Nelson Leslie Gordon was born on July 10, 1924, in Bay Roberts, Newfoundland. Nelson’s father Alexander (DOB October 21, 1891) was a native of Cookney, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the son of John Forbes Gordon (1853 - 1925) and Helen Findlay (1859 - 1936). His mother, Violet Lillian Parsons (1895 - 1978), was a native of Coley’s Point, Bay Roberts, Newfoundland, the daughter of Captain Abraham “Abe” Parsons (1867 - 1958) and Frances “Fanny” Mercer (1870 - 1963).
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| Pilot Officer Nelson Leslie Gordon |
In 1913, Western Union Cable Company built a relay station in Bay Roberts. The following year, Alexander Gordon arrived in Newfoundland to work as a cable operator/electrician at the new facility. He had previously been employed with the Commercial Cable Company in Waterville, Ireland, Liverpool, England, and New York. Sometime after relocating to Bay Roberts, Alexander met Violet Parsons. The couple were married in St. Thomas Church, St. Johns. NL, on March 4, 1916.
At the time of the 1921 Newfoundland census, Alexander and Violet were residing in Bay Roberts with their three oldest children—Margaret (DOB December 27, 1916), John Abraham “Ted” (DOB July 14, 1918), and Frances Nesbit Forbes “Frankie” (DOB December 30, 1919). Around 1923, Alexander relocated to Canso, Guysborough County, where he commenced work at the Commercial Cable Company’s Hazel Hill telegraph operation.
Available documents suggest that Alexander’s young wife and children remained in Bay Roberts for a period of time. In late May 1923, Violet and the three Gordon children arrived in Halifax on their way to visit Alexander. It appears that they remained in Canso for several months before returning to Newfoundland. The following summer, Violet gave birth to the couple’s fourth child, Nelson Leslie, in Bay Roberts on July 10, 1924.
Two weeks after Nelson’s birth, Violet and the Gordon children permanently relocated to Nova Scotia. The family established residence in Canso town, while Alexander worked in nearby Hazel Hill. Nelson enrolled in the local public school in 1928 and completed his Grade XI studies in the spring of 1939. A later comment in his service file stated that he “missed Senior Matriculation [in] 1940 because of laziness.” A note in his service file commented that he was particularly “good at Maths.”
As his age prevented him from enlisting for military service upon leaving school, Nelson “worked in a bank [Junior Clerk, Bank of Montreal, Halifax] for one year [1941 - 42] while waiting to [join the Royal Canadian] Air Force.” On April 18, 1942, to obtain some military experience, he enlisted with the Halifax Rifles, a Canadian reserve militia unit. Ten days later, Nelson underwent a medical examination as part of an application to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). On the form’s last page, the Medical Officer provided these impressions of the young prospective recruit:
“Intelligent, alert boy with a good deal of curiosity about things around him. Immature, over-confident, but promises to make a good man. Enthusiastic about flying, is not yet 18. Good qualities of endurance. Physical condition good.”
On June 23, 1942, Nelson enlisted with the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF). The day after his eighteenth birthday—July 11, 1942—he attested with the RCAF at Halifax and commenced service at No. 5 Manning Depot, Lachine, QC, with the rank of Aircraftman Class 2 (AC2).
On August 20, Nelson reported to No. 9 Service Flight Training School, Centralia, ON, for basic air crew training. Two months later, he moved on to No. 1 Initial Training School [ITS], Eglinton Hunt Club, Toronto, ON. A second medical examination completed shortly after his arrival included this assessment: “Choice pilot, bombardier, WAG [wireless air gunner], Navigator. Motivation good, has 20 hours passenger—never sick….Physically fit [and] enthusiastic….”
Upon completing No. 1 ITS’s program, Nelson was promoted to the rank of Leading Aircraftman (LAC) on December 30, 1942. Two weeks later, he received one week’s leave. Shortly after returning to duty, he was transferred to No. 12 Elementary Flight Training School [EFTS], Goderich, ON, on January 27, 1943, for the first stage of pilot instruction.
In early April, Nelson was posted to No. 1 Service Flight Training School (SFTS), Camp Borden, ON. During his time there, he was briefly hospitalized on two occasions for unidentified health issues. On July 23, he earned his Pilot’s badge and advanced to the rank of Temporary Sergeant. He also received two week’s leave before commencing the next phase of training.
During his time at Goderich and Camp Borden, Nelson was able to visit relatives by marriage in nearby Newmarket, ON. His older sister Frances had married Joseph George Gladman, a telegraphist with the Royal Canadian Navy, in Halifax on November 29, 1941. Joe was a native of Newmarket and Nelson spent time with his family while stationed in the area. On one occasion, when Joe and Frances travelled to the Gladman family home with their newborn daughter Pat, Nelson joined them for the occasion.
