Crew members of Lancaster KB708
On the morning of August 26 1944 at around 0425 while returning from operation on Russelsheim
the Flight Engineer informed the pilot that they were running low on fuel and
could not make it to base. The pilot requested permission to make an emergency
landing at RAF Boscome Down which happened to be fog bound. On the approach the
Lancaster over shot the runway just as the fuel straved engines quit, unable to control the
aircraft or gain height it flew into tree tops causing KB708 to bank to port and crash. The crash occured near Winterbourne in Wiltshire.
Three of the crew managed to survive the crash with F/O Gariepy left with spinal cord injuries. The
two gunners, Sgt.Weston and to Sgt.Wiens, haveing what was described as "lesser
injuries".
For Pierre Gariepy his injuries began a legacy as described by the Spinal Cord Injury Alberta website:
...With a "peers helping peers" mandate, the organization now has branches in every province. In Alberta, Pierre Gariepy, another survivor of WWII combat and member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, took up the charge. On February 13, 1961 the Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) established (effective November 1, 2014 the name was changed to Spinal Cord Injury Alberta to better reflect the population served. The Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) was proud to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2011."
For his efforts he was awarded the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada on July 4th 1978.
Mr. Gariepy passed away May 18, 1995 in Edmonton.
...With a "peers helping peers" mandate, the organization now has branches in every province. In Alberta, Pierre Gariepy, another survivor of WWII combat and member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, took up the charge. On February 13, 1961 the Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) established (effective November 1, 2014 the name was changed to Spinal Cord Injury Alberta to better reflect the population served. The Canadian Paraplegic Association (Alberta) was proud to celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2011."
For his efforts he was awarded the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada on July 4th 1978.
Mr. Gariepy passed away May 18, 1995 in Edmonton.
