Jesse (“Clem”) Brakeman was born on August 7, 1920. He was the only son of the Jesse Clair Brakeman and Rose Adele Brakeman of 174 Penrose St., Sarnia. His father died when Jesse was only three years old. Jesse’s mother Rose, originally from Exmouth, Devon, England, came to Canada in 1909. Rose was a secretary at the local yard office of the Canadian National Railways, where she was to work for 40 years. Jesse’s grandmother, Mrs. Harriet A. Clemens, resided at 175 Penrose St., Sarnia. Jesse was a graduate of Sarnia public schools and Sarnia Collegiate Institute.
Jesse (Clem) Brakeman enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in July of 1940. He completed his training at several Canadian flying schools and was sent overseas in the early part of 1941. He arrived in England in early March of 1941, and cabled his mother that he had arrived safely and that he was feeling fine. He would become a member of the RCAF #214 Federated Malay States squadron “Ultor In Umbris” (Avenging in the Shadows), with the rank of Sergeant-Air gunner. By July 1941, he had shot down his first German plane.
Just over a year after he enlisted, on September 3, 1941, Jesse Brakeman’s Wellington aircraft was lost during a bombing operation over enemy territory. Perishing with Sergeant-Air Gunner Jesse Brakeman were FS. J.P. McKay; Sgt.s L. Black (RAF), and C. Hambleton (RAF); and F/L. R.H. May (RAF). On September 4th, Jesse’s mother, Mrs. Rose Brakeman in Sarnia, would receive a telegram from the R.C.A.F. Headquarters in Ottawa, informing her that her son, Sergeant-Pilot Jesse Clemens Brakeman was reported missing as the result of an air operation overseas recently. There were no further particulars concerning the air operations, so the Canadian Observer reported that, “the fact that he was designated as missing held out some hope that he might have been forced down over Nazi-held countries in Western Europe or made an escape in some other manner.” The telegram from Ottawa was a severe shock to Mrs. Rose Brakeman particularly because word that he had shot down his first German plane in July had just recently arrived home. Twenty-one year old Jesse Brakeman was buried in the Dunkirk Town Cemetery, Nord, France, Plot 2 Row 2 Grave 20. On Jesse Brakeman’s headstone are inscribed the words, God be merciful to my son. Reunite his soul with those of his Dad and his pals. Mother
SOURCES: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, R, 2B, 2C