Georg
e Varnum Andrew was born on January 11, 1923, the son of ex-Sarnia mayor and harbourmaster George A.C. Andrew and Mrs. Elizabeth Harriet (nee Varnum, born in Moore Township, Lambton) Andrew, of 111 North College Avenue, Sarnia. George’s father was a World War I veteran (RCAF mechanic), as well as a City of Sarnia alderman on a couple of occasions and the mayor of Sarnia in 1924.
George Varnum had six siblings: Florence Evelyn (born 1909); twins George Edwin and Ralph Varnum (born 1912, but both died six months after birth); Muriel Eileen (born 1915); William Charles (born 1921); and Robert Barrett (born 1926). His sisters would later marry and be Mrs. John Little (Sarnia) and Mrs. Stephen Endico (Detroit). George’s younger brother, Robert B. Andrew, was a member of the Central Century Club and attended the University of Toronto. George’s older brother, William C. Andrew, would lose his life while serving in World War II (see below).
George received his education in the public schools in Sarnia and graduated from Sarnia Collegiate as an electrician. During his high school days, George was on the Signalling Team and was an officer in the High School Cadets for one year. He was an active member of Central United Church and, even while serving in war, corresponded with Rev. E.W. Jewitt, pastor of the Church. George enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force, when the first recruiting unit came to Sarnia on April 21, 1941. He received his training at Summerside, P.E.I., and Chatham, New Brunswick.
While at Chatham, George married Esther Jones, the daughter of Mrs. Annie Jones of Sarnia, at the United Church manse in Chatham, New Brunswick in September 1941. At the wedding ceremony, Miss Catherine Anne Richards of Newcastle, New Brunswick served as bridesmaid, and Leading Aircraftman Donald Allen of Toronto served as the best man. George’s brother-in-law, Glyn Jones, would join the Canadian Army and later be killed during the raid on Dieppe, on August 19, 1942 (see Glyn Jones). After his stint in Chatham, George was transferred to No.1 Wireless School, Montreal, and then to No. 4 B. and G. School at Fingal, Ontario.
In early November of 1941, LAC George Andrew was home in Sarnia on leave following his transfer from an Eastern Air Command post on Prince Edward Island to the chief training centre at Trenton, Ontario. On November 5, 1941, while at home with his family, he would receive news of the sinking of the SS Vancouver Island with no reports of any survivors, including his brother William Charles Andrew.
George Andrew would graduate, receiving his Air Gunner wings and Sergeant stripes at Fingal Bombing and Gunnery School in August of 1942. George Andrew would become a member of RCAF #426 Thunderbird Squadron “On Wings of Fire”, attaining the rank of Flying Officer Air Gunner and flying a Lancaster aircraft LL630. In early October of 1942, George’s wife, Esther, received a cable in Sarnia from her husband George, informing her that he had arrived safely in England. While her husband was overseas, Esther resided at 114 ½ North Christina Street, Sarnia.
George had his Operational Training in England and would take part in many daring raids over enemy territory, including raids on Berlin, Leipzig and Frankfurt. In September of 1943, while in England, George sent a cable to Esther, informing her that he had been promoted to Flight-Sergeant retroactive to February 3. His wife was living with her mother at 114 ½ North Christina Street during the war. On August 23 and again in early September of 1943, George was part of a group of Halifax and Lancaster squadrons of the R.C.A.F., along with scores of other Canadians flying big R.A.F. bombers that carried out massive night poundings “blitz raids” on Berlin. While taking part in the latter heavy bombing of Berlin, as a rear gunner, he told of seeing numerous flares dropped by German planes in an attempt to light up the attacking bombers.
Twenty year-old George wrote a letter in September of 1943 to his parents George Sr. and Elizabeth Andrew in Sarnia, describing his experiences as a rear-gunner of a Lancaster bomber taking part in Berlin raids. His description could be any air-gunner’s typical experience. The following are excerpts of that letter:
Perhaps you’d like an idea of the feelings that run through us on a trip. First of all we are warned for operations. That is the signal for us to inspect our aircraft and equipment carefully. Then a lot of us write letters home. It helps a lot to build up courage. Next comes briefing, where we are told the target and given all the possible details on hazards, routes, etc., and are given take-off times. We usually spend the rest of our time playing cards, reading or writing more letters. Believe me, we are all thinking very much of home at that stage, for we have been told the target, and having probably been there before, we realize only too well the hell we must go through to reach it.
An hour or so before the take-off we go down to the hangers and start dressing for the job at hand. This entails a lot of work, for putting on all our gear is like harnessing a horse, only worse. Now the time for take-off is drawing near and we are watching our watches closely while we smoke a final cigarette and drink a cup of hot coffee. We look out and see the crash wagon and ambulance standing by. We call them “vultures.” And here comes Happy. He is our padre, a flight-lieutenant, and a swell guy. He comes down for every take-off, and is always the first one to greet us when we come back. I wouldn’t feel right taking off without Happy around. Now the flight commander tells us to get cracking. We all hold our breath until we are safely off the deck, for we are carrying quite a load of cookies for Hitler.
