October 27, 1921 - June 28, 1948
James Laughlin 'Mickey' Harrison, from Fort Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, was a pilot with 439 Squadron. He arrived on December 5, 1944 from 83 GSU. His first flight with 439 was on December 12, 1944. He had graduated from Grade 12 in 1939. He was the son of James Strathearn Harrison and Gertrude Chester Kathleen Laughlin Harrison.
For information about his training and postings, please see the link below.
F/O. J.L. Harrison disappeared on 28-June-1948 over the dense forest and brush nearby Raith, north of Fort William while ferrying a war-surplus Harvard for the Babbs Company (Canada) of Montreal. Despite an extensive search neither Harrison nor his aircraft were found. This mystery was never solved.
Fort William Daily Times Journal June 25, 1948 p.1, 16 - R.C.A.F. Aid in Search Aircraft Lost In District Bush. Dense bushland west of the Lakehead is undergoing an intensive search this afternoon as the efforts to locate a missing Harvard aircraft and the pilot are redoubled with the arrival of the R.C.A.F. Search and Rescue Squadron from Winnipeg. Yesterday, shortly after noon, a yellow war-surplus Harvard trainer plane disappeared in the Raith region, about 40 miles west of Fort William. It was being flown by J. L. Harrison from Calgary to Newark, N.J. for the Dutch government. Three Harvards left Winnipeg yesterday morning for Fort William, one with the missing aircraft while the other(s) left later in the day. The two arrived safely here and turned back shortly after to take part in the search which has been carried out without let up since the plane was reported missing. This was the second occasion that the three pilots, Harrison, Keith Wright and “Buck” McGibbon flew the Harvards east. They are employed by the Babbs Company of Montreal which ferries the craft to Newark where they are shipped to the Netherlands for service with the Dutch government. With no sign of the aircraft of pilot found by noon today, Hugh Round, airport manager, contacted Winnipeg and as a result the R.C.A.F. Search and Rescue Squadron is being sent to conduct the rescue efforts. Cover Lakehead Area Four Planes of the Thunder Bay Flying Club, tiger moths, Cornell and Aeronca – were put at the service of the airport and have been covering the Lakehead region. Pilot Keith Wright, who flew close to the missing plane yesterday until it disappeared, said today, between search hops to the west, that the two left Winnipeg yesterday morning with the weather reports “not too accurate.” They ran into foul weather on the way and were forced to drop to 300 feet and follow the double railroad track from Winnipeg to Fort William. They last saw each other near Raith and Pilot Wright believed that his partner had about 45 minutes of flying time left on his fuel. He either ran unexpectantly out of gas or the engine developed sudden trouble, said the pilot. The Harvard is a fast plane, airport officials said today, and would be difficult to land in rough terrain. Once successfully manipulating a crash landing, the craft would be almost impossible to see, unless the searching plane were directly above the spot. According to the provincial police, the number of the Harvard is S C 917 and was last seen east of Upsals and circling around Sheba. All detachments of the police were advised of the missing aircraft and patrol cars notified about 4 p.m. yesterday. In addition to the Flying Club planes searching the region, an American visitor to the Lakehead, J. H. Clark, of Chicago, placed his private plane at the disposal of the authorities and aided in the search himself, carrying an observer over the country. Planes were out yesterday until nightfall and out again at dawn. Kept Busy Active in the rescue efforts were Hugh Round, Department of Transportation, who flew over the area with T. Calladine, manager of the Flying Club. They covered the Shebandowan region out to the shore line of Lake Superior and from Savanne to the Lakehead. Other club planes skirted the Nipigon district on the theory that Harrison may have drifted off his course and ended up farther north than planned. No sign of the plane or pilot were reported by press time this afternoon, as planes continued their criss-cross flights over Lakehead areas.
Thank you to Chris Wolfe for his research as he has added a great deal to James Laughlin Harrison's page.
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