163 www.on.legion.ca ONTARIO COMMAND GRAHAM, Alexander James James was born in Iona Station, Ontario on July 14, 1920. He enlisted in the Air Force on June 1, 1940 with the No.5(C) OCU RAF Costal Command, 524 Sqn. James served in Canada, England, Ireland, Egypt, South Africa, and Italy during World War II at the rank of Flight Lieutenant. He received the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp, 1939-1945 Star, Italy Star and the War Medal. He was discharged on September 5, 1945. Alexander had a long interesting military career and went on to acquire an electrical engineering degree and forming his own successful company. He and his wife continued to enjoy traveling after raising a family and moved to the west coast for retirement. He also preserved his life story in a book entitled “In Flight: The Life of Alexander James Graham”. Alexander passed away on November 11, 2015. GRAHAM, Leslie Illes “Len” Len was born in Glasgow, Scotland on May 1, 1929. His family moved to Motherwell, Scotland. He started his apprenticeship with a company called George Russell & Sons as a Crane Builder at age sixteen. Len was called up by the Royal Navy to do his National Service in May 1947 at age eighteen. He trained on the H.M.S. Unicorn in Portsmouth, England. He was released from service on October 8, 1949. Len returned to finish his apprenticeship in Motherwell. He was a member of the Acton Legion Branch 197. Len passed away on May 13, 1998. GRAHAM, Arnold Mervin Arnold was born in Lakefield, Ontario on December 12, 1925. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1943 during World War II. Arnold’s six brothers were already in active service. Arnold trained as an Air Gunner and went overseas to fly with 433 Squadron Bomber Command as a Flight Sergeant Air Gunner. He flew eighteen missions over Germany. On March 31, 1945 during Op-208-Hamburg, a 500 bomber raid, set out with Mustang fighter escorts for the first time. F/Sgt. Graham, manning the Mid/Upper Gun, was credited with shooting down an ME262 Schawalbe (Swallow); the first German jet aircraft which had attacked 16 times in 9 minutes. He was the first Canadian Gunner to do so and also recorded the only kill for their Lancaster. His crew volunteered to go to Japan but the war ended. He was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, France and Germany Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945, and Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. He also qualified for the War Service Badge A. In 2013, he received the Bomber Command bar to the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. The Lakefield Legion, Branch 77 has dedicated a military room in their Branch called the Graham Room, in honour of the brothers’ service. Arnold has been a member of the Legion for 71 years.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==