John Donald Buchanan

John Donald Buchanan was a young man who was born in Toronto, Canada, but did his schooling here in Ottawa at Glebe C.I. He was born on April 8, 1922. He enlisted in the military at age 19, sadly passing away at just 22 years old. Born to Robert Russell Buchanan and Onadell Belway Buchanan, John was the 2nd born son in his family. His elder brother, “Russ” also attended Glebe and also served in the RCAF. He had a strong physical presence, standing tall at 6'2" and weighing 183 pounds. He had blue eyes, brown hair, and a dark complexion. His British heritage was notable, and he bore a scar on his left knee. John was known for his prior work as an RCMP officer, although he was unemployed at the time of enlistment. His personality was likely influenced by his position as the oldest sibling and his career choice, hinting at a sense of responsibility and dedication.

John Donald Buchanan enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on September 12, 1941, in Ottawa at the age of 18. He served as a Pilot Officer, holding the service number J86932. Before enlisting, he was part of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Regina, Saskatchewan. His dedication and skill earned him the notable classification for cross revolvers, an award honoring his marksmanship and service.

John Donald Buchanan was reported missing during combat and later confirmed dead on July 27, 1944, at the age of 22. He tragically lost his life when his aircraft was struck by flak and crashed near Tilly-la-Campagne, France. Initially, German forces buried Buchanan on August 3. However, his burial site was likely destroyed during subsequent fighting, and when the cemetery was later rebuilt, a commemorative stone was placed to honor Buchanan's sacrifice.

Primary Source Documents : https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2847691?John%20Donald%20Buchanan

The Walking Them Home team also wishes to thank Don Buchanan's family for their contributions and corrections to this biography.

The biographies appearing on this website have been written by students, roughly the same age as the soldiers they are studying, using primary source evidence from Library and Archives Canada, in addition to primary source documents from The Virtual War Memorial on veterans.ca. We welcome any corrections or additions you may have to these biographies.

'If we do preserve it, we honour them, and when we in our turn pass on, we will know that behind us lives a generation of free men and of free women to be the keepers of this great heritage of ours - Canada.'

- Ian A. McPhee, former student at GCI, 1937.

Glebe Collegiate Institute
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada

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