Military service
Burial/memorial information
Digital gallery of Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
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Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Entrance - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Cross of Sacrifice - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Grave marker - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015
Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
SJ22865 Flying Officer Jack R. Dale
born 27-05-23
Former student of Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
School Registration Card of
SJ22865 Flying Officer Jack R. Dale of Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Crash report on P/O Jack Dale's aircraft from the Dutch organization Bomber Command Search. (Christel & Ger Boogmans)
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
This letter(pg 1) was sent to Dale's father from CMHQ describing the circumstances of his son's crash and the methods used to find missing airmen in Germany.
Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Letter to Mr. Dale (page 2)
Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Letter to Mr. Dale from the RCAF (1949)
Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
RCAF Order to exhume the graves found in the German cemetery and to identify the crewmembers. (1947)
Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
The RCAF requested that the German graves of the crew members be open for identification prior to reburial in a CWGC Cemetery.
Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Jack's best friend Jim Goodfellow arrived in England and requested information on Jack's disappearance. Goodfellow was killed in an air training accident several months later. They were friends from high school.
Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
4 MREU sent this report to RAF HQ 9 Jun 48
page 1
Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Crew member Riley was questioned on his return from POW camp in Germany. This is his report on the crash.
page 1
Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 7
Pages taken from F/O Dales log book. The log was provided by his brother Robert and is part of the family archives on F/O J. R. Dale. All entries in blue are daytime flights and all entries in red are night flights.
F/O Dale was first sent to 23 Operational Training Unit on his arrival in England (Stratford-on-Avon) and from there to 1659 Heavy(bomber) Conversion Unit (Topcliffe, Yorks.). On completion of this training he was immediately forwarded to 419 (RCAF) Sqdn at Middleton St. George.
Please note that he often did two missions back-to-back. (ie. on successive days).
On the last page it shows his last mission, the one he did not return from. It was signed off by the new CO of 419 Sqdn (J4534) S/L Gordon A. McMurdy who took over the unit 7 days after Jack was killed and was himself killed on 22 Oct 43. McMurdy is shown in the CWGC as a Wing Commander. He must have been promoted just before is death.
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 8
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 9
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 10
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 11
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 14
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 15
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 16
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 17
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 18
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Log Book pg 19
Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Jack Dale's grave in RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY. He is buried beside his three crew mates and friends: Bill Hamilton (pilot), Aldo Bortolussi (rear gunner), and Ed Griffin (Mid-Upper gunner).
Source: Photo from Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale July/August 1943.
Source: Dale Family Archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Jack Dale's Course picture for his graduation from #1 Bomb and Gunnery School in Jarvis (1942). He is in the front row, 2nd from the right.
Source: Dale Family Archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
This picture is of F/O Bill Hamilton's crew after an air test at Middleton St George in July/August 1943. The crew completed 14 missions and was shot down on the 15th trip, which was to Frankfurt. They had just come back from a 9 day leave the previous day.
The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter about 40-50 miles east of Mannheim. The Halifax crashed at a site 8 km SW of Kirchberg (Sohren)
The four dead crew were buried side by side in the Rheinberg War Cemetery.
Hamilton Plot 20 Row B Grave 28
Dale Plot 20 Row B Grave 29
Griffin Plot 20 Row B Greave 30
Bortolussi Plot 20 Row B Grave 31
They are not quite in the order of the mae west photo, but almost.
Source: Photo from the Dale family archives via R Whitehouse
Source: All other data taken from the Dale file at Library & Archives Canada via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
This letter from the Station Padre touches on some of the pain to family and friends that the loss of a crew brought about. Jack had photos of the crew taken and developed by the photo section of the Sqdn (probably against regulations). They have turned the pictures over to the padre when they found out the crew were missing and he passed them on to the family and Jack's girl friend in Canada.
Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Page #1 of a letter from Jack's Flight Engineer James McEwan (RAF) to his family.
This letter was sent to the family by Jim as soon as he could get the address from Ed Riley(Navigator). McEwan, Riley and Reay were just returned from POW camps in Germany.
Source: Dale family archives via R Whitehouse
Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Page #2 of a letter from Jack's Flight Engineer James McEwan (RAF) to his family.
Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Chaplain's letter to Mrs. Dale, page #1.
Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse.
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Chaplain's Letter to Mrs. Dale, pg #2.
Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse.
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Jack Dale and his class as they graduate from #8 Air Observers School outside of Quebec City, PQ. The winter of '42 was so cold and snowy that they were often snowed in and the heaters on the aircraft were unable to keep the crews warm enough to carryout their assignments of navigation and flight training.