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| P/O Nelson Gordon (left), Herbert Malcolm Gladman (center) and Joe Gladman, Newmarket ON |
On August 7, Nelson reported to No. 1 Operational Training Unit (OTU), Bagotville, QC. Opened on July 20, 1942, No. 1 OTU provided SFTS graduates with advanced training, often in aircraft in which they would later serve. The base’s fleet included: the Bristol Bolingbroke, a twin engine marine patrol aircraft; the single-engine Harvard advanced trainer, the Westland Lysander, a single-engine British plane; and the Hawker Hurricane, a single-seat British fighter.
During his next two months at Bagotville, Nelson logged 87 hours aboard a Harvard trainer and 94 hours at the controls of a Hurricane. Upon completing the OTU’s program. he received the standard 14-day pre-embarkation leave on October 10. It is likely that he returned home to Canso, as afterward he reported to 1 Y Depot, Halifax.
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| Pilot Officer Nelson Leslie Gordon on the wing of a Harvard trainer |
Nelson departed for overseas on November 1 and landed in the United Kingdom after an eight day crossing. As with all RCAF trainees, he immediately reported to No. 3 Personnel Reception Centre, Bournemouth. On December 3, 1943, Nelson was attached to 50 Group (Pool) Headquarters. Two and a half weeks later, he was posted to No. 53 Operational Training Unit.
No. 53 OTU was established at RAF Heston in February 1941 for the purpose of training Spitfire pilots for Fighter Command. At the time of Gordon’s arrival, the unit was operating out of RAF Kirton-in-Lindsey, Lincolnshire, UK, where pilots initially trained on Miles Master aircraft before transitioning to Spitfires.
Nelson spent three months training with No. 53 OTU. After two weeks’ leave in late March and early April 1944, he reported to No. 3 Tactical Engineering Unit (TEU), RAF Honiley, Warwickshire, for the final stage of his training. The unit’s pilots flew Hawker Typhoons, British single-engine, single-seat fighter-bombers initially equipped with four 20mm Hispano auto-cannons.
First employed as a “night-time intruder” and long-range fighter, adaptations implemented in late 1942 allowed Typhoons to carry up to two 450 kilogram or four 225 kilogram bombs. After the addition of RP-3 rockets in late 1943, the plane became the war’s most successful ground-attack aircraft. By the time of the Normandy landings, 18 Typhoon squadrons were available to support Allied ground operations via communication with radio-equipped vehicles travelling with infantry units close to the front lines.
Nelson trained aboard No. 3 TEU’s Typhoons for two months. During that time, he was promoted to the rank of Temporary Flight Sergeant. On May 30, he was posted to No. 83 Group Support Unit, a “holding unit” for pilots awaiting assignment to active operational squadrons. One week later, he was assigned to No. 440 Squadron, RCAF.
Formed in Canada as No. 111 (Fighter) Squadron in November 1941, the unit was one of six RCAF squadrons transferred overseas prior to the Allied invasion of Western Europe. It was re-designated No. 440 (Fighter Bomber) Squadron at Ayr, Scotland, on February 8, 1944, and flew Hawker Typhoon MK.IB aircraft over German-occupied France, striking key targets prior to D-Day. Immediately after the Normandy invasion, the Squadron’s aircraft provided close support for ground forces, dive-bombing and strafing strong points, bridges, railway and road infrastructure and traffic.
At the time of Nelson’s June 7, 1944 transfer, No. 440 Squadron was operating out of an airfield near Hurn, Christchurch, not far from Bournemouth. Nelson logged his first mission in the early morning hours of June 11, when a group of the Squadron’s Typhoons dropped 225 kilogram bombs on German infantry and vehicles in woods near Carpiquet, France. The following day, he completed a second bombing mission on a road running from Varaville to Périers-en-Auge, Normandy.
On June 15, Nelson logged two missions targeting a double bridge across the Orne River near Caen. Over the next week and a half, he completed two reconnaissance—“recce”—flights, one in search of German shipping near Cherbourg and a second an armed recce of railway and road movement in the area of Laval.
The Squadron proceeded by airlift from the UK to Lantheuil, northwest of Caen, France, on June 27. A group of 15 pilots flew Squadron Typhoons, while three remained behind awaiting replacement aircraft for planes deemed “unserviceable.” According to the Squadron’s daily operational log, “All personnel arrived safely and in good health; no casualties were sustained.”
On July 5, Nelson departed on his first mission from Lantheuil airfield, a routine bombing sortie. Engine problems over enemy territory forced him to jettison his payload off the coast and return to base. He then completed three test flights before departing on his second mission on July 10. According to Nelson’s pilot log, it was a “good trip [with] bombs [dropped] in large area. Lots of light flak down low. No [Squadron] losses.”
