Joseph Emile Gautreau (1919 - 1944)

Born 18 Feb 1919 in Shediac, Westmorland, Nouveau-Brunswick, Canada

Ancestors

Died 19 Apr 1944 at age 25 in Nova Scotia, Canada

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Biography

Joseph Emile Gautreau served in the Canadian Army in World War II
Service started: 15 Jan 1942
Unit(s): Royal Canadian Air Force
Service ended: 19 April 1944

Joseph Emile was born in 1919. ^[1] He was the son of Auguste Gautreau and Emma Belliveau. He was a leading aircraftman in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. His enrolment papers completed in October 1940 show that Emile was 21 years old at the time, and single. He was described as being 5 feet 10 inches, 135 pounds, with black eyes and hair. He lived in Shediac and was working as a taxi driver in Moncton. His previous work experience was as a farmer working for his father, and hauling sand for a contractor. He had completed a grade 7 education at St-Joseph school in Shediac and enjoyed playing baseball, tennis and hockey. He was killed while in service when his plane crashed in Cow Bay, Nova Scotia, on 19 April 1944. He was 25 years old.

Emile rests in the St-Joseph cemetery in Shediac, New-Brunswick.

Wartime experience

Rank: Leading aircraftman (general duties for the Air Force)
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Service no.: R126181
Enlistment date: 15 January 1942
Training: in Lachine Québec, Moncton New Brunswick, Sydney, Halifax and Darthmouth Nova Scotia. Was never deployed overseas.
Death: 19 April 1944 as a result of air operations near Darthmouth Nova Scotia. He was a drogue operator in active service at the time of the fatal accident.
Circumstances of accident: Emile was on board a Bolingbroke MK-IVT aircraft (a multi-purpose twin-engine trainer aircraft] with 2 other crew members: the pilot and another member of the Air Force. After completing a target towing exercise with a navy aircraft, their plane stalled at about 1000 feet and spun into the water at about 6 miles E.S.E of Darthmouth aerodrome, in Cow Bay. Smoke and flames were seen coming from the aircraft during the last 2 minutes. The 3 occupants were killed. It is believed that the pilot was overcome by smoke and lost control. The bodies were brought to the surface almost one month later on 13 May 1944. The autopsy showed that Emile had multiple fractures. An investigation was held. ^[2]

Sources

1. ↑ Provincial Archives of New Brunswick. RS141A5 Index to Provincial Registrations of Births Name GAUTREAU, JOSEPH EMILE Sex M Date 1919-02-18 Place SHEDIAC County WESTMORLAND Father GAUTREAU, AUGUSTE Mother BELLIVEAU, EMMA Number 3112 Code A5/1919 Microfilm F25617. Birth Certificate
2. ↑ Service files of second world war dead. Library and Archives Canada. PDF 149 p. Joseph Emile Gautreau Service no. R126181