Born 19/05/1924 at Port Alma, ON. the son of Fred and Ellen Craig, of Port Alma / Merlin, (formally he lived in Riverside. The brother of Ernest ‘Ernie’ Wilfred finished grade ten at the Merlin Continuation School, he also took a Vocational Course in Windsor, and then got a job driving a truck for Stein’s Bakery. He then drove a truck for a gravel company before moving to Windsor, ON. for factory work. 

Wilfred enlisted with the RCAF on 30/31 October, 1942. He must have had a good deal of natural ability and motivation and intelligence to obtain his pilots wings by the age of nineteen. In fact since he was in the top 10% of his class qualified him to be an instructor. He earned his Wings 20 January, 1944 and commissioned 1 February.

Upon graduation P/O Craig was posted to CFB Trenton station and assigned to the newer Cornell trainer. PO. Craig was only at RCAF-Trenton about a month. Officials at Trenton spoke highly of Gordon and were grieved at his accident.

Date of Death: 21/03/1944,

Flying with P/O A. R. Ross (RAAF) in Cornell aircraft # FH 723 they crashed five miles south of base at Mountain View near Belleville, ON. during a training mission. Found on family grave marker at Pardoville Union Cemetery. 

The Cornel was a replacement for the durable Tiger Moth biplane, although it had better instrumentation the plywood wings were not very durable.

Age: 19, DOAA – Date of Death: 21/03/1944.

Flying with P/O A. R. Ross (RAAF) in Cornell aircraft # FH 723 they crashed five miles  south of base at Mountain View near Belleville, ON. during a training mission. Found on family grave marker at Pardo Born 19 May, 1924.

Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead, Grave/Memorial Reference: Lot 139.

Cemetery: PARDOVILLE UNION CEMETERY. It is the only wartime casualty grave there. On 13 October, 2012 a memorial was erected on 783 Wilson Road, Prince Edward County by Michael Korn as the Craig – Ross Memorial in tribute to the two flyers one from Canada and one from Australia “Who died during training as the result of a tragic plane crash in the field northwest of here on March 21, 1944” .

It took Mr. Korn, the current owner of the property ten years to track down the relatives of Alexander Ross in Australia but finally contacted his brother. In 2011 he met with his niece while she was in Canada visiting her son. A church service was conducted on 13 October, by the Rev. Andrew Wilson of St. Andrew’s Church in Wellington, along with Rev. Joyce Blackburn. 

 

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

History of Talbot Street United Church” booklet at OGS Library, Chatham, ON., “They Shall Not Grow Old", WJ (26-06-2010), R. Allen, WC,RCFM, MLMB, MLMB, WJ, MD-RH

Age	19
Birthplace	Merlin, Ontario

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