During the remainder of the month, Nelson completed two fighter escort flights and four more bombing missions, one of which turned into a harrowing experience. In the early evening hours of July 26, Nelson successfully dropped his bombs on the target but was “hit three times by flak. [His aircraft was] set on fire and [its] controls stiffened. Bailed out north of Caen. Down OK.” Within two hours, Nelson was “back to base uninjured.” Four days later, he was back in the air. At month’s end, he was officially promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer (P/O).
Squadron activity intensified in August 1944, as a combined British/Canadian force pushed its way southeast along the Caen - Falaise road, part of an Allied operation to encircle German units in Normandy. During the month, Nelson flew a total of 24 missions, the majority of which were bombing runs. In the first two weeks, targets included German Headquarters, tanks and armament, infantry positions, artillery gun positions and bridges.
During the second half of the month, German units began to retreat northward toward the Seine River as Allied forces gradually closed the “Falaise gap.” In response, 440 Squadron focused on tugs and barges hauling supplies along the famous water course and targeted road traffic near Orbec.
In early September, the Squadron was on the move, relocating in several stages to Brussels, Belgium. On September 9, Nelson’s Typhoon was part of a group that departed at 1235 hours on an armed recce north of the Albert Canal. Shortly after take-off, his plane “had a glycol leak and crash landed. The aircraft was Category E [damaged beyond use] but [Nelson] was uninjured.”
Two days later, Nelson was back in the air, carrying out an armed reconnaissance flight in southeastern Netherlands. Over the next two weeks, he completed 11 bombing and armed recce missions over Dutch and German territory. On one occasion, he was forced to return early due to mechanical issues. All other flights were completed without incident.
On September 27, the Squadron relocated to Eindhoven, Netherlands. The move was particularly fortuitous for Nelson, as his older brother John Abraham “Ted” was stationed nearby. Ted had also completed his early schooling in Canso before moving on to Dalhousie University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He then enrolled in McGill University, where he completed Bachelor of Engineering studies. Sometime after graduating, he enlisted with the Royal Canadian Engineers.
In mid-May 1944, Canadian military authorities established the Corps of Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME), combining elements of the Royal Canadian Engineers, Royal Canadian Army Service Corps and Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps into one unit. Its personnel were given the task of servicing and maintaining the mechanized equipment—regular and armoured vehicles, weapons, radio and radar sets—that had become essential to military operations in Western Europe.
Ted received a commission as Captain and was assigned to the RCEME following its formation. The unit assigned personnel to all Canadian Divisions in the field. At the time the Allied invasion of Normandy, Ted was serving with the 4th Canadian Armoured Division’s Artillery Headquarters. The Division included infantry, armoured and artillery regiments, whose operations heavily relied on mechanized equipment. 4th CAD’s Headquarters happened to be located in the vicinity of the Eindhoven airfield where 440 Squadron established operations in late September. As a result, Ted and Nelson saw one another on numerous occasions during the autumn of 1944.
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| Captain Ted Gordon (left) and P/O Nelson Gordon, The Netherlands, Autumn 1944 |
440 Squadron’s operations over Dutch and German territory continued throughout the month of October. While Nelson received one week’s leave on October 6, he logged another 13 missions during the month, mostly dive bombing attacks on railroad yards and lines. November brought another 21 missions—13 bombing, five recce and three escort/fighter cover—all of which were completed without injury or damage to his aircraft.
Two news reports printed in Canadian newspapers months later described an incident that took place during one of the Eindhoven sorties. On the morning of November 21, 1944, Nelson’s Typhoon was part of a nine-aircraft group—seven bombers and two fighters—that left Eindhoven on a “rail-cutting” operation that targeted lines and several trains near Wesel, Germany. During the dive-bombing and strafing attack, an aircraft operated by P/O J. L. Duncan “was hit by flak” and seriously damaged. P/O Duncan informed his comrades by radio that “he would try to fly his disabled plane back to base alone.” The news articles described what transpired:
“[Pilot Officer] Gordon, although he had no cannon ammunition left, decided to stay [with P/O Duncan]. As the damaged Typhoon, escorted by P/O Gordon, spluttered from Wesel to the River Maas, enemy guns opened up…. It was then that P/O Gordon began making passes as though attacking the gun posts with his ammunitionless cannon. His tactics were successful… in throwing the gunners off sufficiently for the low-flying disabled craft to get out of range.”
Unfortunately, P/O Duncan’s aircraft “didn’t make it all the way to Allied lands despite P/O Gordon’s help. It had to land in enemy territory.” 440 Squadron’s daily war diary also made note of the event:
“It is believed P/O Duncan made a safe landing and P/O Gordon orbited his aircraft but could not see P/O Duncan in the aircraft. It is possible he got out and ran, and it is believed he was over the bomb line when he landed.”
