I was recently contacted by a man with an interesting hobby. Dave Thomson has made it one of his goals in life to repatriate old war medals, or return them to their families. He contacted me about a Memorial Cross, which is given to the family of someone killed in war, that had the dead man's address listed as North Battleford.
After consulting with several local historians, my trail seems to have run cold. I am now hoping that someone in the community can give me more information about the person whose name is on the medal, or potentially even put me in touch with his family.
The medal was awarded to Flight Sergeant Robert William Calvert, who was shot down in a Bristol Beaufighter (V-8217) along with Flight Sergeant L.G. Boyd off the Faroe Islands Sept. 15, 1943. From leafing through old papers, I also learned he went overseas in December 1942 and trained in Brandon, Dafoe and Edmonton. The Sept. 23, 1943 edition of the Battlefords Daily News carried the ominous notice that he had been reported missing.
Both of his parents, David William and Laura Margaret, are buried in the cemetery here.
Unfortunately, the medal has already been sold. But it is possible that if there is enough interest, either from the community or from the family, that Thomson may be able to buy the medal back from its original purchaser, if the community can raise enough money for it.
Anyone with any information is welcome to phone me at 445-7261 (ext. 232) or send me an email at [email protected].
