So... back from the Archives. I've found a few more pieces for the puzzle.
I must confess I didn't look in detail at the movement records of each of them, to see if they were always together, in training etc.. I was focused mainly on looking for photos and for next of kin addresses. The files are quite extensive, so it took me a few hours to just do that.
Anyway, I have unfortunately not been able to identify our mystery boy, but he seems to bear a striking resemblence to Villeneuve's ID photo in his file. He could be a younger brother, possibly dressed up in the uniform for fun. (Someone earlier said it looks like the jacket is too big for him.) I don't think it is an early photo of our Villeneuve though - he was already 20 when he enlisted and the photo was taken shortly after.
The good news is that the deductions made about the identities of the crew are correct. The order, from left to right, is Hamel, Groulx, Burke, Allison, DuSablon, and Villeneuve.
Hamel: his file includes the proceedings of the official inquiry into the crash. It seems they lost their stafboard engine, he tried to make an emergency landing but flew through a rain cloud and hit the terraced area on the side of a mountain. Apparently there was also some sort of controversy or mix up about the signals he sent out once they were in trouble. The inquiry found him to be "mainly responsible" for the crash, due to "bad captaincy in his signals procedure in an emergency" and "possible lack of confidence in flying on instruments alone". Despite this verdict, he did receive a posthumous promotion to Pilot Officer (?), so I don't really get that. Also, him amd the crew are all listed as "pupils", so I guess they were still in training.
Before enlisting he was a clerk at the Montreal Stock Exchange, then a time keeper at Foundation Co. of Canada, then an accountant with the T. Eaton Co. in Halifax Nova Scotia (until recently, one of Canada's oldest departent stores). He had 5 siblings - Georges (a Gunner), Louis, Roger, Gertrude and Lucile.
His father died in 1940. His mother seems to have had several high-up jobs, judging by the letterhead on the various letters in the file: Wartime Prices and Trade Board, Director of the Quebec Office of the Health League of Canada, etc. Interestingly, there was also an letter of inquiry sent to the Canadian Embassy in London on behalf of Mrs. Hamel from Miss Vera Grenfell, lady-in-wainting to Princess Alice, asking for particulars on Hamel's death, since info was slow in coming through official channels. I have no idea what the connection there was.
The most recent address in the file is for his mother in 1945.
Groulx: Before enlisting he was a plumbers assistant. There are 1945 addresses for his mother, Mrs. Alexandrine Groulx, and his sister, Mrs. Gaston Desmarais. There was also a request in 1977 for his death certificate from a Mrs. Raymond Chausse, with an address in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, but there is no indcation of what her relationship is to him. His mother was his dependent and was receiving a pension for him.
Burke: I won't report everything here, since contact has already been made with the family. It would be nice to let them know what is in the file though and how to get copies because I'm sure they would find it interesting. I will PM Janice with some details and hopefully she can forward it to the Burkes.
Allison: unfortunately the Archives forgot to bring his file out for me, but luckily we already have quite a bit of info on him.
DuSablon: Before enlistment he was an usher at the Capital Theatre in Montreal, and then a clerk at the post office. His father was a conductor for Canadian Pacific Railway. He liked making model aircraft. Amongst his personal effects returned to his family was a mouth organ, a photo album, and a locket. He had to interrupt his training in order to go for intensive English lessons. He had siblings Richard, Jean, Jacques, Raymonde and Helene. In 1985, his sister Raymonde Bibeau made a request for info, so there is an address for her at that time.
Villeneuve: He was born in Saskatchewan in 1922, but lived in Quebec. His father was a barber, and his mother was reported as deceased in 1923 (which doesn't fit with the idea of him being the half brother of the Senator.) He was trained in judo. He worked as a cashier at Steinberg's Groceteria in Montreal, then as a Tool Setter at Defense Industries Ltd., an ammunitions factory. Strangely, his file also contained a sheet of instructions for knitting men's cable socks! Amongst his personal effects was a trigonometry text book. He had brothers Henry and Arthur and sisters Laurencia and Claire. The most recent address is for his father in 1951.
Whew! I think that's it. I'm going to do a bit of searching based on the addresses I have, but I'm not sure that I will find anything, as most of them are not recent enough. But I'll let you know what I find....
Martha
