George Thomas Vicary b.1913 RCAF d.1943. Toronto

[Opal]

George Thomas Vicary RCAF Can/R69662 and J1527, was the air observer/navigator in a 7 man crew of Halifax DK-139 of 427 Squadron, 6 Bommber Command, that was shot down , killing all the crew on 22nd/23rd June 1943.  The crew was 5 RCAF and 2 RAF.  My uncle, Albert J Manning was the bomb aimer and Flying Officer in the RAF of that crew. They are all buried in the Reichswald Cemetery in Germany.
George was born 2nd November 1913 in Chittlehampton, Devon, England and travelled on the SS Antonia with his mother/siblings to join his father in Toronto in 1923, where the family remained.  I have his service records.  The only tree I have found with him in online does not have a photo of him having contacted the tree owner.
I have managed to acquire photos of 5 of the crew (1 RAF and 4 RCAF) and wondered if anyone would know of one of him in existence anywhere in Toronto ie newspaper/school/college book?  Thank you.

[RunKitty]

Hi,

Looking at the immigration document, George Thomas came to Toronto to join his father F (Fred) Vicary --- address was on Ferrier St. 

Ferrier is in the East End of Toronto.  Assuming the family stayed there... for elementary schools, I would look at Wilkinson PS (est. 1915) and for High Schools, either Danforth Tech or Riverdale Collegiate.  The High Schools will have memorial plaques for students who died in WW2.  If you can find the right school, perhaps you can get a picture from a year book?

RK

[RunKitty]

Hi,

Just found a copy of the Riverdale Collegiate Honour Roll - he isn't on it.  So, Danforth Tech would be the one to try... unless the family moved.

RK

(PS - I only have info on Riverdale... I have their Golden Anniversary booklet from 1957.  This contains transcriptions of the WW1 and WW2 Rolls of Honour.  )

[RunKitty]

Also Eastern Commerce... but that high school is now closed.

Back when George would have been attending high schools, I believe that there were different types of schools... Collegiate, Technical and Business/Commerce.  In that part of Toronto, in the mid 1920s, the three would have been Riverdale Collegiate, Danforth Tech and Eastern Commerce. 

THe Toronto Public Library (Reference Branch) has copies of all of the City Directories.  Their online collection only goes to 1921, so you would have to contact the library and ask for a search of the actual directories.  If you could find out where the family is living at the time when George attended high school, that would help to narrow down the school options.  If he remained in the East End, I think the ones I mentioned would be correct.

https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/ask-a-librarian/

If he moved...

You can type a street name in to the Toronto School Board "school finder" page.  It will come up with current schools serving that street.  You would have to check the history of each school to see if it was around in the mid to late 1920s. 

http://www.tdsb.on.ca/Findyour/School/ByAddress.aspx

It won't catch the ones that have closed down over the intervening years, but at least it would be a place to start... if the family had moved. 

RK

[Opal]

Thank you for the info - being in England it is good to have some guidance on what is available in your country and where to search.
On George's Certificate of Registration of Death as presumed dead in June 1943 the address given for him is 399 Main Street, Toronto.
On his Service Records the address of his parents/next of kin is given as 16 Patricia Drive, Toronto.
It is unfortunate as 3 of the 4 RCAF crew members photos came from the Canadian Bomber Command Museum that I now have but they didn't have one for him.  I have managed through a forum to be able to get the fourth RCAF crew member photo.

[RunKitty]

You are welcome     

Both Main Street and Patricia Drive are in the East End of Toronto, but farther East along the Danforth than Ferrier.  Looking at the Toronto School Board School finder, the High Schools suggested for Patricia are Monarch Park and Danforth Tech.  Monarch Park wasn't built until the 1960s, so that one is out.  399 Main comes up as East York CI and Danforth Tech.  East York was started in 1927, so it is a possibility.

You could contact East York Collegiate and Danforth Tech to see if George Vicary is listed on their war roll of honour.  If so, perhaps they would have a yearbook with a photo?? If not, the Toronto Public Library may have yearbooks from the appropriate school.

RK 

[RunKitty]

Have you traced his siblings?  Maybe one of their children/grandchildren would have photos of their uncle? 

For some odd reason, I can't find him listed in the war dead ... looked between June 22- June 30.   He isn't coming up by name anywhere, so I read each day's list.  But, I found a memorial note placed by his family a year later, commemorating him.  It says it is posted in loving memory of Flying Officer George Thomas Vicary, son of Mr and Mrs Fred Vicary and brother of Lieut. Olive Vicary.  It says he was killed over Mulheim Germany on 23 jun 1943. 

Following sister Olive in the papers... looks like she is involved in some groups up to 1948 as Olive Vicary.  In 1950, there is an article about the CWAC officers organizing and Association.  She is Mrs. Olive Vicary Seiger here.   So sometime between 1948 and 1950, she married a Mr Seiger. 

HMM, seeing an obituary in 1988 for an Olive Clifford Vicary Cassidy.  No mention of the name Seiger anywhere.  Still, could be her??  She was 79, so born about 1909.  Does George's sister have a middle initial C?  Lists step children, no children.  However, if it is her... there are some names here that might be of assistance. 

RK

[RunKitty]

Answering my own question... looks like she did have the middle name Clifford.

Canada Ocean Arrivals form 30A shows Olive Clifford Vicary born Barnstaple 1909, immigrating to Canada in 1923 on the Antonia.  Father F Vicary on Ferrier St. 

So, Mrs Cassidy, who died in 1988 is your lady.  She died in Temiskaming Hospital, New Liskeard on April 21 1988.  Her husband was George L Cassidy.  There are 6 step children listed.  I will PM their names.  Funeral was in Haileybury and burial in St. Paul's Anglican Church.  (Doesn't say where the church is).

Obit in the Globe and Mail newspaper,  23 april 1988, page A15.

This might be useful...
George L Cassidy memorial fund - with a bio.
http://www.temiskamingfoundation.org/index.php/donors/donor-stories/16-george-l-cassidy-bursary-fund

Also this... interesting. 
http://www.temiskamingartgallery.ca/george-cassidy/

RK

[RunKitty]

Trying to chase down the rest of the family...

Looks like the parents Frederick George Vicary and Rose Clifford Vicary went back to England and died there.  Frederick in 1955 and Rose in 1971. 

RK