In memory of

Flying Officer

Nicholas Stusiak

who died on 27 May 1944


Service details
  Conflict WWII
  Service RCAF
  Unit No. 440 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
  Rank Flying Officer
  Service number J35994
  Date of death 19440527
  Cause of death died in a training accident
Narrative history
  J35994 Flying Officer (No. 440 Beaver Squadron RCAF pilot) Nicholas (Nick) Stusiak (b.1920) of Powell River, British Columbia, died 19440527 and is buried at Bournemouth North cemetery, Hampshire, England. Stusiak's Typhoon crashed at Bransgore near Christchurch during a training flight. He was the son of Alexander and Veronica (Pentalychuk) Stusiak who came to Bienfait from Ukraine and moved to Bonnyville, Alberta, before the war. Nick was born at Bienfait, educated in B.C., and was working as a grinderman at the pulp mill at Powell River when he enlisted at Vancouver in 1941.

In 2004, Wilfred Bristow of Bransgore was digging in his garden and uncovered an RCAF identity bracelet with Nick's name on it and "NICK FROM ELLEN" on the reverse. After searching the internet, Mr. Bristow's family forwarded the bracelet to Nick's sister-in-law at Vancouver. Unfortunately, Marilyn Stusiak passed away shortly thereafter before she could add more details to this intriguing story.

It has subsequently come to light that "Ellen" was Miss Ellen Randle who met Nick while he was training at No. 5 Elementary Flight Training School at High River, Alberta. She gave him the engraved bracelet that he was wearing when he died. Ellen was still alive at age 96 in 2014. Her daughter Millie Anderson also provided the magazine cover among the images below. It shows Nick with No. 111 Squadron in Alaska with Ellen's bracelet plainly visible on his wrist.
       A Glossary of abbreviations to help understand the terms used is available.
Images
  Headstone
Photo
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Additional information
  Links to other web pages Find-a-Grave tribute
No. 111 Squadron website
Powell River site

  Pages on our Blog Please click here if you would like to create a Blog page for this casualty.
Memorial information
  Saskatchewan rural municipality for commemoration 4 - Coalfields
  Cemetery or memorial location Bournemouth North cemetery, Hampshire, England    

Please click here to view the cemetery/memorial information on Commonwealth War Graves Commission
  Honour roll location(s) ------
  Geo-memorial Stusiak Lake, Saskatchewan     
  Geo-memorial location 55.6833°N / 105.3333°W
  Geo-memorial NTS map reference 73P11
  Geo-memorial details Northeast of Black Bear Island Lake.
Personal information
  Date of birth 19200519
  Place of birth Bienfait    
  Date of enlistment 19410610
  Place of enlistment Vancouver, British Columbia    
  Residence on enlistment Powell River, British Columbia    
  Occupation pulp worker
Copyright Information
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