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A poppy engraved road sign of McLennan Avenue and McLennan Place.
Screen grab from Google Maps
In honour of our soldiers: Burns Alexander McLennan
Published 11:41 PDT, Fri August 2, 2024
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In a series of Richmond’s ‘poppy’ street signs in memory of our fallen soldiers, we share the story of McLennan Avenue.
Officer Burns Alexander McLennan was born on Aug. 25, 1917, in Vancouver B.C. He lived his early life in Richmond, graduating high school in 1935. Following his graduation McLennan took pre-med at UBC then transferred to Ontario Agricultural College, completing a bachelor's in beekeeping.
After his education he was enrolled into the Canadian Officer Training Corps, graduating in 1941 then enlisted into the Air Force that same year. After completing his training in Alberta, he took to the skies in 1942 and was promoted to Flying Officer in 1943. Rising up the ranks, he joined the elite RCAF Pathfinder Force of the Bomber Command.
Dec. 17, 1943, McLennan was executing a heavy bombing mission over Berlin in the Lancaster Bomber #JB477. This mission was part of the Second Schweinfurt Bombing Raid, a crucial bombing campaign against Nazi Germany. During the raid, the weather conditions were so treacherous the operation earned the nickname: “Black Thursday” due to thick fog and stormy weather.
Upon McLennan’s return to Britain, his plane was caught in a storm and had fully exhausted its fuel supply. This led to his aircraft crashing 2 miles away from the aerodrome. He was later recovered and rushed to Ely Hospital where he passed due to his grave injuries. Burns Alexander McLennan was buried in the City Cemetery, Cambridge with this personal grave inscription: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith”. His legacy continues to live on in McLennan Avenue and McLennan Place between Bridgeport Road and Bridgeport Trail.
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