Cemetery Information from Mount Royal Commemorative Services:-
Name:Gerald Philbin
Parents: John and Mary Ida (née Meury) Philbin
Wife: Eugenie Marguerite Bonnette [the couple married in Cowansville, Quebec in 1949]
Birth Date: 28 October 1909
Birth Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Death Date: 21 May 1999
Cremated on 24 May 1999
The Urn containing his remains was not buried at Mount Royal Cemetery.
Squadron Leader Gerald Bernard Philbin DFC, has been memorialized in the Canada Veterans' Hall of Valour and the Canada Veterans' Book of Valour.
Gerald Bernard Philbin, born in Montreal, Quebec, was raised in Valleyfield, Quebec, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, west of Montreal. His father, John, born in England, worked as a foreman in a Quebec cotton mill; his mother, Mary Ida, was born in Switzerland; the couple raised 3 daughters and 3 sons. Jerry Philbin, educated in both English and French, was a keen sportman who **excelled at playing hockey** during his years in high school.
On 21 July 1940, Gerald enlisted in the RCAF at Valleyfield; besides training to be a pilot, **he was a star defenceman with the famous "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Team which won the prestigious Allan Cup in the 1942 Canadian amateur hockey competition**.
At several flight training schools (BCATP), he received air crew instruction; on 28 March 1941, P/O Philbin graduated from No.2 Service Flying Training School (#2 SFTS) in Ottawa (Uplands) and received his pilot's wings. Now a flying instructor at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (Ottawa), **he continued playing for the champion "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Club**.
In Feb 1943 F/O Jerry Philbin was posted overseas to England where he had additional training at an Operational Training Unit (OTU) before being posted to RCAF 431 ("Iroquois") Squadron, Bomber Command, at RAF Station Tholthorpe in Yorkshire. In Dec 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Station Croft in Yorkshire.
**It's interesting to note that, according to the 23 Dec 1943 issue of the 'Ottawa Citizen' newspaper, F/O Gerry Philbin always wore his 1942 “Allan Cup” hockey jersey on operations for good luck**.
On 15 March 1944, after their flight operation over Amiens in France, Philbin and his crew were returning their Halifax bomber to home base. There was a 'hung-up bomb' on the aircraft, so upon landing the bomb dropped and exploded. Two of the original crew, Canadian gunners Pilot Officer Lloyd Roger BARKER and Pilot Officer Irvine George KLEIN were killed. Philbin and the rest of his crew managed to escape with minor injuries. The Philbin crew were assigned a new aircraft, Halifax SE-U (#LK991) and they went on to complete 21 operations with No. 431 squadron.
On 25 June 1942 RCAF 425 ["Alouette"] Squadron, designated a “French-Canadian” squadron, had been formed; its ranks were filled with French-speaking air and ground crews from other Bomber Command Squadrons; on 13 June 1944, French-speaking pilot, newly-promoted, S/L Gerald Philbin and his crew were posted to the "Alouette" Squadron, based at RAF Station Tholthorpe. S/L Philbin and his aircrew were issued with a new 425 Squadron Halifax Mk. VII (#LL594) aircraft, with code letter “U”.
**Jerry requested that the squadron artist paint, as the 'nose art' on the Halifax, the 1942 Allan Cup, the background being the logo used on the Ottawa hockey sweaters.**
The Philbin crew flew their first operation with 425 Squadron on 16 June 1944, an attack on the German V-1 rocket sites in France.
On 5 Aug 1944, in what would be its last flight, pilot Philbin’s Halifax Mk. VII bomber-**with its distinctive "Allan Cup on nose art"**-was on an operation over a munitions dump near Paris when it was hit by flak and then exploded. Six crew members perished at once; they were:-
RAFVR Flying Officer Graham BERESFORD,
RAFVR Warrant Officer Brian CLARK,
RCAF Flight Sergeant William Brown GRACIE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Thomas Edwin LEE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Raymond Alexander REED and
RAFVR Flying Officer Leslie George STAMP.
