February 3, 1916 - October 29, 1970
F/O Claude Desmond O'Callaghan was a pilot with 174 Squadron. Born 1916 Kemptville, Ont. / Enlisted 1940 / Flew at Dieppe / Mentioned in dispatches 1/1/1943 / On 19/8/1943 returning from an operation, his Typhoon JP550 suffered engine failure over the English Channel. He baled out 8 miles off Le Touquet and was picked up from his dinghy by ASR Walrus after 6.5 hours / Served until 1946 / Died 1970 / Interred Holy Cross Cemetery, Kemptville.
Group portrait of members of 174 Squadron, RAF. Identified, left to right, back row: Sergeant (Sgt) Brown of England; Flying Officer (FO) Wheeler of England; Flight Sergeant (Flt Sgt) Smith of Australia; Flt Sgt Ernest George Boucher of England (top); FO Cobbett of England; FO Ian Mallett of England; FO Burton of Canada. Front row: 409421 FO Harry Victor Markby of Australia; FO Eric Little of Australia; Pilot Officer (PO) Rowley Boyer of Canada; PO Mitchell of Canada; FO Montgomery of Canada; Flight Lieutenant Stan Minall, Officer Commanding A Flight, of Canada; Squadron Leader McConnell DFC and Bar, Commanding Officer, of Ireland; Flt Lt Grantham, Officer Commanding B Flight, of England, who was killed in action 16/17 August 1944; FO A Black of Malaya; Flt Lt Bridges of British Guyana; FO O’Callaghan of Canada; FO Vatcher of Newfoundland; PO Wetere of New Zealand. No 174 Squadron was the first squadron to re-deploy to France after D Day.