September 23, 1942 – Calgary, Alberta
“These were still warm when I picked them up, they are the ones that missed”. – Albert Allsop handed me several pieces of shrapnel.
“Another piece went by my ear and tore a hole through the tank on the truck I was driving. I managed to get out before it blew, but eight hundred gallons of aviation fuel doesn’t take long to ignite.”
Albert Allsop never carried a gun in WWII, but he was one of the most shot-at soldiers in Europe. Al was a Leading Aircraftman on an aerial Reconnaissance Wing, which meant his division was always near (sometimes behind) enemy lines.
Al’s duties included driving a fuel truck to refill reconnaissance aircraft.
Proximity to the enemy, and the strategic value of the cargo he was responsible for, made Albert a prime target of the German Luftwaffe. Al suffered a pierced eardrum when the fuel tanker exploded but otherwise managed to avoid serious injury during the war.
Photo of a damaged Spitfire taken by Albert Allsop, from his WWII collection.
Albert Ernest Allsop was born on a farm near the small northern Alberta town of Wembley, in 1918. At the outset of WWII, Albert moved to Calgary to work in a munitions manufacturing facility.
CPR’s Ogden Shops in Calgary were converted from railcar repair to a wartime manufacturing plant.
Albert deployed his farm-honed mechanical abilities to help build 4-inch anti-aircraft guns for the war effort. In 1942, with the war in Europe at a full boil, Albert enlisted in the RCAF. The Airforce needed able-bodied personnel, and Al answered the call.
At 24, Albert Allsop was older than many of the recruits he enlisted with.
Albert Allsop managed to dodge every bullet and piece of shrapnel thrown at him during the war. He returned to Alberta when the fighting ended and eventually married Freda Shepherd, Bear’s mom.
At gatherings in Lethbridge, Bear and Freda would be occupied with family banter, which gave me an opportunity to press Al about his war experiences. He wasn’t always forthcoming with stories but, if I was patient and guided him a little, Al would sometimes relay fascinating wartime chronicles.
When Albert passed away in 2004, he took most of those stories with him, but I was fortunate to record a few before they faded to obscurity.
Taking Al and Freda for a Cessna flight in 2001 jogged some wartime memories.
Tomorrow, Bear and I are travelling to Europe. We will follow Albert’s wartime trek through England, France, Belgium, Holland, and Germany, in 1944 and 1945. I hope to add physical perspective to Al’s stories, include some peacetime context, and take a few photos of places and events Albert encountered during the war.
I hope to bring Albert’s war experience back to life, eighty years on.
Please follow along, but be mindful of flying …
…Shrapnel
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Janice Walsh
I would love to learn more . Albert was my uncle. Sidney John (Jack)Allsop was my father
Russ Paton
Hi Janice, Nice to (virtually) meet you. I would very much enjoy chatting with you about Al and his war experience. I spent a lot of time with him over the years. Please feel free to reach out by email russ.paton@icloud.com and we can set something up.
Happy Trails…