Acting Sergeant Joseph Raymond Maurice Savard

Joseph Raymond Maurice Savard, known as Maurice Savard, was born at Chicoutimi, Quebec, on 29 December 1913, the son of Joseph Michel Savard and Berthe. He attended schools in Chicoutimi and Quebec City, reaching Grade VIII. Before the war he worked as a garage mechanic for his father, cleared land at Evain, and worked as a driver and labourer in the Abitibi mining region. He enjoyed reading and skating. Savard enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at Quebec City on 26 March 1942, service number R136715. He entered as a standard tradesman and passed through the manning depots at Lachine, Quebec City and Toronto. He trained as an electrician at No. 1 Technical Training School, St. Thomas, Ontario, qualifying in Link Trainer maintenance in December 1942. He became Aircraftman 1st Class on 2 December 1942 and Leading Aircraftman on 2 March 1943, advancing to Electrician Group A in July 1943. After No. 1 Y Depot at Halifax, he joined RCAF Station Dartmouth in January 1943. He served with No. 11 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron from May to October 1943, then returned to the station's Headquarters Squadron. His service was entirely in Canada. Appointed paid Acting Corporal in December 1943 and paid Acting Sergeant on 1 April 1944, he earned reports describing superior trade proficiency, diligence, reliability and good leadership. His Canadian Volunteer Service Medal was recorded on 15 January 1944. Savard requested release to take up civilian employment. He was discharged at No. 2 Release Centre, Lachine, on 21 December 1944 and transferred to the RCAF Reserve, General Section, Class E. His character was assessed as Very Good and his trade proficiency as Satisfactory. He received General Service War Service Badge 183458. At release he planned to help operate his father's sawmill in the Rouyn area and later seek a smallholding through the Veterans' Land Act. Maurice Savard died in 1980 and is buried at Valleyfield (Ste. Cecile De Valleyfield) Cemetery. His wife Florence lived from 1922 to 1985.

1913-12-29 — Born Joseph Raymond Maurice Savard, son of Joseph Michel Savard and Berthe; signed later documents as Maurice Savard; Chicoutimi, Quebec.
1913-12-30 — Baptized; enlistment declaration corrected an erroneous 1930 baptism year; Chicoutimi, Quebec.
1920 to 1929 — Primary schooling at Chicoutimi, Académie St-J.B. and Académie St-Sauveur at Quebec, then eighth-year secondary studies at Académie Commerciale in 1928–1929; Chicoutimi; Quebec City, Quebec.
1929 to 1933 — Garage mechanic for father Michel Savard; left when father closed the garage; Chicoutimi, Quebec.
1933 to 1939 — Land clearer for father Michel Savard; left for a better position; Evain, Quebec.
1939 to 1940 — Driver and labourer for Dufresne Engineering Co. Ltd.; Cadillac, Quebec.
1940 to 1941 — Labourer at Noranda Mines Limited; left owing to shortage of work; Noranda, Quebec.
1941 to 1942-02 — Labourer for Hill-Clark & Francis Co. Ltd.; unemployed after work ended in February 1942; Noranda, Quebec.
1942-03-25 — Applied as a standard tradesman for ground service; mechanic, single, Roman Catholic, French and a little English, no previous military service. Medical category A4B, height 64.75 inches, weight 146 pounds, chest 35 inches expired with 3 inches expansion; No. 14 Recruiting Centre, Quebec City, Quebec.
1942-03-26 — Voluntarily enlisted in RCAF Special Reserve, R136715, Aircraftman 2nd Class, for the war and subsequent demobilization; signed oath as Maurice Savard. Father Joseph Michel at Evain next of kin; Quebec City, Quebec.
1942-03-26 to 1942-03-27 — Posted to No. 5 Manning Depot; main ledger gives 26 March, detailed receiving entry 27 March; Lachine, Quebec.
1942-03-30 — Dental examination, vaccination, negative Schick and Dick tests and first T.A.B.T. inoculation; subsequent inoculations 16 and 30 April at No. 4 Manning Depot; No. 5 Manning Depot, Lachine, Quebec.
1942-04-06 — Taken on strength of No. 4 Manning Depot after departure 5 April; cancelled duplicate No. 5 entry excluded; Quebec City, Quebec.
1942-05-23 — Taken on strength of No. 1 Manning Depot following departure from Quebec on 22 May; Toronto, Ontario.
1942-06-22 to 1942-06-27 — Hospitalized at No. 1 Manning Depot; recovered and discharged; Toronto, Ontario.
1942-07-31 — Remustered to electrician standard; Canada.
1942-08-01 — Taken on strength of No. 1 Technical Training School following departure from Toronto on 31 July; St. Thomas, Ontario.
1942-08-13 — Payment-related $20 entry named Mrs. Berthe Savard of Evain; purpose not stated; Evain, Quebec.
