The son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Dougherty of 29 Joseph St., Chatham, ON. Born in Chatham 3/04/21. He had one brother and two sisters. old. He graduated from McKeough School and the Chatham Collegiate Institute. John left school in 1940 to join the RCAF. He was a member of St. Andrew’s Church in Chatham.

Prior to his enlistment John was attending the Galt Aircraft School from 2 October,1939 until 29 March, 1940. He enlisted in the RCAF 31/03/40. John trained at Jarvis, St. Thomas, Trenton, Defoe, Prince Rupert, High River and in Britain. He graduated as a bombardier.

Prior to going overseas served with #7 B.R. Squadron W.A.C. Seal Cove, BC.

He was reported as missing in action on 17 June, 1944. The Casualty Officer assured John’s parents that if further word was received it will be forwarded immediately. The CDN 7/07/44(P) reported that Flight Sergeant ‘Bombardier’ was Missing on air ‘opps’. John served in England, Holland, France and Germany. The final mission was an attack on Sterkrade, Germany. The bomber crashed in Holland. Beside John, P.O. Fred Haldenby and F/O Edmund Downing of Peterborough, ON. evaded the Germans for three weeks. 

The CDN Aug.44(P) reported that John was a prisoner-of-war in Germany and Russia. His parents were notified through the International Red Cross, they reported that a letter would follow. According to the CDN 5/02/45 that he had been freed from Staleg. Luft. 7 by Russian troops. The Camp was east of Breslau in Sileia and was liberated by the Russian during their push to Berlin.    

First reported as MIA, after air operations on 17 June, 1944,  it was later reported that he was a POW of the Germans. Besides his parents he had a brother Lloyd and two sisters Mae and Doris at home. WS 1944.

Sgt. Dougherty a bomb aimer had been commissioned as a Pilot Officer retroactive to June of 1944 two days before his aircraft crashed in Holland, he was on his fifth mission. Three of that crew, including Jack, were taken as POW’s. Sgt. Thomas Inverarity of Lucky Lake, SASK. eluded capture by the Nazis and made it back to England. He was the first to bail out of the stricken air craft when the oder was given. A gunner on the mission said he never saw the enemy plane that got them.

The bomber was on a mission to Sterkrade, likely in preparation for the D-Day invasion when it crashed in Holland. P/O Dougherty along with P/O Fred Haldenby and the pilot P/O Edmund Dowing were also in the process of making their way to England with the help of friendly civilians when they were captured. It is believed that the other members of the crew were KIA.

It was reported in the CDN 5/02/45 that P/O. Dougherty had been freed from the German prison camp Stalag Luft 7 by the Russian army. The camp east of Breslau in Silesia was in the territory captured by the Russian during their drive on Berlin. CFF-FD44, StAUC-RH, CCI-RH, IODE(P),WS (44), CDN 20/06/44, 5/02/45.   

A letter to his parents along with Jacks photograph appeared in the CDN 17/11/44, as follows:

“Hello everybody. I hope you are all well and happy. I wish I could convince you that there is no need to worry mother. We are being looked after wonderfully by the Red Cross, as regards food, clothes and comforts, and we all are very indebted to this wonderful organization. Although this is a new Prisoner-of-War camp, we have many interesting diversions already. There is a Canada Club, softball games, gramophones, records, church service on Sunday, a library etc., so the time passes very quickly. They are starting educational classes. I understand text book are provided by the Canadian Legion from Geneva. The weather has been wonderful here so that everyone is brown as a berry.

Don’t bother sending me a parcel, because we are really well off here, and by the time it would reach me, the war will be over. It is dinnertime. Do you want to know the menu? It’s corned beef, new potatoes, cabbage and coffee. Not bad eh!”

Curators note: The date of the letter home was not noted in the article nor the POW camp.

It was confirmed that Flt. Sgt. Daugherty  had been commissioned as Pilot Officer retroactive to 15 June, 1944 two days before his aircraft crashed in Holland. It was an interesting story that after the crash Sgt. Thomas Inverarity of Lucky Lake, SK. managed to evade the Nazis and returned to England. He was the first bail out and “hit the silk”. “He was helped along his way by people friendly to the Allied cause until he could make his escape. 

After leaving the RCAF he attended Queen’s University studying Applied Science, he had qualified for a qualified student Veteran. He was hired in the fall of 1946 by the Westclox Co. in Peterborough doing time and motion studies.

John would marry Margaret (nee Jones) in February of 1940. They would have three girls an two boys. He took on senior position with the RCA Victor Co. in their plant at Renfrew, ON. in the Methods Dept., where he worked until the plant  closed in November 1975.

John passed away 23 December, 2017.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

KCFA, IODE(P), CFF-FD44, StAUC-RH, CCI-RH, , CDN(8), WS, MSRB-V, Submitted by: L. Dougherty, daughter

Birthplace	Chatham, Ontario
Religion	United Church
When Enlisted	April 1940
Next of Kin	Mother- Mrs. J. L. Dougherty

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