Previous Military Experience: Veteran of last War- Artillery 1915 to 1918

The father of  Edwin Charles Nicholson also served in the RCAF. Both father and son were serving in the RCAF Works & Building Division.   A veteran of the Great War. Frank also had a daughter Dorothy who was in Welland when she returned to Chatham for the Nicholson-Merritt nuptials. CDN 26/12/44 On Friday December 22, 1944 Edwin married Dorothy Lila Merritt at her parents home. CDN 24/12/44

Frank was taken on strength with the RCAF at No. 9 RCAF Recruiting Centre in London, ON. in June 1942. CDN 5/06/42 In October of 1942 Flt. Sgt. Nicholson was with the Mobile Unit of the first construction unit of the RCAF then stationed on the Pacific Coast.  The CDN 2712/43 reported then stationed at Terrace, BC., and his son Cpl. E. C. Nicholson of White Horse BC., both in the RCAF. They were spending Christmas in Chatham. Flt. Sgt. returned to BC to take up a position in the headquarters in Vancouver, BC.    

Flt. Sgt. Nicholson was in St. Catharines, ON. in December of 1944 visiting his brother A.E. Nicholson on route to Chatham. CDN 9/12/44

Frank served as foreman of construction primarily in the North West Territories stationed at RCAF Edmonton, Alberta. According to an article in the CDN 11/12/1944, he had logged some 15.000 flying miles between Great Fall’s, Montana and “to a point 100 miles north of White Horse” and he had flown along, “many miles of the Alaskan Highway which he described as a great engineering construction”.  Besides his duties he has been able to expand his collection of landscape photographs. “I have a lot of that north country, and I count it as a most valuable experience”.

Frank had been a building contractor prior to enlisting in the RCAF. As a Warrant Officer  “he had been in charge of the construction of various building required by the airforce in various places in the west.” His assignments took him to British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon. CDN 28/08/45

Frank served for forty months in the RCAF, “exactly the same period he served during the First great War.

A CDN interview reported 28/08/45, Frank gave the following: “ It certainly is grand to get back to Chatham. After being in the west for so long, it was a real pleasure to me to see corn, tomatoes, tobacco and cabage growing in this section – crops which I never saw in the west.”

Promoted to W.O. 2

Date of Discharge: October 9th, 1945

Franklin passed away 27/01/1988.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Sources

PSUC-RH, IODE(N), LM-LP

Age	born 1894
Birthplace	St. Catharines
Religion	United Church
Marital Status	Married
When Enlisted	May 1942
Next of Kin	Dorothy Nicholson (Wife)

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