Andrew Ian “Dick” Sinclair was born in Goshen, Guysborough County, on February 22, 1924, the third of John Alfred and Nellie Jane (Sinclair) Sinclair’s five children. Dick was a direct descendant of Alexander Sinclair, born in Shurrery, Thurso, Scotland, on February 16, 1759. Alexander and his wife, Isabella Sutherland (1770 - 1853), immigrated to Nova Scotia in the early 1800s.
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| Pilot Officer Andrew Ian "Dick" Sinclair |
One of Alexander and Isabella’s sons, John Sinclair Esq., was also born in Scotland and accompanied his parents to Nova Scotia. The family settled in Goshen, Guysborough County, where Alexander passed away on May 13, 1841. His son John married Elizabeth MacKenzie (1806 - 1873) and raised a family in Goshen. The March 1861 Nova Scotia census lists a “John Sinclair” living in District 10 [Forks of St. Marys]. A total of six individuals—four males and two females—were residing in the Sinclair household at that time.
James A. Sinclair, one of John and Elizabeth’s children, was born in Goshen on June 9, 1838, and married Jessie Henderson (1840 - 1929), daughter of William and Lucy (MacKenzie) Henderson, Barney’s River, on April 2, 1867. At the time of the 1871 Canadian census, James A. and Jessie were living on a farm in Goshen with their first child, one-year-old Elizabeth.
Over the next two decades, four more children joined the Sinclair family—Maria Henderson (April 19, 1873); William Henry (June 14, 1876); John Alfred (October 3, 1879); and Robert Ernest (February 28, 1888). After James A.’s death in 1895, Jessie’s three sons remained in the family home with her.
Following William Henry’s 1895 marriage to Elizabeth Christina Sinclair, South River Lake, John Alfred and Ernest lived in the family home with their mother. At the time of the 1901 Canadian census, William Henry was residing nearby, his occupation listed as blacksmith and farmer. Ernest eventually established a small mercantile business in the community, while John Alfred assumed operation of the family farm.
On July 22, 1920, 40-year-old John Alfred Sinclair married Nellie Jane Sinclair, a 28-year-old school teacher and daughter of Andrew Sinclair and Christie Stewart, Goshen. Over the next decade, five children joined the Sinclair household—Harold McNaughton (June 4, 1921); Jessie Christina (1922); Andrew Ian “Dick” (February 22, 1924); William Ernest “Bill” (March 23, 1928); and John George “Jack” (June 23, 1929). John Alfred’s mother Nellie passed away on July 6, 1929, two weeks after the birth of his youngest child.
Andrew Ian “Dick” Sinclair attended Goshen School from 1930 to 1940, entering the work force upon completing Grade 10. Dick obtained a position as a bank clerk with the Royal Bank of Canada, Antigonish, working there for a year and a half before accepting a transfer to the bank’s branch in Weymouth, Digby County.
In May 1942, Dick applied for admission to the Royal Canadian Air Force. He formally attested for service with the RCAF at Halifax on February 17, 1943, five days after his nineteenth birthday. Following a one-month leave, Dick was “taken on strength” at Military District No. 5, Lachine, QC, and commenced his active service with the RCAF with the rank of Aircraftman Class 2.
While awaiting the commencement of his training, Dick was assigned to No. 12 Equipment Depot, Montreal, QC, on May 18, 1943. He traveled to Ontario in late June to complete a “Pre-Aircrew Education Course” at Western Technical - Commercial School, Toronto. Upon finishing the program in mid-August, Dick received a week’s leave before beginning his training at No. 1 Air Gunners’ Ground Training School (AGGTS), Quebec, QC, on August 20.
Established in March 1943 to help alleviate a shortage of air gunners overseas, No. 1 AGGTS put prospective gunners through a six-week course that included instruction on aircraft machine gun maintenance and small arms firing, in addition to basic drill and physical training. Upon completing the course, Dick was promoted to the rank of Leading Aircraftman on October 2. The following day, he reported to No. 9 Bombing & Gunnery School, Mont Joli, QC.
During his time at Mont Joli, Dick logged almost 20 hours of flying time aboard a Fairey Battle aircraft. He achieved an average of 79.1 % in his ground training courses and 75.5 % in air firing, placing fourth in a class of 111 trainees. Comments on his evaluation form noted that Dick was an “above average student” who “gave his instructor [the] fullest co-operation” and “had no trouble in grasping instruction.” According to a later news item published in the Antigonish Casket, Dick was “one of the few in his graduating class to be recommended for a commission,” an impressive accomplishment for a young man who was 19 years old at the time.
