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Fairless, Alan Gilmore

Date of birth:
August 18th, 1916 (Medicine Hat/Alberta, Canada)
Date of death:
June 17th, 1944 (Biezenmortel/North Brabant, The Netherlands)
Buried on:
Commonwealth War Graves Roman Catholic Cemetery Biezenmortel
Grave: 3.
Service number:
J/87070
Nationality:
Canadian (1931-present, Constitutional Monarchy)

Biography

Alan was born on August 18 1916 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, the son of John Davison Fairless and Dorothy Claire Fairless nee Crisall (both English) of Medicine Hat. They were married on May 24 1916 in Calgary.

His brothers were John Mordaunt and George Pringle Fairless.

He was a bookkeeper and member of the Church of England. His hobby was music and the sports were all sports moderately.

He enlisted on March 31 1942 in Calgary and he went thereafter on June 4 1943 overseas to the UK.

Alan was killed in action on Saturday June 17 1944 age 27 due to a crash after an explosion near Biezenmortel before or after an attack on Sterkrade near Oberhausen in Germany.

The other fallen RCAF crew members were Sgt George O. Massicotte age 29 in grave 5, Sgt Donald C. McPherson age 20 in grave 6, Sgt Joseph M. McPherson age 22 in grave 1 and Sgt Herbert G. Robinson age 24 in grave 4.
The other fallen RAF Volunteer Reserve crew member was Sgt Edmund Guinan age 32 in grave 2.
The other RAF crew member Sgt L. Ellis survived the crash and he became then a prisoner of war.

On his headstone: EVER IN OUR MEMORY IS OUR PAL ALAN. MOTHER, DAD, JACK AND GEORGE

He served with the 431 Sqdn Royal Canadian Air Force.

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Period:
Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:
Pilot Officer
Unit:
No. 431 (Iroquois) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
Awarded on:
April 16th, 1943
Pilot's Flying Badge

Sources