Belongings of celebrated RCAF airman found abandoned in attic

An unlikely discovery in B.C. has led to the popularity of a outstanding life misplaced within the Second World Conflict.

A big wood field containing struggle memorabilia, letters and recordsdata was found by Artwork Lagendyk when he bought a brand new house in Agassiz, B.C.

The invention within the attic was vital for Lagendyk and his pal Theo Ganzert, who’re from a village in Holland that was liberated by Canadian troopers after they had been kids.

They realized the field contained objects from Maxwell Calhoun, a member of the Royal Canadian Air power.

Ganzert contacted Karl Kjasgaard, curator on the Bomber Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alta., with hopes of monitoring down Calhoun’s household.

“This field is his complete life,” stated Kjasgaard.

Kjasgaard took on the duty of looking for Calhoun’s relations in Canada. As a retired airline pilot, he’s spent the final 15 years monitoring down households of airmen misplaced within the struggle.

He managed to search out Tan and Andy Calhoun, Maxwell’s nephews and sons of his twin brother, utilizing ancestry information.

He contacted them just a few months in the past they usually all agreed that Calhoun’s treasure would go to the museum.

“We’re simply starting to course of it. Boy, did I discover out a whole lot of stuff about Maxwell Calhoun, bomb aimer within the Royal Canadian Air Drive,” stated Kjasgaard.

Born in August 1923 in St. Lambert, Quebec, Calhoun was the youngest of seven siblings.

He was coaching to be a chartered accountant at McGill College when he enlisted within the RCAF in 1942.

“After he does his coaching in 1943, he goes abroad and he turns into a part of the Charles Fisher bomber crew. That’s when he rises to the highest as a bomb aimer.”

Calhoun flew 53 fight missions earlier than the age of 21, a outstanding quantity in keeping with Kjasgaard, who says most airmen flew about 30.

“I’ve researched three or 400 airmen for households. I do know a regular fight tour and I do know when one thing is extremely uncommon, and this field is one in one million. That’s how uncommon it’s.”

Calhoun was a member of the 405 Pathfinder Squadron.

“He was flight lieutenant at age 20, which is exceptional,” stated Kjasgaard.

Calhoun was on his 54^th fight mission in August of 1944 when his Lancaster was shot down. It was simply days earlier than he would have turned 21.

“After dropping their bombs and markers, they obtained to the border of Holland and Germany and headed out onto the North Sea,” stated Kjasgaard. “A German evening fighter was following them and shot them down and their Lancaster crashed.”

5 members of his eight-person crew had been recovered when their our bodies washed up onshore. Maxwell and two of his crewmates had been by no means discovered.

A newspaper article written after Maxwell’s loss of life reads: “Flt.-Lt. Calhoun, as air bomber, has accomplished quite a few operations towards the enemy in the midst of which he has invariably displayed the utmost fortitude, braveness, and devotion to responsibility.”

He was awarded the distinguished flying medal for excellence in fight.

“They solely awarded about 4,000 of these in all of World Conflict Two, and we had over 100,000 airmen in our Air Drive. So that you see it’s a singular award,” stated Kjasgaard.

Tan Calhoun now resides in Lake Fraser, B.C. He stated he by no means knew a lot about his uncle Maxwell, solely that he was misplaced within the struggle.

“I used to be fairly thrilled to know that this member of our household had accomplished a lot to contribute to our freedom and contributed to the struggle effort so considerably,” stated Tan Calhoun.

Tan says he’s honored his uncle’s objects will probably be on show on the museum.

“Actually sooner or later, I plan to go to the museum and Karl, and to view the objects within the field.”

Within the meantime, Karl intends to proceed going via the field of treasures, a study extra concerning the outstanding younger man that was Maxwell Calhoun.