Harry George Hydes

Sgt. Harry George Hydes was born in Ottawa on November 26,1916, to Harry and Minnie Hydes. For high school, Harry initially attended Lisgar CI, but later transferred to Glebe CI where he graduated from in 1935. While at Glebe, Harry excelled in both academics and athletics. Harry had a very successful gymnastics career competing with the Glebe team at the Ontario High School Championships. The Glebe yearbook recounts the story of the gym team coming close to victory with the help of Harry.

While they fell short of the championship because of a fall from a teammate, none the less Harry was able to emerge victorious in the individual events of matt and horse becoming a EOSSA champion. As well, he was on the Football team when they won the EOSSA, and he was the school champion boxer. Harry was known throughout Ottawa for his athleticism not only due to his success at Glebe but also his roles in both the junior Roughriders and as a paddler with the Rideau club. Glebe CI is also where Harry met the love of his life Byllie. Although Harry was Catholic and Byllie was Protestant, they were so much in love that they had to get married but in secret. They married in December of 1938 and not long after, their daughter Marilyn was born on September 26 1939. They lived together at 97 Grove Ave.

On September 14 1939 just days after war was declared, Harry enlisted in the Canadian Active Service Force (CASF). Harry’s mother was Polish and with Germany's invasion of Poland on September 1st, Harry was eager to fight for his and his mother’s homeland. Harry was stationed with the Royal Canadian Ordinance Corps (RCOC) which was an administrative corps in the Army that was in charge of the procurement of all the material goods that the Army needed. Ultimately Harry thought that not only could he be more useful as a pilot to the war efforts but that when the war was over he could fly commercially. So, on June 22, 1940, he was discharged from the CASF and just 4 days later on the 26th was enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). While away at training Harry was constantly writing letters to his beloved Byllie, and when he was not training or writing, he loved to be at the library reading. Harry was one of the first people from Ottawa to get their wings, graduating from No. 6 Flying Training School in Dunville, ON. He was such a skilled flyer that the RCAF wanted him to train future pilots. After some convincing, he finally agreed, thinking that after some instructing he would be deployed overseas. Unfortunately, Harry never made it overseas. He was still an instructor stationed at No.2 Service Flying Training School in Uplands when he died.

Leading up to his last flight Harry was admittedly nervous about flying with this pupil, but nonetheless on April 25, 1941, Harry and LAC R. Patterson took flight. While flying over Westmouth Lake near Pembroke, the only eye witness recounted that the plane was flying abnormally low before the wing hit the water and the plane was then submerged in a matter of seconds. Neither Harry nor Mr. Patterson made it out of the lake. Harry is buried in Notre Dame Cemetery in the soldier lot. His name can be found on page 33 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance, the memorial plaque at Glebe CI, and there is a lake named in his honour. A special thank you to his daughter Marilyn and her husband Lloyd who reached out to make sure that Harry's story could be told along with providing personal details and insights on him. Although gone, Harry Geoge Hydes and his legacy will always be remembered.

Primary Source Documents courtesy of : https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2687465?Harry%5C%%2220George%5C%%2220Hydes#inline_content_modal_1

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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