Language selection


Search veterans.gc.ca

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Wilbur Boyd Bentz

In memory of:

Pilot Officer Wilbur Boyd Bentz

May 13, 1944
Geraardsbergen, Belgium

Military Service


Service Number:

J/87378

Age:

23

Force:

Air Force

Unit:

Royal Canadian Air Force

Division:

426 Squadron

Citation(s):

Croix de guerre and Palm.

Additional Information


Born:

July 7, 1920
North Bend, British Columbia

Enlistment:

December 16, 1941
Vancouver, British Columbia

Son of Guy Boyd and Edith, both were United States citizens who had immigrated to Canada. Wilbur had one sibling, a sister, Romaine. He graduated from high school in Nelson, British Columbia in 1940, and then began working as a telegraph operator for the Canadian Pacific Railway in Penticton. His father was the Chief Train Despatcher. Afterwards, his parents moved from their home on Winnipeg Street in Penticton to 2nd Street in Medicine Hat, Alberta. At 6 feet tall and weighing 179 pounds, Wilbur was very active in sports, particularly baseball, hockey, tennis and badminton. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. Single, he disembarked for the United Kingdom on June 4, 1943.

He was the pilot of LW 682/M. He was posthumously awarded the Croix du Guerre 1940 with Palm (Belgium) in recognition for his contribution toward the liberation of Belgium.

Commemorated on Page 248 of the Second World War Book of Remembrance. Request a copy of this page. Download high resolution copy of this page.

Burial Information


Cemetery:

GERAARDSBERGEN (GRAMMONT) COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Belgium

Grave Reference:

Coll. Grave 1.

Location:

The town of Geraardsbergen is located south of the town of Aalst on the N42. From the motorway E40/A10, which runs between Oostende and Brussels, turn off at junction 17 onto the N42, direction Geraardsbergen. Follow this road to the town of Geraardsbergen and the junction with the N493. Turn right onto the N493, direction Parike, and the cemetery is along here on the right. The graves are located towards the centre of the cemetery.

Information courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Digital Collection

Send us your images

  • Memorial– Father J P Lardie's comments as inscribed on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Pilot Officer Wilbur Boyd Bentz is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Memorial– Pilot Officer Wilbur Boyd Bentz is also commemorated on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall in Nanton, AB … photo courtesy of Marg Liessens
  • Photo of WILBUR BOYD BENTZ– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Id Card– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of WILBUR BOYD BENTZ– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Photo of WILBUR BOYD BENTZ– Submitted for the project, Operation Picture Me
  • Grave Marker– P1080434 Gravestone of W. Bentz, located in Geraarsbergen, Belgium. 80th anniversary commemoration of the loss of LW682 and its crew.
  • Inscription– Bentz W name is cut out on one of the many commemoration plate metal sheets surrounding the spire at the International Bomber Command Centre (IBCC) in Lincolnshire, England commemorating the losses of bomber command. (this image was taken on the opening of the centre on 12/4/2018)
  • 426 Squadron and the Halifax LW682
  • Biography

Learn more about the Canadian Virtual War Memorial

To learn more please visit our help page. If you have questions or comments regarding the information contained in this registry, email or call us. For inquiries regarding the names and information found in the RCMP Honour Roll, please email the RCMP.

Date modified: