(Note: Though a poppy does not appear on the street sign, this street is part of the City of London's "Streets of Honour" program and was named for P/O Purser)
Purser Street is named in memory of Pilot Officer John Henry Purser.
John Henry Purser was born on 27 February 1920 in Lucknow, 125 km north of London, ON. During his early childhood, his family moved to London where he attended Aberdeen Public School before going on to study at Sir Adam Beck and South Collegiate. He joined the military soon after graduating from high school and went overseas after completing his aircrew training. Once in England, he was assigned to No. 115 Squadron, RAF, flying Wellington bombers out of RAF Marham. On the night of 29-30 June 1941, his crew took off from their airfield for a bombing raid on Hamburg, flying an aircraft modified to carry a 4000 lb “Blockbuster” bomb. During their mission, they were attacked by a German night fighter and crashed near Altenwerder, 4 km southwest of Hamburg. Six crewmembers perished in the crash, among them Pilot Officer John Henry Purser. He is buried at Becklingen War Cemetery, south east of Soltau, Germany.
