Daron Letts
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Sep 02/05) - Second World War veteran Dusty Miller lives along the float plane flight path in Old Town, in a house overlooking a stand of diamond willows. His eyes twinkle when he smiles and his handshake is strong and sincere.

Second World War veteran Dusty Miller attended a concert last week at City Hall commemorating the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Holland by Canadian soldiers. - Daron Letts/NNSL photo

He's not a hero and he's done nothing particularly spectacular, he says. He worked hard all his life and changed his shoes when they wore out like anyone else.

"It's just a phase of life I was born into," he says. "I was the right age and had the right education. I did the bit and when it was over I went on with my business."

In 1939 he studied aircraft engineering at a college in Galt, Ontario, established to train workers for the impending war in Europe. After graduation that year he signed up for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

For about a year he repaired and rebuilt antiquated canvas-covered De Havillands at a base in Trenton, Ontario. The little planes were launched from British aircraft carriers in the early months of the war.

Shipped overseas

In 1940 he shipped overseas with RCAF 406 Squadron to work with the ground crew at the Newcastle air base on the northeast coast of England. He tuned and repaired Bristol Beaufighters, the heavy long-range fighter bombers used to fight back the German blitz.

As the Luftwaffe flew high over England via the North Sea to bomb industrial centres, the Canadian pilots hid in the night skies. When the slow-moving bombers popped through the thick cloud canopy, the Beaufighters took them down with their 9mm cannons. Miller and his crew repaired the planes when they returned. "The pilots would bring them in and we'd do the tires, tune them up and fix the bullet holes, if they had any," he says. "Whatever was necessary. If the plane was shot up bad they'd be rebuilt as required. We had a squadron of 16 planes and we kept them running."

After D-Day the Allied forces pushed the front back into France. Miller's Squadron followed along the Rhine River with the new, faster Mosquito daylight fighters. Miller's team repaired the Mosquitos and kept them in the air. The planes flew over the occupied countryside strafing and bombing supply lines, including truck and tank convoys, railway lines, gun posts and oil tanks. Anything to mess up and slow down the retreat.

On some sorties, Miller road in the Mosquitos as a flight engineer, monitoring instruments and patching bullet holes on the fly when necessary. "That was part of your duty," he says.

Miller served overseas until 1945, achieving the rank of Flight Sergeant. He earned a discharge after the war then served in the merchant marine for awhile.

In 1955 he moved into the Mackenzie Valley as a development officer with the department of Northern Affairs. He quickly developed a deep affection for the land and its people.

He's been part of the community ever since.