P/O Duncan failed to return to base and was officially reported “missing” shortly afterward. As Commonwealth War Graves records do not contain a matching fatality, it appears that he spent the remaining months of combat in a German prisoner of war camp.
On December 5, 1944, an entry in No. 440’s log reported: “P/O N. L. Gordon completed his first tour of operations with the Squadron, being grounded after 98 sorties and recommended for instructional duties in England.” Two weeks later, Nelson was granted leave to January 4, 1945. Recalled to duty one day earlier, he was posted to No. 56 Operational Training Unit for “instructional duty.”
No. 56 OTU was formed at Milfield, Wooler, UK, on December 14, 1944. The new unit absorbed the personnel of No. 1 Tactical Exercise Unit (TEU), Tealing, which had trained Hurricane pilots. No. 56 OTU provided three concurrent nine-week courses in two aircraft—Typhoon and Hawker Tempest—producing 10 qualified pilots bi-weekly for service in Western Europe.
No information is available on Nelson’s service with No. 56 OTU for most of January 1945. On the last day of the month, he flew a Typhoon from Brunton RAF Base, Northumberland, to Woodbridge Airfield, Milfield, “for the rectification of a propellor oil leak.” The following day—February 1, 1945—mechanics replaced the oil seal and the plane was ready to return to its base by late afternoon.
Weather conditions that day were poor as Nelson prepared for the flight to Brunton. When his aircraft departed at 1638 hours, witnesses later reported that its “engine failed shortly after take off.” Nelson “attempted to “regain [the] airfield” but had to execute a “wheels up forced landing” when the plane failed to maintain altitude. The Typhoon “hit a four foot six inch high wall on impact and scattered wreckage over an area approximately 75 yards square.” Nelson was instantly killed when the aircraft struck the wall.
On February 3, Alexander Gordon received a telegram from the RCAF Casualties Officer, stating: “Deeply regret to advise that your son Flying Officer Nelson Leslie Gordon… was killed on active service overseas February 1…. Please accept my profound sympathy. Letter follows.” Shortly after the Gordon family received the tragic news, Violet sent a message to the Squadron, requesting that Nelson be interred in Springbank Cemetery, Aberdeen, Scotland.
On the morning of February 9, 1945, a funeral rite under the direction of a local Minister took place in the home of Nelson’s uncle, presumably one of his father Alexander’s brothers. A cable to the Gordon family from A. Murdoch Burtley, Group Captain Commanding, RAF Station Milfield, dated February 22, 1945, provided details on the graveside ceremony:
“Your son’s funeral took place at Aberdeen on 9th February, 1945, at 1:30 pm, the service being conducted by a Chaplain of the Royal Canadian Air Force assisted by the Station Padré, the Reverend Robert Bell, after which his body was interred in the Springbank Cemetery at Aberdeen. Owing to war operations, it was not possible to accord full Service Honours, but the coffin was carried by men of the Royal Air Force and it was covered with the Union Jack…. Although your son was with us for only a short while, he was very popular with all who came into contact with him and we feel his passing very keenly.”
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| P/O Nelson Leslie Gordon's grave, Springbank Cemetery, Aberdeen, Scotland |
At the time of Nelson’s death, his brother Ted was still deployed in Western Europe. Prior to departing for overseas, he had married Mildred Logan Sterns, a native of Glace Bay, NS, in Montreal, QC, on December 23, 1941. Ted safely returned to Canada, established residence in Dartmouth, NS, and landed a position with Canadian General Electric as manager of its Atlantic Canadian “apparatus division.” He and Mildred raised a family that grew to include three daughters.
In late June 1951, Ted was visiting Pictou, NS, where his parents were living in retirement, when he was admitted to Sutherland Memorial Hospital with a ruptured appendix. While medical staff performed surgery, the infection triggered a liver ailment that he had contracted while serving overseas. John Abraham “Ted” Gordon died of acute hepatitis in hospital on July 2, 1951, and was interred in Haliburton Cemetery, Pictou.
Nelson and Ted’s father Alexander Gordon died in Pictou, NS, on January 23, 1964, after a lengthy illness and was buried in alongside his eldest son. Alexander’s widow Violet spent her final years with family in Brampton, ON, where she passed away on April 6, 1978. Her remains were transported to Nova Scotia for interment alongside her husband in Haliburton Cemetery.
Special thanks to Nelson Leslie Gordon "Gord" Gladman, Newcastle, ON, who provided the photographs included in this post, information on the Gordon and Gladman families, and excerpts from Nelson's flight log book.
