RAF historians search for information on former Hamilton man

Nov 12 2009 by Chris Clements, Hamilton Advertiser

RAF HISTORIANS are searching for clues about a former Hamilton airman who remarkably survived after being shot down over Belgium in World War Two – and whose parachute was later used for a little girl’s Holy Communion dress.

RAF Flight Sergeant John McCallum was part of an eight-man flying team that crashed just south of Mons, near a village called Haulchin, after their Halifax Mk2 bomber was brought down by German forces on August 28, 1943.

Flt Sgt McCallum survived the crash along with six of the crew, but Canadian rear gunner Flt Sgt George Warren died on impact.

John McCallum and the remaining crew were then sheltered from subsequent Nazi search party by rural Belgian families.

As thanks, the Hamilton man donated his parachute to the Bisiaux family, who went on to use the fabric for their daughter Paulette’s Holy Communion dress.

Paulette – now in her late 70s – has contacted RAF veterans for information on Flt Sgt McCallum to let him or his surviving family know what became of the parachute that saved his life.

David Mole, chairman of the RAF 10th Squadron Association, told the Advertiser of his ongoing efforts to locate Flt Sgt McCallum and his family.

He said: “We are very keen to trace this man or his family and pass on the information to Paulette.

“John McCallum was born in Bathgate, West Lothian, on July 17, 1921, but he later moved to Glasgow Road in Hamilton.

“We also know that he married a girl called Jeannie Wyper, who lived at 22 Auchinraith Road, Blantyre, where he also later lived.

“The last sighting of him was when he was acting as a ground engineer at a Heavy Conversion Unit in Yorkshire. After that he seems to have disappeared.

“We would like to find out what happened to him, and would ask Advertisers readers if they knew anything about him, – or were related to him – to get in touch.”

John McCallum escaped back to Britain by making his way through France and Spain, and on to Gibraltar, before arriving back on home soil on October 28, 1943.

Five of his crew escaped back home individually, however one was captured by the Gestapo and spent the rest of the conflict as a POW.

Of the six who made it home, three later died in the war.

In 2007, David Mole – who lives in Country Durham – was involved in the effort to reunite the deceased Sgt Warren’s parachute with his family in Canada, which had been kept by a Belgian family for over 64 years.

l If anyone has information concerning Sgt John McCallum, please contact 01698 205013.