David Yemen was born February 12, 1915 in Theodore, Saskatchewan. After enlisting in the RCAF in 1942, Yemen underwent training in Regina, Virden and Winnipeg before receiving his Air Navigator’s badge and heading overseas.
Like the other members of the crew, 30 year-old Yemen arrived at 550 Squadron on January 8, 1945 and flew all seven operations with the Harris crew as the crew’s navigator.
Yemen parachuted to safety when the crew was shot down during a raid on Dessau and was quickly taken into custody as a POW. He would spend three weeks at the Dulag Luft transit camp with fellow crewmates Hicks, Kelleher and Nicol.
On March 27th, all remaining prisoners fit to walk, including David Yemen and crewmate Gerard Kelleher, departed Dulag Luft for the march to Stalag Luft XIIID near Nuremburg, then onto Stalag Luft VII near Moosburg. Yemen and the others at the camp were finally liberated on April 29, 1945, arriving back in England on or about VE Day, May 8th.
David Yemen and fiancé Mary Burton had planned to be married in March 1945 and on Yemen’s return to England, the pair went quickly to work on their wedding plans. David and Mary were married (with crewmate Doug Hicks as best man) on May 21, 1945.
Yemen returned to Canada via the French ocean liner S.S. Ile de France, docking at Pier 21 in Halifax on July 14, 1945. Back in Mansfield, England, Mary was still awaiting approval of her settlement arrangements. A pregnant Mary would finally arrive in Canada in January 1946 via ship to Halifax and onwards to Saskatchewan by train where she and David would settle in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Their first child, Fran was born April 10, 1946 and the couple would go on to have five more: Dorothy, Linda, Peter, Bill, and Joe.
David Yemen passed away on May 30, 1986 in Yorkton at the age of 71.
The Harris Crew 