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A member of the Ojibway First Nation, Williard John Bolduc of enlisted into the RCAF at North Bay, Ontario on June 9 1941. After training at 9 Bombing and Gunnery School in Mont-Joli Quebec, he was promoted to Sergeant and posted overseas, arriving in the UK during October 1942.

During his service with ??? Squadron flying in Stirling bombers, P/O Bolduc was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). The citation reads:


    "Pilot Officer Bolduc has taken part in many operational sorties including attacks on such important and strongly defended targets as Berlin, Hamburg and Essen. In June 1943, while over Cologne, his aircraft was attacked by an enemy fighter. This officer's accurate fire damaged the enemy aircraft which broke off the attack and was probably destroyed. Another time during a sortie against Nuremburg his aircraft was attacked by a Junkers 88. While making the bombing run Pilot Officer Bolduc opened fire and the enemy fighter fell to the ground in flames. At all times this air gunner has set an inspiring example by his keenness and devotion to duty."



An RCAF press release dated August 28 1943 reads,

A Canadian gunner with an RAF Stirling squadron got credit for an enemy Ju88 fighter brought down as the Stirling approached the Nuremberg target. He was Sergeant Willard John Bolduc, 3171 Cote Street, Antoine Road, Westmount, Quebec, a rear-gunner who was on his 17th operational trip.

"The pilot had successfully evaded three fighters," said Bolduc. "We were just approaching the target when a Ju88 roared out to meet us. The skipper warned me over the intercom, but the Ju88 went right past us. I thought maybe he would keep on going, but he didn't. He turned in a big sweep about 1,000 yards away and came right for us.

"When he was about 500 yards away, I opened up. He never got a burst in but I kept giving it to him. I must have let him have about 500 rounds. He started to falter and then went straight down. We watched him go and he hit the deck with a terrific bang."

Bolduc got credit for a second Ju88 during a raid on Dusseldorf.




Dusseldorf




Koln




Bomber Command Museum of Canada