From Troy, Harwich Twsp., Kent Co. ON.   Son of William Brown Cleland and Mabel Johnston Cleland of St. Catharines, ON,. Calder was born in Hamilton, ON. 14 July, 1922. In both Junior and Senior he was a “most capable athlete for the Littleside teams.

He had a brother Capt. Marshall Cleland with the Tank Corp. A second brother Sqd. Ldr. Douglas Cleland, with the RCAF-Trenton. E also had one sister Mrs. Sidney McDonald living in Vancouver a second sister Mrs. Ralph Henderson of Toronto. 

He enlisted in the RCAF in 1940 at the age of 17 years. He received his “sparks badge”at Montreal and his gunner’s Wing at Mountain View.

He was on active service overseas for two and a half yeas, first with the RAF and then for nearly a year attached to the South African Air Force as a Wireless Gunner serving with the Eighth Army at El Alamein. “His bomber ranged out over the retreating Axis forces”.

Commissioned as Pilot Officer on 31 March, 1943 and was reported missing on operations over Sicily since 3 Jul. 

Age: 20, KIA – Date of Death: 03/07/1943, flying Air Ops., shot down over west coast of Sicily. Other members of the crew WO. J. E. Morrison, Lt. A.G.T. Oaks (SAAF) and 2?lt. S.C. Smith (SAAF) Flying a Baltimore aircraft #AG 877 was shot down by a German ME-109 fighter while flying between Sicily and Favigana Island. Pilot Officer has no known grave, presumed killed in action.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 271.

Memorial: ALAMEIN MEMORIAL.  Calder is on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton AB.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources	Index of Overseas Deaths, TSGNO, CVWM(P)
Supplemental Information	Additional information: Son of William Brown Cleland and Mabel Johnston Cleland. Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: Column 271. Memorial: ALAMEIN MEMORIAL. Index of Overseas Deaths.

Age	20
Birthplace	Troy, Harwich Twsp., Kent Co. ON.

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