William Paterson's Request for "More Active" Duty

William Paterson of Winnipeg, Manitoba joined the BSC in July 1941 after graduate studies at the University of Toronto and nearly two years with Prime Minister Mackenzie King's staff. After roughly six months with the BSC in New York, Paterson was "anxious" to transition into "more active" war duty. Canadian military intelligence officers provided advice on the enlistment process and officer training courses.

The Canadian Virtual War Memorial reveals that Paterson was the navigator of a Lancaster bomber shot down during a December 1944 attack on Bonn Airfield. Paterson and the pilot were killed, while the other members of the crew parachuted to safety. He was twenty-seven years old, and is buried at Reichswald Forest War Cemetery in Germany.