07
Nov
Boroughbridge pub remembers Canadian airmen killed five days after enjoying a pint
A plaque has been put up in a Boroughbridge pub to commemorate a group of airmen who were killed days after enjoying a pint.
The smiling crew from the Royal Canadian Airforce were pictured having a drink outside the Black Bull Inn on August 12, 1944.
Based at nearby Skipton-on-Swale airfield, they took off on a mission to Germany five days later and were shot down near Kiel. None of the crew survived.
A relative of one of the crew members reached out to the pub to share their story.
According to the Canadian virtual war memorial, Flight Lieutenant Joseph Baillargeon died aged 25 on August 17, 1944, over the Baltic Sea, near Kiel.
His niece, Elizabeth, who is based in Ontario, Canada, emailed pub landlord John Burgess some images of her uncle outside the 13th century pub on St James Square.
Her father was the only survivor of the three Baillargeon brothers who fought in the war, and she wanted to share the memory of her uncle with his regular pub in England.
John Burgess & Kenny Fuller outside the Black Bull inn holding the memorial to the RCAF Halifax crew
Mr Burgess said:
I like history and we have tried to find out more about the history of the Black Bull over the years, but it is hard to find.
The photo is important because it is this town and this pub, it is quite poignant because it was taken just five days before they lost their lives fighting for our freedom.
Kenny Fuller, town councillor and veteran, created the plaque in time for Remembrance Day.
He said:
Theirs is a tragic story that must not be forgotten, especially this week.
John showed me the photo sent by the niece of Joe. My wife and I then decided that this story needs to be told.
I am a veteran myself, a former Paratrooper and army pilot, and I realise the importance of remembering absent friends and colleagues.
The main image shows (left to right) Henry Grimble, 20, Maurice Fairall, 24, Joseph (Joe) Baillargeon, 25, Jack Drennan, 23, George Lilley, 20.
There was also two more crew members, not pictured, Bernard Bercuson, 28 and pilot Joseph Salvard,19.
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