CLELLAND, F/O CLARENCE

Clarence Clelland was born July 8, 1915 at Maple Island, son of Frances Clelland. Clarence enlisted at Waubamik in the RCAF in 1939 at age 24.

He took his basic training in Toronto and then went to Lethbridge, Alberta for Flight Training and Flight Engineer status. He became a Flight Sergeant and was stationed at Coal Harbour on the northwest coast of Vancouver Island.

The squadron did daily coastal runs and were required to drop 2 depth canisters every day to keep in practice in the event that they spotted an enemy submarine. (If they wanted fish for supper, they would get families to go to the shore and they would drop the canisters close by.)

Clarence noted that his crew did make contact with an enemy sub but didn’t sink it. In 1945 Clarence was posted to Toronto and retrained as a diesel engineer.