Canada, Commonwealth. An Air Crew Europe Memorial Group to Flight Sergeant Stoner

Includes: 

1. Group of Five to Flight Sergeant Melvin Harold Stoner, Royal Canadian Air Force, 106 (RAF) Squadron: 1939-1945 Star; Air Crew Europe Star; Defence Medal; Canadian Volunteer Service Medal with Overseas Clasp; and War Medal 1939-1945. Un-mounted, original ribbons, spotting, very light contact, better than very fine. 

Accompanied by (i) two large photocopied pages from the Operations Record Book of No. 106 Squadron, Royal Air Force at Metheringham, Lincolnshire, England, courtesy of the National Archives and (ii) a Photograph of Stoner in his RCAF Uniform (faded to a sepia-toned look, measuring 95 mm (w) x 135 mm (h)). 

Also included are: 

2. an original First War Discharge Certificate for 1102490 Private Frederick Cain, Corps of Military Staff Clerks (Section "B"), who was discharged from service upon demobilization on March 11, 1918 at Ottawa, Ontario, at the age of 52, the certificate measuring 200 mm (w) x 225 mm (h), sunned with fold marks. 

3. an original London Gazette of June 24, 1943 Despatch Notice for 7916584 Lance-Corporal D. Sherlock, Royal Tank Regiment, Royal Armoured Corps, along with two pages of photocopies confirming the announcement in the Supplement to the London Gazette of Tuesday, June 22, 1943, on Thursday, June 24, 1943, page 2854, plus an original 21 Army Group Notice from Field Marshal B.L. Montgomery. 

Better than very fine. 

Footnote: 

1. Melvin Harold Stoner was born on July 16, 1923 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, the son of Melvin Warren Stoner and Edith Doris Stoner of Niagara Falls. He was raised and educated in Niagara Falls and was active in all forms of athletics. Stoner had been serving at home with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment, B Company before the age of 18, as he was still too young for overseas service. From 1941 to 1942, he was an Electrical Repairman in his civilian life. When old enough to serve, Stoner enlisted with the Canadian Active Army on September 8, 1942, at the age of 19 and eventually transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force a little more than a year later.

R186431 Flight Sergeant (Upper Air Gunner) Melvin Harold Stoner, Royal Canadian Air Force was serving with 106 (RAF) Squadron and was a member of a crew of seven aboard a Lancaster LL974 that took off 2255 (10:55 pm) on June 27, 1944 from Metheringham, Lincolnshire, England, the weather at departure declared to be "fair", the "visibility good". Also aboard was another Canadian, J88633 Pilot Officer (Rear Air Gunner) Arthur Evans Cosdett, Royal Canadian Air Force, along with 37696 Flight Sergeant (Pilot) Ernest Clive Fox, Royal Air Force, and four members of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve: 915189 Flight Sergeant (Navigator) Arthur Cornelius Croft, 1515342 Flight Sergeant (Air Bomber) Ronald Nelson, 1453939 Sergeant (Wireless Operator) Jack Desmond Pepper and 2209114 Sergeant (Flight Engineer) D. Henry Southworth. 

Its ultimate destination was to attack railway marshalling facilities at Vitry-le-François, a commune in the Marne department in northeastern France. Nothing had been heard from this aircraft after it took off. It was later determined that it had been shot down by a night-fighter, crashing at Thibie (Marne) eleven km WSW from the centre of Chalons-Sur-Marne during the nighttime on June 28, 1944, with all seven of the crew perishing, which was later confirmed by the Red Cross. 

R186431 Flight Sergeant (Upper Air Gunner) Melvin Harold Stoner, Royal Canadian Air Force died on June 28, 1944, at the age of 20. He is buried in Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery in Hautot-sur-Mer, Departement de la Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France, Collective Grave M. 8-13 and is commemorated on page 454 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.

2. Frederick Cain was born on April 4, 1868 in Sudbury, Middlesex, England. He was a resident of Ottawa, Ontario when he signed his Attestation Paper as a Private, with the 257th Infantry Battalion "Canadian Railway Construction Battalion" CEF, on February 1, 1917 in Ottawa, naming his next-of-kin as his wife, Mary Cain, stating that he was with an Active Militia, the Corps of Military Staff Clerks (Section "B"), that he was Married, that his religion was Church of England and that his Trade was that of Labourer & Tailor. Postwar, he signed a second Attestation Paper on July 14, 1919, stating that he had served with the Canadian Railway Troops as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and that he had had previous service with the 43rd Regiment Guard Duty for nine months, along with much of the previous information stated on the first Attestation Paper of 1917. 1102490 Private Frederick Cain, Corps of Military Staff Clerks (Section "B") was discharged from service upon demobilization on March 11, 1918 at Ottawa, Ontario, at the age of 52, the certificate measuring 200 mm (w) x 225 mm (h), sunned with fold marks.