Ballantyne, Finley, Buckham, Browne, Goldberg Redux

Post 405

Dean sent me this picture he had sent back in March 2012.

I always post what you share with me even if you share if twice.

Original post

More 403 pilots with this picture sent by Dean Black.

 

Collection Dean Black

James Hamilton “Jimmy” Ballantyne, Hart Finley, Robert Andrew “Bobby” Buckham, F/O J.D. Browne, Florham Park, New Jersey, F/L David Goldberg, Hamilton, Ont.

For more on Jimmy Ballantyne, click here.

For more on Hart Finley, click here.

For more on Bobby Buckham, click here.

For more on J. D. Browne, click here

For more on David Goldberg, click here

Hart Finley

Collection Dean Black

Ballantyne, Finley, Buckham, Browne, Goldberg

More 403 pilots with this picture sent by Dean Black.

 

Collection Dean Black

James Hamilton “Jimmy” Ballantyne, Hart Finley, Robert Andrew “Bobby” Buckham, F/O J.D. Browne, Florham Park, New Jersey, F/L David Goldberg, Hamilton, Ont.

For more on Jimmy Ballantyne, click here.

For more on Hart Finley, click here.

For more on Bobby Buckham, click here.

For more on J. D. Browne, click here

For more on David Goldberg, click here

Hart Finley

Collection Dean Black

Setting Up Camp

April 1945

Flight Lieutenant Walter Neil Dove was in Goch, Germany.

403 Squadron was setting up camp.

Buzz Burdis is still alive as we saw last time.

So are Doug Lindsay, Hart Finley and Keith Lindsay who all three survived the war.

This was in the back of the picture…

Greg asked me if Andrew wrote back  since he put a comment on this blog.

Not yet I said…

Andrew saw pictures of his grandfather on this blog.

That’s the reason why we put them on.

Lest we forget those brave men like Buzz Burdis, Doug Lindsay, Hart Finley and Keith Lindsay, and the still elusive Gil Gillis from Pense, Saskatchewan.

Pilots

This is the list of the pilots of 403 Squadron found in the logbook.

One thing that might not get noticed with the names highlighted is that Hank Zary survived the war contrary to Hank Byrd, Mac Reeves and Grant Aitcheson.

Hank Zary was a squadron leader and Walter Neil Dove called him the Chief…

The Chief died in 1946.

Hank Zary died of pleurisy on 11 February 1946 at the Royal Edward Laurentian Hospital (Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts division) where they specialized in treating tuberculosis & other chest problems.

Click here. 

Walter Neil Dove thus added this information after the war. Like so many war veterans Greg’s grandfather kept in touch with his comrades.

I wonder how the other pilots used to call affectionately Walter Neil Dove. 

Flight Lieutenant Hart Finley

This was in Walter Neil Dove’s photo album.

Walter Neil Dove collection

Click here

More about 443 Squadron…

Hart Finley did his elementary training in Windsor Mills.

Hart did his elementary flying training on the Fleet Finch at Number 4 Elementary Flying Training School at Windsor Mills, near the city of Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships of Québec.

It was there that Finley actually flew the very same Finch that we now own – RCAF Serial 4462. It appears in his log book several times.

Finley became a BCATP instructor at Summerside, PEI as well as at No. 2 SFTS here in Ottawa. He went on to fly Typhoons at his Operational Training Unit in England, but transferred to Spitfires and 403 Squadron RCAF. He eventually commanded 443 Squadron. He was shot down once and managed to evade capture.

Source: http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/320/language/en-CA/In-His-Name.aspx

Hart Finley is also in this picture… on this site.

This is most probably the same FW-190 where Gil Gillis is sitting.

Walter Neil Dove collection

More information on Hart Finley…