BENNETT, Pamela Gladys
Age at Death: 28
Rank Sergeant
Unit Royal Canadian Air Force Women’s Division
Service Number W316180
Place of Burial Commemorated at the Ottawa Memorial
Date of Birth 1915.05.16
Place of Birth Darjeeling, India
Enlistment November 22, 1943, Vancouver BC
Date of Death 1945.07.13
Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. C. C. Bennett
Born in India to British parents, Pamela was raised in Victoria, BC and trained in nursing, working as a dental nurse before her enlistment in 1943. She rose to the rank of Sergeant while working as a dental assistant. She was described by her commanding officer as “a fine young woman who was respected and admired by everyone who came in contact with her. As a servicewoman, she performed her duties admirably, and as an individual, she was held in the highest possible esteem.”
On July 13, 1945, Pamela joined 13 other passengers on Liberator 11121, an Air Force flight to Patricia Bay, with the intent of visiting her mother at home in Victoria. On the last leg of the flight, contact was lost with the aircraft. Liberator 11121 crashed in a mountainous region near Bamfield, BC during difficult weather, killing everyone on board. In 1983, a commemorative cairn paying tribute to the victims was unveiled at the site of the crash.