On November 12, 1943, Dick received his Air Gunner’s Badge and was also officially promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer the same day. After the standard two-week embarkation leave, he reported to No. 1 Y Depot, Halifax, on December 13 and departed for overseas the following day. Upon disembarking in the United Kingdom on December 21, he traveled to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth, and awaited assignment to an overseas training unit.
On February 4, 1944, Dick was assigned to No. 1664 Conversion Unit for the final phase of his training. Based at RAF Croft, the unit prepared airmen for active service aboard Lancaster and Halifax four-engine heavy bombers. Air crews were also assembled at this stage, providing the inexperienced recruits with the opportunity to bond as a unit prior to active service.
Three of Dick’s crew mates hailed from Winnipeg, MB—Flight Lieutenant John Gordon Broder, pilot; Pilot Officer James Gordon Stewart, bomb aimer; and Flight Sergeant Clarence Walker Gugins, rear gunner. The two remaining airmen were from the United Kingdom—Flight Sergeant Alexander Pettigrew Reid, Edinburgh, Scotland, wireless operator; and Flight Sergeant Royston William Cottrell, Bristol, England, flight engineer.
As bombing raids usually took place under cover of darkness, night-time flying was a basic element of training. On the night of February 24, 1944, Dick and his crew took part in a “non-operational night training” exercise at Dishforth, Thirsk, England, aboard a Halifax V bomber. With an instructor on board, Flight Lieutenant Broder completed five successful take-off and landing “circuits,” after which the instructor disembarked, “leaving the student to carry on.”
Broder then completed one successful circuit. On his second take-off shortly after 9:00 pm, the aircraft “climbed to about 400 feet and then the nose of the aircraft went down and dived into the ground at a steep angle. All the crew were killed [instantly].”
A subsequent “Report on Flying Incident” stated that “the machine was much too battered for inspection of control settings. It is not possible to say if a technical failure was involved as the fuselage had disintegrated and some of the mainplanes [wings] are burnt.” Flight Lieutenant W. H. Roberge, who examined the wreckage, “did not find any evidence of a technical failure.” Another entry in the report stated: “The cause is totally obscure. Weather was good, witnesses say the aircraft sounded normal till [sic] it struck the ground.”
On February 26, 1944, military authorities notified Mr. and Mrs. John Alfred Sinclair that their son, Pilot Officer Andrew Ian Sinclair, was killed on the night of February 24 “as a result of a flying accident (overseas).” Two days later, Squadron Leader W. R. Gunn wrote a letter of condolence to Dick’s parents.
Pilot Officer Andrew Ian Sinclair was buried in Stonefalls Cemetery, Harrowgate, England, on March 1, 1944. In the aftermath of the solemn ceremony, D. W. S. Clark, Wing Commander, RCAF Station Dishforth, wrote a letter to John Alfred Sinclair: “Your son was buried in Stonefalls Cemetery, Harrowgate, and the Service was conducted by Canadian Protestant Padré, S/Ldr. E. Lautenslager, Chaplain of this Station. Full service honours were accorded and members of his own unit were present.” A news item in the Antigonish Casket, published on March 2, 1944, informed its readers of Dick’s tragic passing, commenting:
“P/O Sinclair was a young man of fine ability, who possessed marked qualities of leadership, and the ability to make friends. His early death has been a great shock to all who knew him, and a sore trial for his parents.”
John Alfred Sinclair passed away in his Goshen home on December 13, 1947. His wife Nellie Jane died in 1960. Both were laid to rest in Goshen Cemetery. An inscription on their headstone commemorates the overseas death of their second son in the service of his country.
Dick’s younger brothers, William Ernest, age 16, and John George, age 15, were living at home at the time of his death and were too young to serve during the war. His older brother, Harold McNaughton Sinclair, also joined the RCAF. After completing an aero-mechanics course in Moncton, NB, he attended the RCAF Technicians’ School, St. Thomas, ON. Harold was then assigned to No. 4 Repair Depot, Scoudouc, NB, where he was serving at the time of Dick’s death. He was eventually transferred overseas, where he worked as a technician at RCAF bases in the United Kingdom. Discharged from military service on September 22, 1945, he returned to Nova Scotia.
On July 31, 1948, Harold married Mina Ruth Hudson, a native of Country Harbour, Guysborough County. The couple resided in Halifax, where they raised a family of four children. Harold operated Sinclair Refrigeration for a number of years, and later worked in the truck sales and leasing business. After living in Halifax for more than three decades, Harold and Mina retired to Goshen in 1982. Harold Sinclair passed away there on June 6, 2009.
Special thanks to Jim Sinclair, Goshen, who provided information on his father Harold's Second World War service and post-war life.