Source:Photo and information Dale Family archives via R. Whitehouse
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
From the Toronto Star November 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
From the Toronto Star May 1944. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Digital gallery of
Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale
From the Toronto Telegram May 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
Image gallery
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Entrance - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015 Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015 Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Cross of Sacrifice - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015 Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Grave marker - Rheinberg War Cemetery - May 2015 Photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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SJ22865 Flying Officer Jack R. Dale born 27-05-23 Former student of Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
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School Registration Card of SJ22865 Flying Officer Jack R. Dale of Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute (Toronto)
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Crash report on P/O Jack Dale's aircraft from the Dutch organization Bomber Command Search. (Christel & Ger Boogmans)
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This letter(pg 1) was sent to Dale's father from CMHQ describing the circumstances of his son's crash and the methods used to find missing airmen in Germany. Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
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Letter to Mr. Dale (page 2) Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
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Letter to Mr. Dale from the RCAF (1949) Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
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RCAF Order to exhume the graves found in the German cemetery and to identify the crewmembers. (1947) Source: Whitehouse via Library and Archives Canada
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The RCAF requested that the German graves of the crew members be open for identification prior to reburial in a CWGC Cemetery. Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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Jack's best friend Jim Goodfellow arrived in England and requested information on Jack's disappearance. Goodfellow was killed in an air training accident several months later. They were friends from high school. Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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4 MREU sent this report to RAF HQ 9 Jun 48 page 1 Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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Crew member Riley was questioned on his return from POW camp in Germany. This is his report on the crash. page 1 Source Whitehouse via Archives Canada
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Log Book pg 7 Pages taken from F/O Dales log book. The log was provided by his brother Robert and is part of the family archives on F/O J. R. Dale. All entries in blue are daytime flights and all entries in red are night flights. F/O Dale was first sent to 23 Operational Training Unit on his arrival in England (Stratford-on-Avon) and from there to 1659 Heavy(bomber) Conversion Unit (Topcliffe, Yorks.). On completion of this training he was immediately forwarded to 419 (RCAF) Sqdn at Middleton St. George. Please note that he often did two missions back-to-back. (ie. on successive days). On the last page it shows his last mission, the one he did not return from. It was signed off by the new CO of 419 Sqdn (J4534) S/L Gordon A. McMurdy who took over the unit 7 days after Jack was killed and was himself killed on 22 Oct 43. McMurdy is shown in the CWGC as a Wing Commander. He must have been promoted just before is death. Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 8 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 9 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 10 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 11 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 14 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 15 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 16 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 17 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 18 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Log Book pg 19 Source: Mr. Robert E. Dale via R. Whitehouse
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Jack Dale's grave in RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY. He is buried beside his three crew mates and friends: Bill Hamilton (pilot), Aldo Bortolussi (rear gunner), and Ed Griffin (Mid-Upper gunner). Source: Photo from Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
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Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale July/August 1943. Source: Dale Family Archives via R. Whitehouse
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Jack Dale's Course picture for his graduation from #1 Bomb and Gunnery School in Jarvis (1942). He is in the front row, 2nd from the right. Source: Dale Family Archives via R. Whitehouse
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This picture is of F/O Bill Hamilton's crew after an air test at Middleton St George in July/August 1943. The crew completed 14 missions and was shot down on the 15th trip, which was to Frankfurt. They had just come back from a 9 day leave the previous day. The aircraft was shot down by a night fighter about 40-50 miles east of Mannheim. The Halifax crashed at a site 8 km SW of Kirchberg (Sohren) The four dead crew were buried side by side in the Rheinberg War Cemetery. Hamilton Plot 20 Row B Grave 28 Dale Plot 20 Row B Grave 29 Griffin Plot 20 Row B Greave 30 Bortolussi Plot 20 Row B Grave 31 They are not quite in the order of the mae west photo, but almost. Source: Photo from the Dale family archives via R Whitehouse Source: All other data taken from the Dale file at Library & Archives Canada via R. Whitehouse
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This letter from the Station Padre touches on some of the pain to family and friends that the loss of a crew brought about. Jack had photos of the crew taken and developed by the photo section of the Sqdn (probably against regulations). They have turned the pictures over to the padre when they found out the crew were missing and he passed them on to the family and Jack's girl friend in Canada. Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
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Page #1 of a letter from Jack's Flight Engineer James McEwan (RAF) to his family. This letter was sent to the family by Jim as soon as he could get the address from Ed Riley(Navigator). McEwan, Riley and Reay were just returned from POW camps in Germany. Source: Dale family archives via R Whitehouse Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
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Page #2 of a letter from Jack's Flight Engineer James McEwan (RAF) to his family. Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse
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Chaplain's letter to Mrs. Dale, page #1. Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse.
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Chaplain's Letter to Mrs. Dale, pg #2. Source: Dale family archives via R. Whitehouse.
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Jack Dale and his class as they graduate from #8 Air Observers School outside of Quebec City, PQ. The winter of '42 was so cold and snowy that they were often snowed in and the heaters on the aircraft were unable to keep the crews warm enough to carryout their assignments of navigation and flight training. Source:Photo and information Dale Family archives via R. Whitehouse
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Memorialized on the pages of the Globe and Mail. Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
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Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Flying Officer Jack Ralph Dale is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
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From the Toronto Star November 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
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From the Toronto Star May 1944. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
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From the Toronto Telegram May 1943. Submitted for the project Operation Picture Me
In the Books of Remembrance
Commemorated on:
Page 150 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance.
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RHEINBERG WAR CEMETERY Germany
Rheinberg is 24 kilometres north of Krefeld and 13 kilometres south of Wesel, in the locality of Kamp Lintfort, Nordrhein-Westfal. The cemetery is 3 kilometres south of the centre of the town of Rheinberg on the road to Kamp Lintfort. From the motorway 57, turn off at Rheinberg and at the T junction follow the 510 in the direction Kamp Lintfort. The cemetery is a short way along this road on the right.
The site of Rheinberg War Cemetery was chosen in April 1946 by the Army Graves Service for the assembly of Commonwealth graves recovered from numerous German cemeteries in the area. The majority of those now buried in the cemetery were airmen, whose graves were brought in from Dusseldorf, Krefeld, Munchen-Gladbach, Essen, Aachen and Dortmund; 450 graves were from Cologne alone. The men of the other fighting services buried here mostly lost their lives during the battle of the Rhineland, or in the advance from the Rhine to the Elbe.
There are now 3,326 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated at Rheinberg War Cemetery. 156 of the burials are unidentified. There are also nine war graves of other nationalities, most of them Polish.
For more information, visit Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Poppy Design is a trademark of The Royal Canadian Legion (Dominion Command) and is used with permission. Click here to learn more about the poppy.
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