Regiment: 405 Pathfinder Squadron
Regimental Number: R/198740
Rank: Sergeant Air Gunner
Force: Royal Canadian Air Force
Bob Bessent was born in Windsor, ON on April 17, 1925 to parents Herbert Bessent and Elsie May Roberts Bessent. He had a twin brother, Bill, who also served in the RCAF. In 1927 the family moved to Grande Prairie AB where the twins eventually started school and were involved in various sports. At age 17 Bob and his brother joined the Air Force, first training in Edmonton, then Manitoba, and then in Quebec for gunnery training. They joined the 405 Pathfinder Squadron in England in 1943. Bob was killed in action in the early morning of December 17, 1943 when his Lancaster bomber crashed because it encountered heavy fog and ran out of fuel looking for a place to land. His mother became the Silver Cross Mother that year. In July 1946 Bob was posthumously awarded Operational Wings from the RCAF “in recognition of gallant service in action against the enemy.” Bob is buried in the Cambridge City (England) Cemetery. Grave Ref: 14558A
Source: Legion Album
Commonwealth War Graves – website
Grande Prairie Herald Tribune – September 23, 1987 – Obituary of Elsie May Roberts Bessent
SPRA Family and Personal Life Reference Files – newspaper articles, photos