Sgt. Francis Dernier Cosgrove, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion. Sgt. Cosgrove was born 10 Jan 1922 in Halifax N.S. He was the son of Francis John and Margaret Stella (Dernier) Cosgrove of Saint John N.B. Sgt. Cosgrove had four sisters and one brother. He was working as a clerk with the N.B. Power Company before he enlisted on 27 Jan 1941 in Saint John N.B. Sgt. Cosgrove successfully completed his parachute training at Fort Benning, Georgia, U.S. on 24 Dec 1942 and was posted to 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, Royal Canadian Infantry Corps. He arrived in England on 28 July 1943 and parachuted into France, as part of Operation Tonga, early in the morning of 6 June 1944. The details of his demise are unknown, but Sgt. Cosgrove was killed in action on the morning of 6 June 1944, age 21, and was given a field burial at Dives-Sur-Mer and was re-interred to Ranville War Cemetery, Calvados France on 6 Sept 1945. Flying Officer Richard Reginald Irvine, RCAF, 426 Squadron Richard was born 28 Dec 1911 in Dublin, Leinster, Ireland, the son of Robert and Caroline (Groombridge) Irvine. On 2 May 1928, at the age of seventeen, Richard sailed from Southampton to New York, from New York he travelled to London Ont. In 1937 he moved to Yarmouth N.S. where he became an active member of the Yarmouth community. He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force on 17 Feb 1942 and served in Canada until 26 Aug 1943 when he embarked for England arriving on 1 Sept 1943. On 26 May 1944 he was assigned to 426 Squadron at RAF Linton-onOuse, North Yorkshire, England. On 6 June 1944 the seven-man crew of Halifax bomber #LW382 departed RAF Linton-On-Ouse at approximately 2 am on a bombing raid against the coastal batteries’ northeast of Caen, France. Flying Officer Irvine was the Bomb Aimer onboard the flight. While still over England, at 43 minutes into the flight, an explosion occurred in the aircraft causing it to crash south of North Wooton, Norfolk. The aircraft was completely destroyed and all seven members of the crew were killed. Irvine was 32 years old. Flying Officer Irvine is buried at Mount Jerome Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland. Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 113 continued ... continued ...
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