Pilot Philbin and another airman,able to bail out successfully, were captured and taken prisoner. Jerry, who was injured, was admitted to Beaujon [Luftwaffe] hospital in Clichy, north of Paris. Several injured American POW's soon joined him in the hospital.
Told that they'd all be transferred to a hospital in Germany, Philbin and the American airmen managed to escape. S/L Philbin was able to make his way back to England, back in the UK on 6 Sept 1944.
S/L Gerald Bernard Philbin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his skill and gallantry. His citation reads as follows:
"This officer has participated in many attacks on distant and well defended targets such as Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Essen. In November 1943, shortly after completing an attack on Berlin, the starboard outer engine of his aircraft failed and during the return flight, damage from anti-aircraft fire was sustained. Despite this, Squadron Leader Philbin flew the aircraft safely to base. This officer has invariably displayed commendable courage and determination."
Name:Gerald Philbin
Parents: John and Mary Ida (née Meury) Philbin
Wife: Eugenie Marguerite Bonnette [the couple married in Cowansville, Quebec in 1949]
Birth Date: 28 October 1909
Birth Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Death Date: 21 May 1999
Cremated on 24 May 1999
The Urn containing his remains was not buried at Mount Royal Cemetery.
Squadron Leader Gerald Bernard Philbin DFC, has been memorialized in the Canada Veterans' Hall of Valour and the Canada Veterans' Book of Valour.
Gerald Bernard Philbin, born in Montreal, Quebec, was raised in Valleyfield, Quebec, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, west of Montreal. His father, John, born in England, worked as a foreman in a Quebec cotton mill; his mother, Mary Ida, was born in Switzerland; the couple raised 3 daughters and 3 sons. Jerry Philbin, educated in both English and French, was a keen sportman who **excelled at playing hockey** during his years in high school.
On 21 July 1940, Gerald enlisted in the RCAF at Valleyfield; besides training to be a pilot, **he was a star defenceman with the famous "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Team which won the prestigious Allan Cup in the 1942 Canadian amateur hockey competition**.
At several flight training schools (BCATP), he received air crew instruction; on 28 March 1941, P/O Philbin graduated from No.2 Service Flying Training School (#2 SFTS) in Ottawa (Uplands) and received his pilot's wings. Now a flying instructor at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (Ottawa), **he continued playing for the champion "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Club**.
In Feb 1943 F/O Jerry Philbin was posted overseas to England where he had additional training at an Operational Training Unit (OTU) before being posted to RCAF 431 ("Iroquois") Squadron, Bomber Command, at RAF Station Tholthorpe in Yorkshire. In Dec 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Station Croft in Yorkshire.
**It's interesting to note that, according to the 23 Dec 1943 issue of the 'Ottawa Citizen' newspaper, F/O Gerry Philbin always wore his 1942 “Allan Cup” hockey jersey on operations for good luck**.
On 15 March 1944, after their flight operation over Amiens in France, Philbin and his crew were returning their Halifax bomber to home base. There was a 'hung-up bomb' on the aircraft, so upon landing the bomb dropped and exploded. Two of the original crew, Canadian gunners Pilot Officer Lloyd Roger BARKER and Pilot Officer Irvine George KLEIN were killed. Philbin and the rest of his crew managed to escape with minor injuries. The Philbin crew were assigned a new aircraft, Halifax SE-U (#LK991) and they went on to complete 21 operations with No. 431 squadron.
On 25 June 1942 RCAF 425 ["Alouette"] Squadron, designated a “French-Canadian” squadron, had been formed; its ranks were filled with French-speaking air and ground crews from other Bomber Command Squadrons; on 13 June 1944, French-speaking pilot, newly-promoted, S/L Gerald Philbin and his crew were posted to the "Alouette" Squadron, based at RAF Station Tholthorpe. S/L Philbin and his aircrew were issued with a new 425 Squadron Halifax Mk. VII (#LL594) aircraft, with code letter “U”.
