P/O Harry Hansell, crew 15 (Lytle pilot / 6 missions)

Harry was part of crew 15 and one of hundreds of Canadian boys who, just as their adult lives were beginning, faced the reality of war. A somewhat unique aspect of Harry’s wartime account, is that he was the son of the Honourable Ernest G. Hansell, M.P. Throughout the war years, Harry's father served in the Canadian Parliament, helping to bear the burden of decisions made concerning the war effort, which ultimately cost him his son.

Harry during training

On his enlistment application, Harry noted as his interests; woodworking and several sports, stating that his favourite by far was hockey and ice skating - a typical rural-Canadian kid! His father was gifted in woodworking, an interest he must have passed on to Harry. Harry attended school from grades 5 to 12 in the Vulcan, Alberta public school, but left in the middle of his twelfth grade.

What motivated boys like Harry to enlist? The adventure of war was a likely aspect, the opportunity to do things and see things that would never be possible staying at home. No doubt there was an undercurrent of social pressure that might have made Harry feel uneasy each time he heard the report of a Vulcan family suffering the loss of a son or husband. When boys are 19, they feel immortal. They lack the wisdom of age to accurately assess the risks. Yet, in the end it was likely a sense of duty that motivated most boys to accept a role for which they were never intended - it was a chance to make a contribution with their young lives that no one else was able to make.

Crew 15 piloted by P/O O. Lytle "FTR" 27/28 Sept. 1943 on a mission to Hannover, all were killed.

Photo and Bio courtesy of Barry Dickieson, also visit Harry's Story