Bomber Command Museum of Canada

16/06/2026

Breakfast & Bombers with the Rocky Mountain Corvette Club!

Book yours today!

✈️💙

16/06/2026

This week's: "Stories of our Bomber Boys"

John Douglas MacVicar was born in Montreal on March 16th 1918, the only child of John & Alice. When war came he answered the call like so many others, despite being in a reserved occupation with the Northern Electrical Co in Mount Royal, Quebec. His manager's letter of recommendation described him as a capable, clean and trustworthy employee.

He began pilot training in June 1940 at Regina, and his subsequent stages of training would take place at Prince Albert and Saskatoon, all in Saskatchewan. He reached England by sea in March 1941, reporting to 12 OTU at RAF Benson for training on heavy bombers, joining 103sqn Royal Air Force at RAF Newton in May, flying Vickers Wellingtons as a Sergeant pilot. Vickers had built airships a decade earlier, and they had developed a characteristic "geodetic" form of construction for these, a highly flexible lattice-like metal structure covered in fabric. This was used on several of the company's aero planes, including the Wellington. John was about to go to war in an aircraft covered only in linen, one of thousands of Canadians who flew in combat on RAF squadrons in World War Two.

Late on June 16th 1941, the squadron dispatched 7 Wellingtons to attack the riverside port at Duisburg on the river Rhine. Wellington N2849 took off at 23.00hrs, MacVicar flying as second pilot alongside the very experienced Irish-born Sqn Ldr Dermot Kelly, three times Mentioned in Dispatches and flying on his 54th operation. They bombed the target at around 02.00hrs, and began to head back home over occupied Holland. Also airborne this night was Hauptmann Reinhold Knacke, one of the highest scoring Luftwaffe nightfighter aces, flying a Bf110. At 02.32hrs, Knacke engaged a Wellington over the Dutch/Belgian border, the bomber breaking up as it fell in flames, the wreckage falling in both countries. It was N2849, and there were no survivors. One crew member was initially laid to rest in Holland, but all now lie together at Haverlee war cemetery, Belgium.

Crew:-Pilot : Squadron Leader Dermot Daly Aloysius Kelly MiD & 2 bars RAF 33207
2nd Pilot : Sergeant John Douglas MacVicar RCAF R/56111
Observer : Flight Sergeant Stephanus Francois Marais RAF 580428
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant Leonard Beaumont RAFVR 976102
Wireless Operator / Air Gunner : Sergeant George Houghton RAFVR 906068
Rear Gunner : Sergeant William Connell RAFVR 1060539

15/06/2026

New video from BCMC YouTube HQ 🚨

https://youtu.be/byrovmjimeA?si=ZEiSjaQNfhPNHqSH

15/06/2026

We are grateful for the kind review of our museum!

✈️😎

13/06/2026

📷 by Jim Mac

13/06/2026

THE GREAT ONLINE NOSE ART DATABASE -The Bomber Command Museum of Canada has updated its collection and now has 1335 unique nose arts and 2710 photos. It’s searchable by aircraft type and squadron. https://www.bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/noseart_database.html

12/06/2026

08/06/2026

🎥✈️ Calling All Graphic Designers & Video editors! ✈️🎥

Do you have a passion for creative storytelling and a desire to help preserve history?

The Bomber Command Museum is looking to grow our volunteer media team! We're searching for talented graphic designers and videographers who can help bring the stories of Canada's aviation heritage to life through engaging content, photography, video, and design.

Whether you're an experienced creator or looking to build your portfolio while making a meaningful impact, we'd love to hear from you.

📸 Create compelling visual content 🎬 Capture history in motion ✈️ Help preserve the legacy of those who served
Interested in joining the team? Send us a message and become part of preserving history for future generations.

08/06/2026

Here are some shots from Saturday's event for the Rocky Mountain Model Club ✈️💙

📷 By Carl Orde