Remains of Cornwall pilot's plane found

Kyt · Jan 31, 2009

Remains of Cornwall pilot's plane found - The Cornwall Standard Freeholder - Ontario, CA

Sgt. Joseph R. Lalonde's life came to a sudden and tragic end during a freak flying accident in the Second World War.

Now, some 67 years later, the late Cornwall resident's story has been dug up - literally - and brought to life thanks to the efforts of two military enthusiasts half a world apart.

The remains of the plane Lalonde was piloting that crashed while war waged across Europe and the Pacific have been found. The story begins in a field near the tiny hamlet of Holbeach on the east coast of England, north of London.

Colin Brown and a fellow aircraft enthusiast were aware that a plane had crashed in the area during the war.

So they recently headed out with a metal detector in tow to do their own search. They ended up hitting the jackpot. After some digging below the surface, they recovered some pieces of a Hurricane-1 fighter aircraft that had suffered a fatal descent at the hands of a Canadian pilot.

That lead to an e-mail to Brown's nephew Curtis Keable, a 42-year-old Kingston native now living in Ottawa. Keable, a genealogy buff and collector of military artifacts, set out to identify the person behind the plane crash. His search lead him to the Seaway City.

Through service records and reports of the wreck, Keable was able to piece together the story of Joseph Bernard René Lalonde, a Cornwall painter turned Royal Air Force pilot-in-training stationed in Sutton Bridge, England.

Lalonde was single and 22 when he enlisted in 1940 and left his family home on Marlborough Street to assist in the war effort overseas. On Jan. 5, 1942, Lalonde was carrying out a training flight when things took a fatal turn as a result of severe "snow showers" and low clouds.Witnesses saw the Hurricane dive directly into the ground at a high speed near Holbeach.

"Pilot Killed," "Complete Wreck" and "No Technical Defect Suspected" read the typed headings on the accident report. Through reports and websites, Keable has managed to collect more than 100 pages of information on Lalonde. But there's one thing he's missing: a picture of the young pilot.

"It completes the picture," he said.

By making Lalonde's story public, Keable is hoping someone - perhaps even a relative - will come forward with a photo or additional information.

The Ottawa resident already has much of Lalonde's background pieced together. His father was Merida Lalonde, a labourer, and his mother was Rose Lalonde (maiden name Campeau). He also had six brothers and a sister. Lalonde is one of 54 war casualties buriedin St. Matthew's Churchyard in Sutton Bridge, a short distance from the crash site.

With a surname of Lalonde - one of the most common in Cornwall - Keable admits it likely won't be easy to find a direct family tie. Even if it doesn't happen, Keable is already happy with what's been accomplished.

"It brings this guy back to life. There's a life here, a family here. He had a mother and father and siblings," said the Ottawa resident. Keable plans to visit some of the battlefields and soldier cemeteries overseas with his eight-year-old daughter later this year, and he also plans to meet up with his uncle who made the discovery from a bygone era.

One of the biggest pieces recovered from the aircraft was the engine, and there's talk of putting that in a museum near the crash site. However, Keable can't help but wonder if something more could be done with the engine and other recovered pieces in honour of Lalonde.

"Wouldn't it be nice to put it in a museum or library in Cornwall?" he asks.
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Kyt · Jan 31, 2009

Pilot's family thrilled pieces of plane have been recovered - The Cornwall Standard Freeholder - Ontario, CA

Ryan Lalonde was surprised and honoured to learn that some pieces of a Cornwall pilot's plane from the Second World War were recently recovered in England.

The young pilot at the centre of the tragic tale was his great uncle.

"It's a part of my family, something I grew up with hearing the stories," said Lalonde.

Some 67 years after his death, the story of the late Sgt. René Lalonde has recently been brought to life after a military enthusiast in England dug up pieces of the Hurricane fighter plane that Lalonde had piloted in a fatal flying accident on Jan. 5, 1942.

Roch Lalonde, one of the two surviving brothers (along with Jacques) of the late pilot, was equally excited about the new development.

"It was quite a surprise to read that article (in Friday's Standard-Freeholder)," said the 83-year-old Cornwall resident, who served in the Navy during the Second World War.

Both the younger and older Lalonde were warm to the idea of having the recovered plane pieces put on permanent display in Cornwall as a tribute to their fallen family member.

"It would be an honour to have it in the community," said Ryan.

Meanwhile, the Ottawa-area resident who helped connect the dots between the recovered plane pieces and Lalonde had everything but a picture -- until Friday, that is.

"I had a tear in my eye," said Curtis Keable after seeing a picture of Lalonde in uniform.

Keable -- who's uncle made the discovery in England -- has floated the idea of bringing the plane pieces to Cornwall, but it's unclear what the steps would be to actually make it happen.
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Kyt · Jan 31, 2009

Name: LALONDE, JOSEPH BERNARD RENE
Initials: J B R
Nationality: Canadian
Rank: Sergeant (Pilot)
Regiment/Service: Royal Canadian Air Force
Age: 24
Date of Death: 05/01/1942
Service No: R/74426
Additional information: Son of Merida and Rose Delima Lalonde, of Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: Sec. Q. Grave 36.
Cemetery: SUTTON BRIDGE (ST. MATTHEW) CHURCHYARD

Antipodean Andy · Feb 1, 2009

Good work by those guys to bring a forgotten pilot's life to the fore.

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Remains of Cornwall pilot's plane found

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