1942-12-02 — Reclassified Aircraftman 1st Class and Electrician Group C; passed Group B test with 85.7%, higher trade group effective after qualifying interval; No. 1 Technical Training School, St. Thomas, Ontario.
1942-12-16 — Qualified in Link Trainer Maintenance; No. 1 Technical Training School, St. Thomas, Ontario.
1942-12-18 — Posted to No. 1 Y Depot following departure from technical school on 17 December; Halifax, Nova Scotia.
1943-01-08 — Taken on strength at RCAF Station Dartmouth as electrician, Link Trainer trade annotation; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-01-27 to 1943-02-10 — Fourteen days' annual leave; travel warrant dated 26 January; Canada.
1943-03-02 — Reclassified Leading Aircraftman and Electrician Group B; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-05-11 — Transferred to No. 11 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron at Dartmouth; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-07-01 — Advanced to Electrician Group A; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-07-06 to 1943-07-20 — Fourteen days' annual leave; travel warrant dated 5 July; Canada.
1943-08-20 to 1943-12 — Dental restorations, prophylaxis and extractions recorded; declared dentally fit in December; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-10-29 — Returned from No. 11 Squadron to RCAF Station Dartmouth, Headquarters Squadron; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-11-10 — Qualified in Rifle Table B; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-11-23 to 1943-12-06 — Recommended as a very good airman and NCO material; no conduct-sheet entries reported; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-12-01 — Appointed paid Acting Corporal; temporary paid Corporal also recorded with this effective date; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1943-12-17 — Found fit as potential aircrew; no subsequent aircrew training or qualification established; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-01-15 — Canadian Volunteer Service Medal recorded and first good conduct stripe awarded; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-02-05 — Temporary Corporal recommendation signed, with rank effective 1 December 1943; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-04-01 — Promoted paid Acting Sergeant; certified as filling an NCO vacancy of corresponding rank; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-05-16 — Medical board approved 30 days' farm leave, category A4B, no illness or present complaints; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-05-19 to 1944-06-01 — Fourteen days' annual leave; main ledger starts 18 May, detailed ledger 19 May; Canada.
1944-06-01 to 1944-06-30 — Thirty days' unpaid farm leave; corrected grants record ends 30 June rather than 1 July; Canada.
1944-07 to 1944-08 — Assessed as superior in trade proficiency, diligent and capable of good leadership; retention in acting rank recommended; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-08-29 — Medical board approved 30 days' harvest leave; no present complaints, category A4B unchanged; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-09-01 to 1944-09-30 — Thirty days' unpaid harvest leave; corrected grants record ends 30 September rather than 1 October; Canada.
1944-09-19 to 1944-09-29 — Further assessment recommended retention in acting rank and ordinary promotion; no conduct-sheet entries reported; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-11-09 — Headquarters approved request to leave service for civilian employment, following station recommendation of 2 November; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-11-14 to 1944-11-18 — Left-wrist injury assessed; suspected scaphoid fracture, but radiographs showed no fracture or other bony pathological change; Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-11-20 to 1944-12-10 — Twenty-one days' special leave before reporting to release centre; formal message states inclusive end date 10 December; Canada.
1944-11-26 — Discharge assessment: character Very Good, trade proficiency Satisfactory; RCAF Station Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
1944-12 — Discharge counselling: intended to help operate father's sawmill at Rouyn and later seek a smallholding through Veterans' Land Act; plans are not proof of later occupation; Lachine; Evain, Quebec.
1944-12-11 to 1944-12-12 — Reported to No. 2 Release Centre, Lachine, on 11 December; detailed ledger taken-on-strength date 12 December; Lachine, Quebec.
1944-12-15 — Release medical board, category A4B unchanged, no disability claimed; negative chest X-ray; No. 2 Release Centre, Lachine, Quebec.
1944-12-21 — Discharged on request to take up civilian employment under KR (Air) 195(7), transferred to RCAF Reserve General Section Class E. Final documents call him Sergeant, Electrician A; Canada-only service, character Very Good, trade Satisfactory; General Service Badge 183458 acknowledged; No. 2 Release Centre, Lachine, Quebec.
1944-12-28 — Post-release medical correspondence amended discharge-board laboratory entry and referred follow-up to provincial health authorities; Lachine, Quebec.
1945-01-22 — Dependants' allowance and assigned-pay particulars requested for gratuity calculation; nil overpayment deductible; Ottawa, Ontario.
1945-02-09 — War service gratuity $232.50, payable as two monthly instalments of $116.25; corrected qualifying service 942 days, no overseas service; Evain, Quebec.
1945-02-19 — Canadian Pension Commission notified of 21 December 1944 discharge and supplied medical-board proceedings; Ottawa, Ontario.
1945-03 — Original will, baptism and education documents returned; Evain, Quebec.
1980 — Died in 1980; buried at Valleyfield (Ste. Cecile De Valleyfield) Cemetery, as recorded in CWVMP profile; Valleyfield, Quebec.