211677 F/Lt. William "Nick" Nicholson Royal Canadian Air Force 433 Squadron from:Galt, Ontario F/L William Nicholson was my step-father who was a navigator for the Leaside crew of the RCAF 433 Squadron which was a part of the famous dam-busters low flying bombing initiative. His Lancaster plane was downed by friendly fire during an October 9, 1944 bombing raid over Duisburg, Germany. The crew bailed out and each became separated, but all were captured and became German prisoners of war. My step-father and his crew were stationed prior to their last sortie at Skipton-on-Swales aerodrome near York, Yorkshire, England. My step-father married my mother, Elizabeth Rowan Stiles (a war widow with one son, me, aged 4) in York just prior to his last flight in the fall of 1944. After being released from a German Stalag in 1945 at the end of the war, my Mother and I left York, England to join him in his hometown of Galt,Ontario. Dad had worked for Savage Shoe Company in Preston prior to the war and re-joined them as a sales rep upon his return. He worked for that firm and only them loyally until his retirement in 1979 covering a period of 45 years from age 17 to age 62. He was a quiet hardworking good man, a man's man. He would not discuss his painful air force and POW days and just wanted to put those bad memories behind him. He died in 1994 at age 76 and was loved by all. We are thankful to William Nicholson and the countless other young men who sacrificed so much for our ability to be free. Thank you to all of those who served honorably and did their duty during the horrific WWII and those other conflicts during the intervening years since then.
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