Bruce Leroy Parkinson Pollock

Bruce Leroy Parkinson Pollock was born on September 9th 1912 to James Pollock and Martha Pollock in St. Thomas, Ontario. He was 5’9 with dark brown hair and hazel eyes. He studied at the University of Guelph from 1931-1935, and then moved to Ottawa. He worked as a gym teacher in Glebe Collegiate Institute between 1936 and 1940. His energy and enthusiasm made him popular amongst the students. He coached the basketball team and also taught football and swimming. Other than playing these sports himself, his favourite pastime was fishing. He lived at 221 Glebe Avenue and had no family except for his mother.

Mr. Pollock joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1941. He may have enlisted because he wanted to contribute to the war effort and perhaps be seen as a hero. At the time, there was a lot of pressure on young men to join the military if they could. Propaganda posters, which could be found anywhere, used fear, guilt and shame to get people to enlist. They would tell a man that the people he loves would not be safe if he didn’t fight, or question his loyalty to his country and his values. Mr. Pollock must have felt this pressure and believed that he could fulfill his duty to his country by enlisting. He was interested in flying and was told by an RCAF interviewer that that would be perfect for him, so he eventually decided to become a pilot. Most people deeply respected the veterans of the First World War, so he might have decided to enlist for recognition as well.

Mr. Pollock died in an accident during take-off on 17 June 1943 near Muharraq, Bahrain. According to the accident report, the wind was blowing perpendicular to the runway, so he tried to take off from a nearby road. His plane could not reach its required speed to become airborne, so it hit a low sea wall in 500 yards. It was thrown 40 feet into the air, and it crashed 200 yards away from the wall. The navigator was able to escape the flaming wreck on his own with mild facial bruises, but Mr. Pollock did not. An ambulance and fire engine soon arrived, but nobody could reach him safely. The craft burned for an hour, and a fireman was injured by exploding ammunition. He was taken to the hospital with mild wounds and soon made a full recovery, while Mr. Pollock’s remains were sent to the mortuary. He was buried in Basra War Cemetery, Iraq. He now rests in Grave No. 6, Plot 8, Row L. The Sheik of Bahrain, Sheik Salaman bin Al Khalifa, requested that his condolences be sent to Mr. Pollock’s family.  

If it was not for his untimely death, Mr. Pollock would have participated in the war like he wanted to and returned to his teaching job after his service was completed. He was successful during his training and had good grades, so he had the potential to become a great pilot and return as a hero. Lest we forget the sacrifices he made.

Article about Mr. Pollock’s death in the Ottawa Journal

Obituary from the Ottawa Citizen

Article about Mr. Pollock’s death in the Ottawa Journal

Works Cited

Commonwealth War Graves Commission. “Casualty Details of Bruce Leroy Parkinson Pollock.” Commonwealth War Graves Commission, 9 March 2019, https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2394146/bruce-leroy-parkinson-pollock/. Accessed 27 October 2023.

Glebe Collegiate Institute. Lux Glebana Special War Issue. vol. 17, Glebe Collegiate Institute, 1941.

Library and Archives Canada. “Physical records of Bruce Leroy Parkinson Pollock.” Library and Archives Canada, 9 March 2019, https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/home/record?app=kia&IdNumber=28718. Accessed 24 October 2023.

Veterans Affairs Canada. “In Memory of Flying Officer Bruce Leroy Parkinson Pollock - The Canadian Virtual War Memorial.” Veterans Affairs Canada, https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2394146. Accessed 25 October 2023.

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