Military pilot, war hero.
Born at Winnipeg on 2 December 1914, one of six children of Denis Bastable (1880-1968) and Elizabeth McKeon (1889-1962), he attended St. James Collegiate where he participated in track meets, dramatic and debating clubs, and the school newspaper.
During the Second World War, he served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from March 1941 to October 1946, becoming a bomber pilot. In 1942, while engaged in a raid over Rouen, France, he was shot down and taken prisoner. He tried to escape five time but was recaptured. His sixth attempt was successful and he joined the Czechoslovakian underground. He blew up bridges, cut telephone lines, and sabotaged Germany equipment until May 1945. For his service during the war, and specifically his work with the Czech underground, he received a Military Cross in May 1946.
After the war, he returned to Winnipeg and worked for Canadian Pacific Express. He was one of the City of Winnipeg No. 402 Auxiliary Squadron and received his jet pilot’s wings in June 1948.
On 10 October 1936, he married Phyllis Peace Garraway (1918-2002, later married to Art Weston) at St. James and they had three children: Sandra Joan Bastable (wife of Zane Lewkiw), Terrence Vernon “Terry” Bastable (1939-2012), and Elizabeth “Liz” Bastable (1947-2018, wife of Garry Cullingham). The family lived at 335 Belvidere Street, St. James.
He was killed on 27 March 1949 in a jet aircraft crash at Charleswood and was buried in the St. James Anglican Cemetery.
Birth registrations [Vernon James Bastable, Phyllis Peace Garraway], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [Vernon James Bastable, Phyllis Pearl Garraway], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registration [Vernon James Bastable], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Flier escaped Nazis 6 times; blasted huns in underground,” Winnipeg Tribune, 28 March 1949, page 4.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 29 March 1949, page 20.
Obituary [Denis Bastable], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 September 1968, page 26.
Obituary [Phyllis Peace Weston], Winnipeg Free Press, 23 February 2002.
Obituary [Terry Bastable], Winnipeg Free Press, 18 February 2012.
Obituary [Elizabeth Cullingham], Winnipeg Free Press, 6 January 2018.
This page was prepared by Wendy Prystenski and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 7 July 2025
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