The relics of the famous Royal Air Force pilot were found abandoned in the attic

An unlikely discovery in British Columbia led people to realize the extraordinary lives lost in World War II.

Art Lagendyk found a large wooden box containing war memorabilia, letters and documents while buying a new house in Agassi, British Columbia

This discovery in the attic is of great significance to Lagendyk and his friend Theo Ganzert, who came from a village in the Netherlands and were liberated by Canadian soldiers when they were children.

They realized that the box contained items from Maxwell Calhoun, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Ganzert contacted Karl Kjasgaard, curator of the Canadian Bomber Museum in Nanton, Alta, hoping to find Calhoun’s family.

“This box is his life,” Kjasgaard said.

Kjasgaard took on the task of finding Calhoun’s family in Canada. As a retired airline pilot, he has been tracing the families of pilots killed in the war for the past 15 years.

He managed to find Maxwell’s nephew and his twin brother’s sons Tan and Andy Calhoun using ancestry records.

He contacted them a few months ago, and they all agreed that Calhoun’s treasure would go to the museum.

“We are just beginning to deal with it. Boy, have I found much information about the Royal Canadian Air Force bomb sight Maxwell Calhoun,” Kjasgaard said.

Calhoun was born in Saint Lambert, Quebec in August 1923, the youngest of seven siblings.

When he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942, he was training as a chartered accountant at McGill University.

“After completing his training in 1943, he went overseas and became a member of the Charles Fisher bomber crew. That was when he rose to the top as a bomb sighter.”

Calhoun performed 53 combat missions before the age of 21. According to Kjasgaard, this is a remarkable number. He said that most pilots have flown about 30 times.

“I have studied three to 400 pilots for the family. I know a standard combat journey, I know when it is very unusual, this box is one in a million. That is how rare.”

Calhoun is a member of the 405 Pathfinder Squadron.

“He was a flying lieutenant at the age of 20, which is unheard of,” Kjasgaard said.

Calhoun 54 years old^day In August 1944, his Lancaster was shot down. It is only a few days since he was 21 years old.

“After dropping bombs and markings, they reached the border between the Netherlands and Germany, and then headed to the North Sea,” Kjasgaard said. “A German night fighter followed them and shot them down. Their Lancaster crashed.”

When their bodies washed ashore, five members of his eight-man crew were found. Maxwell and his two crew members were never found.

A newspaper article written by Maxwell after his death read: “As an air bomber, Calhoun has completed countless operations against the enemy. In the process, he has always shown the greatest perseverance, courage and commitment to his duties. Dedication.”

He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for his outstanding performance in combat.

“Throughout World War II, they only awarded 4,000 of them, and our Air Force has more than 100,000 pilots. So you will find this is a unique award,” Kjasgaard said.

Tan Calhoun currently lives in Fraser Lake, British Columbia. He said he knew nothing about his uncle Maxwell, only that he was killed in the war.

“I am very happy to know that this member of our family has contributed so much to our freedom and made such a significant contribution to the war,” Tan Calhoun said.

Tan said he is honored that his uncle’s items will be displayed in the museum.

“I will definitely go to the museum and Carl in the future to see what’s in the box.”

At the same time, Karl intends to continue reading this box of treasures to learn more about Maxwell Calhoun, the extraordinary young man.