**Jerry requested that the squadron artist paint, as the 'nose art' on the Halifax, the 1942 Allan Cup, the background being the logo used on the Ottawa hockey sweaters.**
The Philbin crew flew their first operation with 425 Squadron on 16 June 1944, an attack on the German V-1 rocket sites in France.
On 5 Aug 1944, in what would be its last flight, pilot Philbin’s Halifax Mk. VII bomber-**with its distinctive "Allan Cup on nose art"**-was on an operation over a munitions dump near Paris when it was hit by flak and then exploded. Six crew members perished at once; they were:-
RAFVR Flying Officer Graham BERESFORD,
RAFVR Warrant Officer Brian CLARK,
RCAF Flight Sergeant William Brown GRACIE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Thomas Edwin LEE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Raymond Alexander REED and
RAFVR Flying Officer Leslie George STAMP.
Pilot Philbin and another airman,able to bail out successfully, were captured and taken prisoner. Jerry, who was injured, was admitted to Beaujon [Luftwaffe] hospital in Clichy, north of Paris. Several injured American POW's soon joined him in the hospital.
Told that they'd all be transferred to a hospital in Germany, Philbin and the American airmen managed to escape. S/L Philbin was able to make his way back to England, back in the UK on 6 Sept 1944.
S/L Gerald Bernard Philbin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his skill and gallantry. His citation reads as follows:
"This officer has participated in many attacks on distant and well defended targets such as Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Essen. In November 1943, shortly after completing an attack on Berlin, the starboard outer engine of his aircraft failed and during the return flight, damage from anti-aircraft fire was sustained. Despite this, Squadron Leader Philbin flew the aircraft safely to base. This officer has invariably displayed commendable courage and determination."
Cemetery Information from Mount Royal Commemorative Services:-
Name:Gerald Philbin
Parents: John and Mary Ida (née Meury) Philbin
Wife: Eugenie Marguerite Bonnette [the couple married in Cowansville, Quebec in 1949]
Birth Date: 28 October 1909
Birth Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Death Date: 21 May 1999
Cremated on 24 May 1999
The Urn containing his remains was not buried at Mount Royal Cemetery.
Squadron Leader Gerald Bernard Philbin DFC, has been memorialized in the Canada Veterans' Hall of Valour and the Canada Veterans' Book of Valour.
Gerald Bernard Philbin, born in Montreal, Quebec, was raised in Valleyfield, Quebec, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, west of Montreal. His father, John, born in England, worked as a foreman in a Quebec cotton mill; his mother, Mary Ida, was born in Switzerland; the couple raised 3 daughters and 3 sons. Jerry Philbin, educated in both English and French, was a keen sportman who **excelled at playing hockey** during his years in high school.
On 21 July 1940, Gerald enlisted in the RCAF at Valleyfield; besides training to be a pilot, **he was a star defenceman with the famous "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Team which won the prestigious Allan Cup in the 1942 Canadian amateur hockey competition**.
At several flight training schools (BCATP), he received air crew instruction; on 28 March 1941, P/O Philbin graduated from No.2 Service Flying Training School (#2 SFTS) in Ottawa (Uplands) and received his pilot's wings. Now a flying instructor at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (Ottawa), **he continued playing for the champion "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Club**.
In Feb 1943 F/O Jerry Philbin was posted overseas to England where he had additional training at an Operational Training Unit (OTU) before being posted to RCAF 431 ("Iroquois") Squadron, Bomber Command, at RAF Station Tholthorpe in Yorkshire. In Dec 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Station Croft in Yorkshire.
**It's interesting to note that, according to the 23 Dec 1943 issue of the 'Ottawa Citizen' newspaper, F/O Gerry Philbin always wore his 1942 “Allan Cup” hockey jersey on operations for good luck**.
On 15 March 1944, after their flight operation over Amiens in France, Philbin and his crew were returning their Halifax bomber to home base. There was a 'hung-up bomb' on the aircraft, so upon landing the bomb dropped and exploded. Two of the original crew, Canadian gunners Pilot Officer Lloyd Roger BARKER and Pilot Officer Irvine George KLEIN were killed. Philbin and the rest of his crew managed to escape with minor injuries. The Philbin crew were assigned a new aircraft, Halifax SE-U (#LK991) and they went on to complete 21 operations with No. 431 squadron.
On 25 June 1942 RCAF 425 ["Alouette"] Squadron, designated a “French-Canadian” squadron, had been formed; its ranks were filled with French-speaking air and ground crews from other Bomber Command Squadrons; on 13 June 1944, French-speaking pilot, newly-promoted, S/L Gerald Philbin and his crew were posted to the "Alouette" Squadron, based at RAF Station Tholthorpe. S/L Philbin and his aircrew were issued with a new 425 Squadron Halifax Mk. VII (#LL594) aircraft, with code letter “U”.
**Jerry requested that the squadron artist paint, as the 'nose art' on the Halifax, the 1942 Allan Cup, the background being the logo used on the Ottawa hockey sweaters.**
The Philbin crew flew their first operation with 425 Squadron on 16 June 1944, an attack on the German V-1 rocket sites in France.
On 5 Aug 1944, in what would be its last flight, pilot Philbin’s Halifax Mk. VII bomber-**with its distinctive "Allan Cup on nose art"**-was on an operation over a munitions dump near Paris when it was hit by flak and then exploded. Six crew members perished at once; they were:-
RAFVR Flying Officer Graham BERESFORD,
RAFVR Warrant Officer Brian CLARK,
RCAF Flight Sergeant William Brown GRACIE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Thomas Edwin LEE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Raymond Alexander REED and
RAFVR Flying Officer Leslie George STAMP.
Pilot Philbin and another airman,able to bail out successfully, were captured and taken prisoner. Jerry, who was injured, was admitted to Beaujon [Luftwaffe] hospital in Clichy, north of Paris. Several injured American POW's soon joined him in the hospital.
Told that they'd all be transferred to a hospital in Germany, Philbin and the American airmen managed to escape. S/L Philbin was able to make his way back to England, back in the UK on 6 Sept 1944.
S/L Gerald Bernard Philbin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his skill and gallantry. His citation reads as follows:
"This officer has participated in many attacks on distant and well defended targets such as Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Essen. In November 1943, shortly after completing an attack on Berlin, the starboard outer engine of his aircraft failed and during the return flight, damage from anti-aircraft fire was sustained. Despite this, Squadron Leader Philbin flew the aircraft safely to base. This officer has invariably displayed commendable courage and determination."
Name:Gerald Philbin
Parents: John and Mary Ida (née Meury) Philbin
Wife: Eugenie Marguerite Bonnette [the couple married in Cowansville, Quebec in 1949]
Birth Date: 28 October 1909
Birth Place: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Death Date: 21 May 1999
Cremated on 24 May 1999
The Urn containing his remains was not buried at Mount Royal Cemetery.
Squadron Leader Gerald Bernard Philbin DFC, has been memorialized in the Canada Veterans' Hall of Valour and the Canada Veterans' Book of Valour.
Gerald Bernard Philbin, born in Montreal, Quebec, was raised in Valleyfield, Quebec, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, west of Montreal. His father, John, born in England, worked as a foreman in a Quebec cotton mill; his mother, Mary Ida, was born in Switzerland; the couple raised 3 daughters and 3 sons. Jerry Philbin, educated in both English and French, was a keen sportman who **excelled at playing hockey** during his years in high school.
On 21 July 1940, Gerald enlisted in the RCAF at Valleyfield; besides training to be a pilot, **he was a star defenceman with the famous "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Team which won the prestigious Allan Cup in the 1942 Canadian amateur hockey competition**.
