The Death of P/O Douglas Burnell
RCAF Flying Goose Squadron #408

Burnell’s military file, ordered three weeks earlier, arrived from Archives Canada. Amongst other things, it contained a copy of the full Coroner’s report of his death including the witness statements. Apparently the RCAF purloined the only copy from the Coroner’s Office in Yorkshire in 1944.

The evidence contained in the file indicated that Burnell had flown 24 missions, had become deeply depressed, and had begun drinking heavily. In the days before his death he had missed two flying assignments - a serious offence.

At 11:00am on Sept 14, 1944 Burnell was languishing in his bed after a long night of drinking. He had been sent for by the Wing Commander of the 408 Squadron because of his missing his assignments. When woken, he told a fellow airman that one way to get out of his trouble was to shoot himself. His friend testified that he gave Burnell a cigarette and told him to get out of bed and go to see the Wing Commander. At 11:30am an airbase medical officer found Burnell dead in his bed with his gun still in his hand. Witness Statements

Concluding Remarks

Today, we read about depression and addiction suffered by military personnel during wartime. These are typical symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It’s a medical problem. In 1944 it was a character flaw.

A death by suicide was embarrassing to the military. An airman who was incapacitated by a mental disorder was expected to “shape up and get over it”. This attitude and its resulting lack of care were the causes of Burnell’s death. The military simply covered up the truth.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is reported to affect up to 1 in 7 (15%) of returning veterans. If the sufferers like Doug Burnell who don’t come back are also counted, PTSD becomes an even more significant cost of war.

Dr. L.E. Mylks was my grandfather and Doug Burnell was my mother’s first cousin. On the day Doug Burnell died, Sept.11, 1944, I lived at 868 Stamford St., Niagara Falls, Ont. where Doug Burnell had lived 15 years earlier.

Flight Crew Photograph

There are eight airmen shown in Flight Crew photograph. Three of them are identified.  The unidentified airmen are:

1. W/O D.McPhee, Navigator (R-1727628),
2. Sgt. B.Munro, Flt/engineer (222111)
3. R. Heppell, Mid-upper gunner , and
4. W.R. Stevens, Rear-gunner.

If you can match a name to one of the unnamed airmen in the photo, please contact me with that information.... ram

Photo of Doug Burnell and His Flight Crew