Last Post - Sergeant John Gamborski

Source: http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers

Above, John Gamborski and Cameron Clare Campbell

Below is an image of the certificate issued by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in memory of Sergeant John Gamborski.

In Memory of
Sergeant JOHN GAMBORSKI

R/149180, Royal Canadian Air Force
who died age 24
on 15 November 1944
Son of Mike and Annie Gamborski, of Halfway Lake, Alberta, Canada.
Remembered with honour
BROOKWOOD MILITARY CEMETERY

Commemorated in perpetuity by
the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Below is the image of Sergeant John Gamborski's gravestone at Brookwood Military Cemetary. Image courtesy of the War Graves Photographic Project working in conjunction with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, provided courtesy of Susan Campbell.

Below is row 51. D. 2., the area where Sergeant John Gamborski's Grave Marker is located. Source as cited above.

Below: images from Brookwood Military Cemetery, courtesy of Mark Lucas, www.lucasphotography.co.uk

See description above, at right for more details.

Sergeant John Gamborski, a young man from Halfway Lake, Alberta attended No.3 Bombing and Gunnery School at McDonald, Manitoba, from Dec. 15, 1943 to March 9th, 1944, followed by a Training course at UBC and No. 4 Aircrew Graduate Training School in Valleyfield Quebec with Cameron Clare Campbell, Walter Henry Powell, R.F. Fewster, H.L. Czyz, D.E.J. Daniels, Thomas Flemming Cronkhite and Alvin Eric Kidney.

He is the son of Mike and Annie Gamborski of Halfway Lake, Alberta.

Tammy Gamborski, Great-Niece of Sgt. John Gamborski has provided images of her Great-Uncle during the war, and also of his funeral in the UK. Click here to see the John Gamborski Page.

On Nov. 15, 1944, two Halifaxes JP201 and LL137 from Nos 1664 (Dishforth) and 1666(Wombleton) Heavy Conversion Units collided in mid air, leaving no survivors from the Gamborski crew. All members of John Gamborski's crew are buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery.

Only Pilot Officer Pugh as a survivor from the other crew. 4 months later in April,1945, P/O Pugh was also listed as missing on an operation.

A memorial has been erected in the center of the village of Morchard Bishop, in Devon, the scene of the crash. Click here to read the report and see the crew names. An image of the memorial is shown below.

The image at left shows John Gamborski with Cameron Clare Campbell in front of a plane on an airfield, likely in the UK.

Cameron Clare Campbell wrote in his journal of the air accident that took his friend's life in an air accident over Devon. Click here to read the journal entry

John Gamborski is buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, a cemetery maintained by the Commonwealth War Grave Commission, with all his crew mates. Click here to see an image of the certificate issued by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in memory of John Gamborski.

Click here to read the ""They Shall Grow Not Old" entry for Sergeant John Gamborski.

Rudyard Kipling, the British author and poet lost a son in World War I. He selected the phrase, "Their Name Liveth for Evermore", from Ecclesiasticus 44:14.

"Their bodies are buried in peace, but their name liveth for evermore."

Mark Lucas, British Photographer, has kindly agreed to the use of his images below for this site.Click here to visit his website.

ROBERT GARVIE	J/8362 Flight Lieutenant Robert Leslie Garvie of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Arthur and Jenny Garvie; husband of Mary Lee Garvie, of Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A. Born in 1917. Died 15 November 1944 aged 27. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
GILBERT ERG	J/37812 Flying Officer (Air Bomber) Gilbert Louis Erg of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Oscar E. Berg, and of Claire Berg, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Born in 1917. Died 15 November 1944 aged 27. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
NORMAN BOSS	J/23705 Flying Officer (Navigator) Norman Holmes Boss of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Abner Holmes Boss and Sadie Mary Boss, of Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Born in 1919. Died 15 November 1944 aged 25. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
ERNEST PRIDHAM	R/274918 Sergeant Ernest James Pridham of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Harold George and Kathleen Pridham, of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Born in 1926. Died 15 November 1944 aged 18. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
JACK ARMSTRONG	R/202580 Sergeant (Flight Engineer) Jack Edward Armstrong of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of James H. Armstrong and Myrtle A. Armstrong, of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Born in 1921. Died 15 November 1944 aged 23. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
GERALD HIGGINS	R/121488 Sergeant (Flight Engineer) Gerald Frederick Higgins of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Frederick Robert and Minnie E. Higgins, of Marysville, British Columbia, Canada. Born in 1923. Died 15 November 1944 aged 21. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
NEVILLE ANDERSON	R/193213 Sergeant (Wireless Operator/Air Gunner) Neville Joseph Anderson of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Andrew and Emma Anderson, of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Born in 1922. Died 15 November 1944 aged 27. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.
JOHN GAMBORSKI	R/149180 Sergeant John Gamborski of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Son of Mike and Annie Gamborski, of Halfway Lake, Alberta, Canada. Born in 1920. Died 15 November 1944 aged 24. Buried in the Military Cemetery at Brookwood, Surrey.