Over the target, the crew finds itself in a heavy barrage of smoke and flak. The bomb-aimer has his sight on the target and is directing Freddy along an accurate course. We are all watching the sky closely for fighters who sometimes fly through their own hell to get to us. We are also watching the searchlights to see if they are probing for us or some other poor beggar. Once they get the lights on us, hell breaks loose, for then they pump the flak right at the intersection of the lights, where we are supposed to be. Freddy doesn’t care for the stuff any more than we do, and makes sure that we don’t park in that intersection for too long at a time.
All this time we are drawing near to our aiming point and the bomb-aimer is still giving directions to bring it up to the hair-line of the sight. Now he’s got it, the bomb bays swing open and release their tons of explosive, the camera clicks and takes a picture of the target – the aiming point we hope, for it is an honor to bring back a picture showing the exact aiming point. He shouts, ‘Okay, Freddy, bombs gone. Let’s get the hell out of here!’ Freddy sets a new course to get us out of the target area. I can see the target, for we are passing over it now, and it is exposed to my view. The air-gunner gets the last view and is therefore relied upon for a good description of bombing results. The target is blazing brilliantly in many colours, and I can see explosions billowing up thousands of feet into the air.
Homeward bound, we cannot relax until we are circling over our base. Now we are down, and Happy is handing out the cigarettes while we talk it all over. We report to intelligence and give him the stuff you read in the papers as well as a lot you don’t see there. Now a meal, then to bed to rest up in case we are on again tonight.
On the night of October 20, 1943, he took part in a bombing raid of RCAF bombers of the Thunderbird and Goose Squadrons and a heavy force of R.A.F. bombers whose mission was to flatten objectives in Leipzig, Germany. George was flying a Lancaster Bomber nicknamed “D for Donald”. On the way to the target, their bomber was attacked by a German Messerschmitt, which knocked out the mid-upper gunner with cannon shells. Three more attacks and scores of miles later, they shook off the fighter. They could have turned and gone home then, their aircraft being so badly holed, but they kept going to Leipzig. At the target area, they were attacked by a German Ju-88 and were able to shake that attack off too. The bombs had to be released manually, the mechanism having been too shot up. The pilot, in the words of other members of the crew, had “to perform superbly” with his damaged navigating instruments to bring them back to England. In a Canadian Press dispatch describing the raid, George Andrew had helped keep the Nazis at a distance, especially over the target where his plane was attacked four times by enemy fighters. The returning fliers described it as one of the toughest nights the Canadians had ever experienced. Ice, rain and lightning all played havoc with the aircraft and heavy clouds sheltered the target. Total bomber losses that night were seventeen. It was George’s 20th raid. When their aircraft arrived back at its base, more than one hundred cannon and machine gun holes were counted in the fuselage. George Andrew was promoted from flight sergeant receiving his commission as Pilot-Officer for exceptional work as rear gunner in the raid on Leipzig. Flying Officer Jimmy Dodge was one of the crew on board the Lancaster aircraft that October 20th night. An extract from a letter that he wrote to his mother in Spirit River Alberta quotes her son as saying, Too much praise cannot be given to Fred Stuart our RAF skipper and George (Andy) Andrew our rear-gunner. They were the ones mostly responsible for getting us out of the jam we were in, and of course Rod Dunphy (Winnipeg) our navigator, who did a marvellous piece of work.
On his 22nd raid, on December 20, 1943, his Lancaster aircraft was lost during night operations against Frankfurt, Germany, one of ten Canadian planes among the forty-two which failed to return from the attack. In late December of 1943, his parents George Senior and Elizabeth Andrew would receive a telegram in Sarnia from the air force casualty officer at Ottawa informing them that their son, Pilot Officer Geroge Varnum Andrew is missing after R.C.A.F. air operations overseas on December 21. No other details were contained in the message. The Andrews tragically had a second son reported missing in the war, the one previous being William Charles Andrew, who was reported missing in mid-October of 1941 (see below).
In early February of 1944, George’s wife, Esther, residing on North Christina Street, would receive a telegram from the RCAF casualty officer at Ottawa that read, Regret to advise International Red Cross quoting German information, states your husband, PO. George Varnum Andrew, lost his life December 20, but does not give additional particulars. Pending further confirmation, your husband is to be considered missing, believed killed. Please accept my sincere sympathy. Letter follows. Perishing with Pilot Officer-Air Gunner George Andrew were P/O T.H. Hastings (RAF); F/O.s R.R. Dunphy, J.W. Flynn (RAF), A.J. Rudman (RAF), and F.J. Stuart (RAF); and Sgt. F.R. Taylor (RAF). George Andrew was later listed as, Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas (Germany). For George’s parents, George senior and Elizabeth Andrew in Sarnia, this was their second son that they lost in the War. George senior would also lose a nephew in the war, Sarnia born Leonard Andrew, who was killed during the Dieppe Raid in August of 1942. Twenty year-old George Varnum Andrew is buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery, Germany, Coll.Grave 10.E.9-13.
SOURCES: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, R, S, 2C, 2D
Address of the home the family lived in.