It’s been almost 79 years since Allen (Al) Cameron’s brother died in the Second World War, and while the family knows a little about the death, they don’t have a clear picture.
That picture is now much clearer after a historian found a 59-page package containing Morley Luellan Cameron’s service records and sent them to the Moose Jaw Express. The Express gave the package to Allen, who was thrilled to finally fill in the blanks about his brother’s death.
“It just shows that those who didn’t come back aren’t forgotten,” the 97-year-old said recently. “It lays to rest things we’ve wondered about for (almost) 79 years. We wondered what happened. That’s just a miracle. I don’t know how to exactly express it.
“What it shows is there’s still hope for people to find out information about what happened to their loved ones.”
Morley Cameron was born on Oct. 27, 1921, to Thomas and Ruby Cameron of Kenaston, Sask.
The youth — who stood 5-9, weighed 142 pounds, had blue eyes and brown hair — initially served with the Saskatoon Light Infantry before applying to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), where he became an airframe mechanic.
Morley later re-mustered in 1942 to be a pilot. The RCAF accepted him, and after training across Western Canada, he received his pilot’s wings in 1943.
He transferred to the Royal Air Force and continued training until Jan. 1, 1944, when he was placed with No. 19 Squadron, No. 83 Fighter Group, Second Tactical Air Force as a flying officer (F/O).
Records show Morley participated in a daytime dive-bombing mission on June 30, 1944, on a crossroads southwest of Caen, France — which Canadian soldiers were fighting for — and was the fourth plane in formation.
Around 6:10 p.m., while attacking road and rail communications, another pilot saw Morley’s spin into the ground and burst into flames. The pilot called the 23-year-old on the radio but received no reply.
“As all the other aircraft on this operation returned to base, it is possible to assume that the aircraft which crashed is Mustang aircraft FB 368,” according to the July 7, 1944 flying accident report. “In view of this information, F/O Cameron was classified as ‘Missing, Believed Killed in Action.’”
It was unlikely that Morley — “an above-average pilot,” his records show — flew into his flight leader’s bomb burst, considering they dropped their bombs from 500 feet, the report noted. Therefore, investigators presumed that “some obscure technical failure” or enemy flak brought down the aircraft.
As an RCAF airframe mechanic, Allen wrote to the wing commander asking for more information. The officer replied on Aug. 7, 1944, saying only that it was assumed Morley was dead since his plane failed to return.
The wing commander later sent Allen a letter on Feb. 5, 1945, confirming Morley’s death, according to the International Red Cross. Morley had been buried in Bonnemaison Cemetery, 24 kilometres southwest of Caen.
The RCAF sent Mr. and Mrs. Cameron a certificate of presumption of death on March 27, 1945, officially confirming their son’s death.
Aside from the vague letters from the air force, the family knew almost no details — only supposition — about Morley’s death, said Allen. However, these new documents remove a heavy weight from their shoulders.
“… how do you put a price on that?” he continued emotionally. “It would be extremely difficult to put a price on getting information on a guy who gave it all.”
The family also has a letter from a French woman who saw the crash. She wrote that civilians grabbed Morley’s body and hid it until the Germans left before digging a grave and burying him in the church cemetery.
“She was there; she saw it. They were in a girls’ school at the church and they saw it happen,” said Allen. “It just goes to show that the good Lord is always there.”
The veteran added that these documents are “absolutely priceless,” while he expected his son to “go nuts” upon seeing them.
