Bootsma Donald Hill

Monuments

Donald H. Bootsma Cenotaph

Canada's Bomber Command Memorial Panels

Name:

Donald Hill Bootsma

Rank:

Pilot Officer

Serial Number:

J/15775

Unit:

Royal Canadian Air Force

Date of Death:

1942-06-11

State:

California

Cemetery:

Runnymede Memorial, Englefield Green, Runnymede Borough, Surrey, England

Plot:

Panel 99

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Comments:

Donald Hill Bootsma was born on October 12, 1912. He was the son of Henry J. Bootsma and Grace B. Lamphier Bootsma.

Walt Disney and his animators had created a great deal of Nose Art for American pilots and their crews. As it turns out one of the characters had been drawn by Walt Disney at the request of Donald Bootsma, who had graduated from the University of Southern California before entering the service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. This was before the United States had actually entered the war. Donald served in the 77 Squadron as a Pilot Officer. On June 11, 1942, his plane went down over the Bay of Biscay during anti-submarine operations. While there were some reports that he may have been captured, it was believed that he did not survive the crash.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com