| Summary: | John Shand was born January 14, 1923 in Lethbridge, Alberta to parents William and Sarah Shand. He had one sister, Elsie. The Shand children were educated in the city, attending Fleeetwood School and Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. At time of enlistment, he was single and apprenticing as a carpenter. On December 13, 1940, John Shand enlisted for service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He spent the next fifteen months training at air bases in Canada, qualifying as a wireless operator/air gunner. In May of 1942, Flying Officer Shand arrived in the United Kingdom and was posted to Coastal Command. He had more than six hundred hours of flying time, patrolling the North Atlantic for enemy submarines and providing escort for supply convoys. On November 26, 1944, Flying Officer Shand and his crewmates were aboard a Sunderland Flying Boat deployed on a submarine patrol. They aircraft experienced mechanical difficulties and crashed to the ground. As they were carrying numerous depth charges, the plane exploded and burned rapidly, killing all of the eleven man crew. Flying Officer Shand was laid to rest at Stonefall Cemetery. For his wartime service, he was awarded the 1939-45 Star, Air Crew Europe Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and Canadian Volunteer Medal with Clasp. His mother, Sarah received a Memorial Cross in honour of her son.
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