1918-2012

Neil Conner

Neil Conner, of Ottawa, was born on July 28, 1918. He signed up with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and was posted overseas two years later to serve as a navigator with 415 Squadron, 6 Group, Bomber Command. He was injured on January 4, 1945, when his plane was shot down near Bremen, Germany, resulting in the loss of his right leg below the knee.

Mr. Conner told his story in a War Amps video entitled 13th Sortie.

“I was about 24, the second oldest man in the crew. I was the navigator, so I was up in front. We flew over the Ruhr, and I looked out and I saw all those search lights, all those flares and flashing of guns, and I didn’t want to look anymore. I’m thinking, ‘Can’t live through all of that.’ After that, I just concentrated on where we were and where we were going… until we weren’t going anywhere, we were bailing out. I slid out feet-first, and the propeller clipped my leg off.”

Upon his return to Canada, he recovered at Christie Street Military Hospital in Toronto and was officially discharged from service on November 13, 1945. He joined The War Amps afterwards, serving the Ottawa Branch as First Vice-President, President and Director.

Mr. Conner passed away on June 10, 2012.
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