Son of a war veteran shares his father’s story

By Joan Janzen

Kindersley resident Lorne Staples reminisced about his father, Don Staples who had served in the Second World War. His father was 19 years old when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and was trained as a Wireless operator.

Lorne said his dad never spoke about his war experiences until after he had become a grandfather. His dad was born in 1922, living on a farm north of Kindersley, along with his seven siblings. “He enlisted to get off the farm; that’s how he looked at it,” Lorne said.

Don Staples served on the Canadian Royal Air Force during WWII.

Don was posted to Wells Bourne, England. He served as part of the #6 Group of Bomber Command in the 408th and 432 squadrons. His job was to receive and send Morse code messages. In this capacity, he completed 31 bombing missions over enemy territory.

“There were incidents where their plane was shot up, and they didn’t get all the way back to home base,” Lorne said. “Most bombing missions were shot down after the sixth mission, so he was very lucky.”

Lorne’s dad told him, “They would never tell you the day before that you were going on a mission. Instead, they would wake you in the middle of the night because if they told you the day before, you would be too stressed and nervous.”

The barracks had bunk beds on either side of the room and a common area in the middle with a shower and bathroom. His dad had said he could hear the guys crying in the night.

Don Staples reached the rank of Flying Officer before he was discharged. He was always patriotic and proud of his war experience. Upon his return, he became an integral part of the branch, serving for more than 60 years, and was secretary-treasurer for 17 years.