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Virtue, James Denholm

Date of birth:
February 25th, 1916 (Toronto/Ontario, Canada)
Date of death:
July 21st, 1944 (Reutum/Overijssel, The Netherlands)
Buried on:
Commonwealth War Graves Roman Catholic Cemetery Tubbergen
Grave: 10.
Service number:
J/7905
Nationality:
Canadian (1931-present, Constitutional Monarchy)

Biography

James was born on February 25 1916 in Toronto, the son of Robert Virtue (Scottish and deceased in 1916) and Janet Virtue nee Cowie (Scottish and deceased in 1944) of Toronto. They were married in 1907 in Scotland.
His brother was Alexander Virtue (his next of kin) and his sister was Mrs. Margaret Crawford.
He was a clerk stenographer and member of the Presbyterian Church.
His sports were softball, riding, tennis, baseball, rugby, swimming, skating and shooting and his hobby was music.

He served as a Corporal from June 1940 till December 1940 with the 2nd Bn Irish Regiment of Canada of the Non-Permanent Active Militia of Canada. He enlisted on October 7 1941 then the RCAF in Toronto and he went on September 19 1943 thereafter overseas to the UK.

Flight Lieutenant James Denholm Virtue was killed in action on Friday July 21 1944 age 28 due to a crash at the Weustboerweg Reutum near Tubbergen before or after an attack on Bottrop in Germany.

The other fallen RCAF crew members were P/O Alfred J. Britts age 28 in grave 7, F/Sgt Vernon F. Dodds age 23 in grave 7 and F/O Joseph J.R. Johnson age 30 in grave 7.
The other fallen RAF Volunteer Reserve crew members were F/O Anthony G. McCarthy in grave 9 and Sgt Thomas Davenport age 21 in grave 8.
The other RCAF crew member F/Sgt Michael S. Stoyko age 28 survived the crash and he could evade then and he survived the war.

On his headstone: REST IN PEACE.

He served with the 405 Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.

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Sources