Craig, George Eric Gwynne

Rank: Captain
Branch: 39th Battalion; Royal Air Force

George was born in County Donegal, Ireland on May 2, 1891. He worked as a civil engineer for Canadian Pacific Railway from 1910 until 1914, and enlisted in the Canadian Army in Belleville, Ontario in 1915 (his brother Arthur served in the South African Army). In December of 1916, George was attached to the RFC (RAF) as Observer. On July 2, 1918, he was in an airplane accident at Grantham. At the time of this accident, he’d had six hours and 25 minutes of dual flying experience, and seven hours solo. He was a pupil at the time. Pages 27 to 36 of George’s service file contain notes from the resulting court case, including witness testimonies. In 1919, he came to the South Peace and filed on SW 7-73-11-W6 and SE 12-73-12-W6. He was part owner of a 700 acre ranch from 1919 to 1922 at which point he “gave up the struggle.” George operated a trading outfit on the Mackenzie River from 1925 to 1927. After this experience, he spent a year in Ireland. At some point after his return, George married Anne Robinson. They had one son. George wanted to serve in the Canadian Army during World War II, but was rejected because of his age. George and Anne lived in Edmonton for some years, where George was a supervisor for the Northern Transportation Company. He later became the manager of the Calgary Municipal Airport. George died on February 29, 1968.

Links