Laurence Maurice "Buck" Clark

    Buck went to Canada and joined the Royal Canadian Air Force well before the United States entered the war after Pearl Harbor was bombed by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941. Although many Americans, including President Roosevelt, believed that America should come to the aid of Great Briton and enter the war in Europe, the majority opinion was that we should not. Roosevelt secretly supplied Briton with material aid, and many Americans went to England or Canada to join their armed forces.

    Whether Buck's motivation was political, or that it would open an opportunity for military flying I do not know. But, as the story goes the owner of several Hollywood theaters, where Buck worked, had offered to pay bus fare for any American wanting to go to Canada to join up. Buck was apparently one of those who took advantage of that offer.

    There are only two photos of Buck during flight training and they are reproduced below.

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Multi-Engine Training Buck is to the right in this photo. The partial note on the back suggests that it was taken in Calgary, Canada. Based on Buck's log book he was flying the aircraft in the background between June and September of 1942. The name of the other pilot is unknown.	Morse Code Training This is an official photograph according to the National Film Board stamp on the back. Trainee pilots are being tested on morse code using a flashing light. Buck has the light in the picture. Using a magnifying glass I can read the paper on two of the clipboards, "Morse Code Examination."	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada That's all the note on the back says, along with the date, 1941