Our research partners were recently delivered this letter from Mr. Fred Duglas of Saskatoon, SK. We are proud to help families reconnect to their heritage and ancestors through memorials. If you have lost a loved one during war-time, please reach out to us at memorials@canadianfallenheroes.com.

“Hi –
I feel that I would be remiss if I did not express my sincere gratitude and thank you for my recent dealings with your organization. I am most appreciative and impressed with the help I received from Toni Hall and Ingeborg Leavell in designing and creating a commemorative plaque for my cousin John(Jack)Gilson to be placed in the Saskatoon Aviation Museum Wall of Heroes.

Your foundation is to be highly commended for its efforts to commemorate these persons who gave their all.

I am sending along three photos relevant to John(Jack)Gilson’s story. The first is a picture of the two young men in uniform standing in front of the Sir Walter Scott memorial in Edinburgh. Pilot Gilson is on the right and Dale Loewen a hometown buddy and John’s Bomb Aimer is on the left. They were on leave from Croft Air Base in NorthYorkshire a few weeks before their fateful crash.

The second photo was taken in May 2012 shows my son Tom Buglas and his two children Arthur and Lauren at the grave of John(Jack)Gilson. They were visiting and placing flowers on his grave and the grave of his friend, Dale Loewen.

The third photo was taken in October 2021. It shows me, Fred Buglas (86) in front of the 1942 TigerMoth biplane trainer at the Saskatoon Aviation Museum. I was treated to a wonderful half-hour flight in the TigerMoth over the city and area. This plane would be similar to that used by Gilson in the British Commonwealth Air Training Program.

Sincerely,

Fred Buglas, Saskatoon”