Rideau Street's own Stuart Crawford, 1922-2022

Yesterday, a well-known Kingstonian and Swamp Ward native left us. Rideau Street's own F. Stuart Crawford was in his 101st year. As the Second World War set the world aflame, Stuart enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1942, serving as a bomb aimer with the rank of Flying Officer in 419 Squadron in Europe. He was on his second mission in a Lancaster bomber that went down over the Rhineland on April 8, 1945. Here is Stuart's wartime story, complete with Stuart captured on video!

Discharged in 1945, Stuart attended Queen's University then became the Kingston Whig-Standard's assistant circulation manager in 1950, then serving as circulation manager for 37 years. December 14, 1961 photo (above - Queen's University Archives, George Lilley Fonds, V25.5-28-208).

I had two connections to Stuart. He and/or his wife Mary would often pull into our neighbours' driveway in their van, to take the MacAulays for a jaunt to an event or painting class. Another time, at my wife's uncle's funeral, there was Stuart, come to honour his squadronmate. He introduced himself, (and there was a possibility he was also related to my wife's father's side!) and we had a chat at the funeral reception. He said he'd been in 419 Squadron. I happened to know that each RCAF Squadron had a woodland animal mascot/emblem, and that 419's was a moose. I said, "Oh, 419 Squadron, wasn't that the Moose Squadron?" He was speechless...."How'd you know that?" He had a twinkle in his eye. I think he always did.