© 2025, Christian Cassidy
When I was doing research for a tree walk of Elmwood Cemetery earlier this year, I came across this non-military headstone marker for an RCAF pilot who died during the Second World War.
I thought I would find out more about his story and why there is no military headstone next to it.
It turns out this is a memorial to, not the actual grave of, John Roderick McPherson, and it tells the story of four men who lost their lives.
John Roderick McPherson was one of six children of Peter and Minnie McPherson. His father worked for the legal department of the CPR, and the McPherson family moved into their long-time family home at 1169 Grosvenor Avenue around 1915.
McPherson attended Kelvin High School and the University of Manitoba. Upon graduation, he got a job as a grain clerk and still lived at home. The company he worked for was the Inter-Ocean Grain Company in the Grain Exchange building. It was a small player with around ten elevators in the province at the time.
In March 1941, at the age of 24, McPherson enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force. After training at various prairie posts, he received his wings in December 1941 and was assigned to the 113 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
Before leaving, he married Maeve Renahan at a ceremony at his brother-in-law’s house at 1125 Wellington Crescent. Maeve accompanied her husband to Yarmouth.
Sadly, McPherson's marriage and his military career would be short.
On Monday, June 1, 1942, four men were assigned to a routine anti-submarine patrol around the Bay of Fundy. They were: Pilot Officer Trask O'Neil Johnson (27) of Charlottetown PEI; Sergeant John Roderick McPherson (25) of Winnipeg, who was second pilot; Sergeant Joffre Kitchener McDonald (26) of Elkhorn MB; and Charles Leonard Scholey of Ryerson, SK.
An RCAF inquiry was held on June 3 and seven witnesses were called. The weather and visibility were said to have been good that day, and the crew who had just returned from a 5.5-hour flight with the same plane said that it was in good working condition.
The jury's verdict on the reason for the accident was "Unknown. None of the evidence throws any light on the loss of the aircraft".
The four airmen remained "Missing - Presumed Dead" until December 9, 1942, when the families were informed that they had been declared "Presumed Dead".
It is unclear what happened to Maeve McPherson. She was originally from Toronto and her parents still resided there. It is possible that she never returned to Winnipeg.
Sergeant Joffre Kitchener McDonald was born at Fleming, Saskatchewan but moved as a young man to Elkhorn, Manitoba. That is where he lived when he enlisted in Edmonton.
McDonald's mother and some of his siblings lived in Winnipeg. He listed is mother, Mrs. Matilda McDonald of suite 5 of Howell Court, as his Next of Kin.
Like McPherson, the family was informed on December 9, 1942 that he was Presumed Dead.
As noted above, the McPherson family decided to erect a memorial marker at Elmwood Cemetery in Winnipeg. McDonald is also listed on the Elkhorn Cenotaph in his hometown.
Lockheed Hudson accident detail Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (scroll to serial no. BW631)
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