Crash Harrison

Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death

 by Deana J. Driver

 Reginald Harrison grew up on a farm near the hamlet of Finnie, Saskatchewan during the Dirty Thirties. His interest in flying was heightened as he watched fighter pilots do loops in the sky above his family’s farm, training for the Second World War. Seeking adventure, Reg became an RCAF bomber pilot in England. During his service, he survived four crashes – none of which were his fault – and several close calls.

Reginald Harrison became one of the few Canadians in the famed wartime “Guinea Pig Club” after receiving reconstructive skin graft surgery. He was named an “Honorary Snowbird” by the renowned Canadian Forces’ aerobatics display team. He is a celebrated war veteran whose stories will captivate and educate readers from teens to seniors.

This book, written in Reg’s voice, shares his experiences growing up on the dusty Prairies during the Great Depression, then going off to war and surviving crashes and intense combat. Nicknamed “Crash” by a fellow airman, Reg Harrison would take that name to heart, proving that he could skillfully pilot a bomber, complete his missions, and survive numerous crashes and close calls. He would also become a gentle yet strong leader and an inspiration to his crew, other service personnel, and all who hear his amazing story.

While driving through the war-ravished town of Le Touquet, France in September 1944, Canadian Army Captain Sandy MacPherson was surprised to see a lone blonde woman running toward his Jeep.

Dorothy Borutti had vowed she would embrace the first liberator who came to free her and her hometown of Le Touquet from the German occupiers. And now he was here, in front of her!

Sandy and Dorothy’s story follows their separate journeys in Canada and France, and their wartime efforts to return the world to freedom. After the war, Dorothy followed Sandy back to Canada, where he would rule on significant cases as an esteemed Saskatchewan Queen’s Bench judge, and Dorothy would embrace her new country of Canada while serving as a lifelong ambassador for France.

Their daughter, former Canadian journalist Romie Christie, shares glimpses of her parents’ captivating lives through their personal journal entries, family stories, and historical records.