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Archiver > CAN-NB-CHARLOTTE > 2009-01 > 1231532865


From: G Christian Larsen <>
Subject: [CAN-NB-CHARLOTTE] Pennfield Parish website
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2009 12:27:45 -0800 (PST)


 Greetings:


"On the 26th of January 2007 I began researching the
history of the Pennfield Ridge Air Station. In those two short years I’ve made
tremendous strides in recording its rich and colorful history. In that time I’ve
been blessed enough to have interview fourteen (14) veterans from the Air
Station and even luckier to have personally known over a dozen others who were
stationed there and/or worked there as civilians. The latter ones whose stories
have been silenced by the cold hand of death remind me (us) to never forget. The
living veterans continue to inspire me to push ever forward to make sure the
stories are not lost forever to the ravages of time.

Shortly after No.34
Operational Training Unit established itself at Pennfield Ridge, a murder of a
young Black’s Harbour girl occurred on 5 June 1942. An R.A.F. sergeant from "the
Ridge" was arrested for the crime, tried by a jury of his peers and subsequently
convicted for the crime. The conviction for the crime brought with it a death
sentence, and on 16 December 1942 the R.A.F. sergeant went on to meet his maker.
This was to be the last hanging in Charlotte County and the first one in 65
years.

For the past two years now I have chosen not to include any
reference to the murder on the Pennfield Parish website. This was simply done
because, it seems to most people, that the Air Station and the murder go within
the same sentence. While the murder was tragic and senseless, I wanted to
separate the two things because they are after all us that...two separate
things.

I knew several of Bernice Connors’ siblings and her great niece
(the grand daughter of her sister Patricia) is a good friend of mind. In fact
many of Pat’s children are friends of mine...some of those friendships going
back 30+ yrs. Mildred Justason, probably the last person to see Bernice alive
that night, I also knew along with her late husband (another Airmen from
Pennfield Ridge). Foster Eldridge and Gib Eldridge who "were standing on the
same road beyond the range of the streetlight enjoying a ‘brightenr’ ", I had
many memorable conversations with over the years. Also in the course of my
research other Airmen have also spoken about their memories of the murder. One
of these Airmen was also an armourer-fitter at the same time.

So now that a complete picture of the Air Station as its own
entity has been painted, I am including material on the murder.

G. Christian Larsen, President "Pennfield Parish Military
Historical Society (January 9, 2008)."    The Pennfield Parish website has been updated once
again. Here is a listing of what is new:

What's
new, January 9, 2009
Military History
Pennfield Ridge
Air Station (Connors Murder) - added fourteen (14) various stories taken from
"The Saint Croix Courier" and other newspapers. Also added the "Connors Poem"
along with "Coroner's Jury" and "The Trial" (a listing of those
involved).
Pennfield Ridge Air Station (Roll of Honor - Cemeteries) - added
two (2) photographs from "Maplewood Cemetery" were two (2) training casualty are
buried - thanks PPMHS!
Pennfield Ridge Air Station (Roll of Honor - Newspaper
Stories) - added "Airmen's Body Taken From Damaged Raft", "Bomber Crashes On
Raod", "Four Airmen Killed In Crash Of Bombing Plane At McAdam", "Three Members
of R.C.A.F. Killed In Plane Crash Near St. Stephen", "Three R.A.F. Members
Killed in Plane Crash Near Richibucto" and "Two Airmen Killed When Plane Crashed
At Pennfield Ridge".
Pennfield Ridge Air Station (Roll of Honor - Training
Casualties) - added two (2) photographs of gravestones for P/O G.W. Cowie and
P/O C.A. Griffiths and added obit. for LAC F. McClanaghan - thanks
PPMHS!
Pennfield Ridge Air Station (St. George Blood Clinic) - added seven
(7) stories taken from "The Saint Croix Courier" and three (3) photographs of
LAC S. Collins' Blood Card. LAC Collins was among the first group of fifteen
(15) Airmen from No.34 OTU to attend the St. George Blood Clinic on 21 March
1943.

    For additional information and/or links, please see "What's
New" link on the main page.

    Also be sure to check out the new blog spot for "Pennfield
Parish Military Historical Society" at: http://pennfieldridgeairstation.blogspot.com/
 
    Regards,
    Chris Larsen
    Coordinator for Pennfield Parish website (http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nbpennfi/)

 




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