Frederick (“Freddie”) Wise was born on June 4, 1916, the son of Adam Wise and Margaret May (nee Cridland) Wise, of 415 Nelson Street, Sarnia. Frederick had two sisters, Ethel and Jennie, and two brothers, Frank and Norman. His brother Norman also enlisted in August of 1942 and became a Trooper with the Canadian Army serving in Italy. Frederick was an employee of the Canadian Observer in Sarnia, working in the circulation department, for a number of years prior to his enlistment. At wartime, single at the time, Frederick enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force. In October of 1941, Sergeant-Pilot Fred Wise visited his parents in Sarnia following his graduation exercises held at Dauphin, Manitoba, where he had just received his wings as a qualified aviator in the Royal Canadian Air Force. One month later, in late November of 1941, Fred Wise, along with fellow Sarnian James L. Wright (see below), who he had also attended the same training centres with, arrived overseas in England. Both Fred Wise and James Wright would be reunited again with the R.C.A.F. in the Middle East.
In September of 1942, a letter from Fred Wise would arrive at the Sarnia Observer, his former employee, describing his life in the Middle East. The following is a portion of that letter:
August 21, 1942
On Sunday I was in Alexandria and had a dip in the Mediterranean, but this salty water isn’t good for swimming when one is used to Lake Huron. I have been here three weeks, and feel fairly settled after travelling nearly all over Egypt. So far I have made five trips, mostly patrols over Alamein. It was only last Sunday that I saw my first Jerry hits.
Today we had a rather important job and came out of it with flying colors. On this particular we were top cover fro a Hurricane bomber squadron, and watched the boys pull off and “drop their eggs.” On the way home over Alamein we were attacked by four Messerschmidts. They came down on us like a bat out of hell. We fixed them again, and in the dog fight which followed one of the beggars got in front of me for a second, so yours truly got a good burst in. However I’m afraid I missed, though by mighty little. It was good to get home again, but I’m ready to go back at them anytime.
Fred Wise would become a member of RCAF #238 squadron “Ad Finem” (To the end), attaining the rank of Flight Sergeant-Pilot. One year after arriving overseas, on November 4, 1942, Flight sergeant-Pilot Frederick Wise’s Hurricane aircraft failed to return from a trip to Alala, in North Africa. In late November of 1942, parents Adam and Margaret Wise in Sarnia would receive the news that their son Frederick was reported missing, that he had not returned from an operational flight in the Middle East several weeks ago. About the same time, his mother Margaret in Sarnia would receive unofficial word that her son Frederick had recently been promoted to flight sergeant. In early December of 1942, the staff of the Canadian (Sarnia) Observer received Christmas greetings via telegraph from Frederick Wise. Frederick had been a former member of the Observer circulation department. The greeting had been sent from the Middle East, dated October 31, 1942, only a few days before he was reported missing. In late December of 1942, the Royal Canadian Air Force casualty list still listed Frederick Wise as, missing after air operations in North Africa. In July of 1943, Frederick Wise was officially listed as, Previously reported missing after air operations, now for official purposes, presumed dead, overseas. Twenty-six year old Frederick Wise has no known grave. His name is inscribed on the Alamein War Memorial, Egypt, Column 264.
SOURCES: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, 2C, 2D