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Bennett & The Pathfinders
405 Squadron's Black Thursday
16/17th December 1943
5. Grande Prairie Connections & Reaction
One of the amazing aspects of this 405 Squadron story is the connection between Black Thursday and a small town in Northern Alberta called Grande Prairie.
In 1943, there were only 1,645 people living in the town. Surprisingly, five boys from Grande Prairie arrived at 405 Squadron. It was unusual for these boys to actually be posted with people they knew, let alone people they'd grown up with. For some reason, it happened to these five. In addition, there were similarities in their positions. Three of these five, Bob Bessent, Bill Bessent and Gerald Strang, were mid-upper gunners. And unfortunately, three of the five would die on Black Thursday - Bob Bessent, Sandy Saunders and Gerald Strang.
Understandably, Bill's parents were in shock. The last photo taken of them with their sons had been at a picnic in 1943, just before Bill and Bob were sent overseas.
Grande Prairie Connections
Bob Bessent, Bill Bessent and Gerald Strang went to school together in Grande Prairie, although Gerald was a year ahead of Bob and Bill.
Bob and Bill were identical twins and unless you knew them well, you could not tell them apart. Bob was slightly quieter than Bill, but otherwise, they were identical. They were actually born in Windsor, Ontario, but moved back to Grande Prairie when they were 2 years old. Bob and Bill joined the RCAF in 1942 and trained at Edmonton (Alberta) and Souris (Manitoba), receiving their wings at Montjolie (Quebec).
Both Bob and Bill were active in baseball and hockey in Grande Prairie. They had no other siblings and their father, Bert Bessent, was a commercial traveler in the Peace River country. He was well known in many of the surrounding towns. They lived on 101st Avenue, about eight blocks from Gerald Strang.
Gerald Strang was about 5'10" and in Bill's words, was "just a young guy". He lived on 108th Avenue, way out on the edge of town, in the north end. His father, Lee Strand, was the local barber. Gerald joined the RCAF in the first part of June 1942 and was called up on July 1st. He trained in Edmonton (Alberta), Trenton (Ontario), and was awarded his wings at Macdonald (Manitoba). He went overseas in July 1943. He was described as being an outstanding athlete and was a member of both the junior and senior hockey teams. He also played ball.
Just by coincidence, Gerald Strang had the bed next to Bill at Gransden Lodge.
Harold (Sandy) Saunders, another young Canadian posted to 405, was originally from McLennan, Alberta, a small town just outside Grande Prairie. His father, L.W. Saunders, was a train dispatcher in McLennan. When Sandy joined up, he worked at the Northern Alberta Railway station in Grande Prairie. In 1940, he was assistant station agent, part-time. He was also a well known athlete in the town, having played with the Grande Prairie hockey team. He was slightly older than the other boys, but he would also die the same night in the same crashes.
Claude Fitzpatrick, one of the ground crew, was also posted to 405. He was older than the others and would have been about 26 years old. Claude got all the Grande Prairie boys together for a visit after they were first posted to the squadron. Claude's father, Jack Fitzpatrick, owned a saw mill business in Grande Prairie. After the war, Claude moved to Spirit River, a small town north of Grande Prairie.
Reaction in Grande Prairie
As one can imagine, the reaction in Grande Prairie was devastating. Three of their boys had been killed in one night. A photo of Bill and Bob appeared in the local newspaper announcing Bob's death. The town held a memorial service for the boys.
Return to 405 page
16/17th December 1943
5. Grande Prairie Connections & Reaction
One of the amazing aspects of this 405 Squadron story is the connection between Black Thursday and a small town in Northern Alberta called Grande Prairie.
In 1943, there were only 1,645 people living in the town. Surprisingly, five boys from Grande Prairie arrived at 405 Squadron. It was unusual for these boys to actually be posted with people they knew, let alone people they'd grown up with. For some reason, it happened to these five. In addition, there were similarities in their positions. Three of these five, Bob Bessent, Bill Bessent and Gerald Strang, were mid-upper gunners. And unfortunately, three of the five would die on Black Thursday - Bob Bessent, Sandy Saunders and Gerald Strang.
Understandably, Bill's parents were in shock. The last photo taken of them with their sons had been at a picnic in 1943, just before Bill and Bob were sent overseas.
Grande Prairie Connections
Bob Bessent, Bill Bessent and Gerald Strang went to school together in Grande Prairie, although Gerald was a year ahead of Bob and Bill.
Bob and Bill were identical twins and unless you knew them well, you could not tell them apart. Bob was slightly quieter than Bill, but otherwise, they were identical. They were actually born in Windsor, Ontario, but moved back to Grande Prairie when they were 2 years old. Bob and Bill joined the RCAF in 1942 and trained at Edmonton (Alberta) and Souris (Manitoba), receiving their wings at Montjolie (Quebec).
Both Bob and Bill were active in baseball and hockey in Grande Prairie. They had no other siblings and their father, Bert Bessent, was a commercial traveler in the Peace River country. He was well known in many of the surrounding towns. They lived on 101st Avenue, about eight blocks from Gerald Strang.
Gerald Strang was about 5'10" and in Bill's words, was "just a young guy". He lived on 108th Avenue, way out on the edge of town, in the north end. His father, Lee Strand, was the local barber. Gerald joined the RCAF in the first part of June 1942 and was called up on July 1st. He trained in Edmonton (Alberta), Trenton (Ontario), and was awarded his wings at Macdonald (Manitoba). He went overseas in July 1943. He was described as being an outstanding athlete and was a member of both the junior and senior hockey teams. He also played ball.
Just by coincidence, Gerald Strang had the bed next to Bill at Gransden Lodge.
Harold (Sandy) Saunders, another young Canadian posted to 405, was originally from McLennan, Alberta, a small town just outside Grande Prairie. His father, L.W. Saunders, was a train dispatcher in McLennan. When Sandy joined up, he worked at the Northern Alberta Railway station in Grande Prairie. In 1940, he was assistant station agent, part-time. He was also a well known athlete in the town, having played with the Grande Prairie hockey team. He was slightly older than the other boys, but he would also die the same night in the same crashes.
Claude Fitzpatrick, one of the ground crew, was also posted to 405. He was older than the others and would have been about 26 years old. Claude got all the Grande Prairie boys together for a visit after they were first posted to the squadron. Claude's father, Jack Fitzpatrick, owned a saw mill business in Grande Prairie. After the war, Claude moved to Spirit River, a small town north of Grande Prairie.
Reaction in Grande Prairie
As one can imagine, the reaction in Grande Prairie was devastating. Three of their boys had been killed in one night. A photo of Bill and Bob appeared in the local newspaper announcing Bob's death. The town held a memorial service for the boys.
Return to 405 page
Last Bessent family photo. The boys were home on leave, just before being posted overseas. They were at the Old Timers' picnic (an annual event) at Lake Saskatoon, just outside Grande Prairie.
Left to right. Bill, Bert (father), Elsie (mother), Bob
August 1943
Left to right. Bill, Bert (father), Elsie (mother), Bob
August 1943