At several flight training schools (BCATP), he received air crew instruction; on 28 March 1941, P/O Philbin graduated from No.2 Service Flying Training School (#2 SFTS) in Ottawa (Uplands) and received his pilot's wings. Now a flying instructor at RCAF Station Rockcliffe (Ottawa), **he continued playing for the champion "RCAF Flyers" Hockey Club**.
In Feb 1943 F/O Jerry Philbin was posted overseas to England where he had additional training at an Operational Training Unit (OTU) before being posted to RCAF 431 ("Iroquois") Squadron, Bomber Command, at RAF Station Tholthorpe in Yorkshire. In Dec 1943 the squadron moved to RAF Station Croft in Yorkshire.
**It's interesting to note that, according to the 23 Dec 1943 issue of the 'Ottawa Citizen' newspaper, F/O Gerry Philbin always wore his 1942 “Allan Cup” hockey jersey on operations for good luck**.
On 15 March 1944, after their flight operation over Amiens in France, Philbin and his crew were returning their Halifax bomber to home base. There was a 'hung-up bomb' on the aircraft, so upon landing the bomb dropped and exploded. Two of the original crew, Canadian gunners Pilot Officer Lloyd Roger BARKER and Pilot Officer Irvine George KLEIN were killed. Philbin and the rest of his crew managed to escape with minor injuries. The Philbin crew were assigned a new aircraft, Halifax SE-U (#LK991) and they went on to complete 21 operations with No. 431 squadron.
On 25 June 1942 RCAF 425 ["Alouette"] Squadron, designated a “French-Canadian” squadron, had been formed; its ranks were filled with French-speaking air and ground crews from other Bomber Command Squadrons; on 13 June 1944, French-speaking pilot, newly-promoted, S/L Gerald Philbin and his crew were posted to the "Alouette" Squadron, based at RAF Station Tholthorpe. S/L Philbin and his aircrew were issued with a new 425 Squadron Halifax Mk. VII (#LL594) aircraft, with code letter “U”.
**Jerry requested that the squadron artist paint, as the 'nose art' on the Halifax, the 1942 Allan Cup, the background being the logo used on the Ottawa hockey sweaters.**
The Philbin crew flew their first operation with 425 Squadron on 16 June 1944, an attack on the German V-1 rocket sites in France.
On 5 Aug 1944, in what would be its last flight, pilot Philbin’s Halifax Mk. VII bomber-**with its distinctive "Allan Cup on nose art"**-was on an operation over a munitions dump near Paris when it was hit by flak and then exploded. Six crew members perished at once; they were:-
RAFVR Flying Officer Graham BERESFORD,
RAFVR Warrant Officer Brian CLARK,
RCAF Flight Sergeant William Brown GRACIE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Thomas Edwin LEE,
RCAF Pilot Officer Raymond Alexander REED and
RAFVR Flying Officer Leslie George STAMP.
Pilot Philbin and another airman,able to bail out successfully, were captured and taken prisoner. Jerry, who was injured, was admitted to Beaujon [Luftwaffe] hospital in Clichy, north of Paris. Several injured American POW's soon joined him in the hospital.
Told that they'd all be transferred to a hospital in Germany, Philbin and the American airmen managed to escape. S/L Philbin was able to make his way back to England, back in the UK on 6 Sept 1944.
S/L Gerald Bernard Philbin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his skill and gallantry. His citation reads as follows:
"This officer has participated in many attacks on distant and well defended targets such as Berlin, Leipzig, Stuttgart and Essen. In November 1943, shortly after completing an attack on Berlin, the starboard outer engine of his aircraft failed and during the return flight, damage from anti-aircraft fire was sustained. Despite this, Squadron Leader Philbin flew the aircraft safely to base. This officer has invariably displayed commendable courage and determination."
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
