Connecting to the Past Through ArtifactsFrom time to time, students and even staff bring memorabilia to school from a relative's military service. When this happens we sometimes ask them if we can share the objects and stories behind them online for others to see. This page contains a few of these "shares."
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JB McKinnon's War Journal
JB McKinnon was a rear tailgunner aboard a Lancaster Bomber in the Royal Canadian Air Force during WWII. He survived longer then most in this position, about two years (most lasted two weeks), before requesting a change of duties. On his 2nd mission as a radio man, his Lancaster Bomber was shot down. He was captured by the Germans and placed in a POW camp. Supervision by the German army officers and also the Luftwaffe was tolerable (some the guards actually made entries in his journal), but conditions deteriorated when the Gestapo took over. Near the end of the war, he was taken by the Nazis from his POW camp in order to prevent its liberation -- this was to be a death march. He escaped with a Scottish pal, and was taken in by a German who hid them in the barn while also hiding other Germans in his house. He managed to join the Allied advance as they progressed across Germany. During this time he went to the notorious Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp to see it, just two days after it was liberated. He completed this journal during captivity, during his final tour after liberation, and during a short period immediately after WWII. The journal contains many contributions from others.
This stunning journal was scanned and the notes above were taken on 2014-10-16 from Amanda Jensen, J. B. McKinnon's grand-daughter and a teacher at D.P. Todd Secondary School. Page numbers missing from the scans were blank or missing pages. Some of the missing pages were lost from the journal and had additional medals or other objects taped to them. Many of the elaborate illustrations were completed and signed by fellow soldiers, at least one of which ("G.E.S.") had some notable talent. Details of McKinnon's escape are noted (e.g. see p. 127), as are observations of everyday life in a prison camp (e.g. having to eat undercooked potatoes p. 36). The final image shows two of McKinnon's medals that Ms. Jensen presented with the journal. The inclusion of so many "guest contributions" makes this journal unique and an interesting example of curation in addition to a record of a particular soldier's experience of WWII. - Glen Thielmann for the Pacific Slope 2016.
This stunning journal was scanned and the notes above were taken on 2014-10-16 from Amanda Jensen, J. B. McKinnon's grand-daughter and a teacher at D.P. Todd Secondary School. Page numbers missing from the scans were blank or missing pages. Some of the missing pages were lost from the journal and had additional medals or other objects taped to them. Many of the elaborate illustrations were completed and signed by fellow soldiers, at least one of which ("G.E.S.") had some notable talent. Details of McKinnon's escape are noted (e.g. see p. 127), as are observations of everyday life in a prison camp (e.g. having to eat undercooked potatoes p. 36). The final image shows two of McKinnon's medals that Ms. Jensen presented with the journal. The inclusion of so many "guest contributions" makes this journal unique and an interesting example of curation in addition to a record of a particular soldier's experience of WWII. - Glen Thielmann for the Pacific Slope 2016.
