobak participated in more than 250 group exhibits and had more than 80 one-man shows around the world.

SOURCE: CBC News - 25 September 2012.