Sgt. Pilot Harold Clinton COTNAM

1919 - 1941  (22 years)

• Name	Harold Clinton COTNAM
  Prefix	Sgt. Pilot
  Birth	13 Sep 1919	Pembroke Twp., Renfrew, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Census-Household Member	1921	Pembroke Twp., Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
  Census-Household Member	1931	Pembroke Twp., Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
  Attestation Papers	9 Dec 1940	Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
  Gravestone	Greenwood, Renfrew Co., Ontario, Canada
  	WW II, Sgt. Pilot, R.C.A.F.
  Gravestone	Greenwood, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada
  	WW II, Sgt. Pilot, R.C.A.F.
  	Address: Greenwood United Cemetery Westmeath Twp., Ontario
  WWII service	R77479 Unit: 52 Operational Training Unit, Fighter Command
  Death	31 Oct 1941	Washing Pool Hill, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England   [4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
  Burial	Westbury-on-Trym, Bristol Unitary Authority, Bristol, England
  	Address: Canford Cemetery and Crematorium Westbury-on-Trym England
  Person ID	I93907795	Whitewater Region Early Families
  Last Modified	7 Nov 2025

  
  

  Father	William James COTNAM,   b. 30 Jul 1887, Westmeath Twp., Renfrew, Ontario, Canada d. 27 May 1970, Pembroke, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada (Age 82 years)
  Mother	Minnie Ethel JACKSON,   b. 6 Aug 1885, Chalk River, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada d. 7 Nov 1975, Deep River, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada (Age 90 years)
  Marriage	13 Sep 1916	Perretton, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada   [10]
  Family ID	F15921	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show		Cotnam, Sgt. (Pilot) Harold Clinton photo found on the website https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial/detail/2450669
  		Pembroke War Memorial dedicated to WWII - right section photographed by Fay Bennett, Nov 2022
  		Pembroke Collegiate Institute WWII Honour Roll Champlain Trail Museum and Pioneer Village Photographed by Fay Bennett, Nov 28, 2022
  		Greenwood United Church WWII Honour Roll Photographed by Fay Bennett
  		Greenwood United Church Tablet dedicated to casualties of WWII soldiers, Greenwood, Ontario Photographed by Fay Bennett

  
  

  Documents		Cotnam, Sgt. Pilot Harold Clinton death Newspaper clipping from Scrapbook 1939-46 donated to Ross Museum
  		Cotnam, Sgt. (Pilot) Harold Clinton obituary The Ottawa Journal, Nov 3, 1941 p. 19

  
  

  Headstones

  Gravestone-Cotnam, William & Eleanor nee Smyth; son Sgt. Pilot Harold Clinton COTNAM Greenwood Cemetery Greenwood, Ontario Photographed by Fay Bennett Nov 19, 2024

  
  

  Histories

  Sgt. Pilot Harold Clinton COTNAM WWII Service Summary Compiled by Fay Bennett From sources listed

  
  

• Notes

  WWII service: Jan 9, 1941 transfered from Toronto to Picton; Mar 23, 1941 to Victoriaville, QC; May 2, 1941 to Windsor Mills; Jun 21, 1941 to Summerside, PEI; Sep 1, 1941 to Halifax, N.S. UK, World War II Index to Allied Airmen Roll of Honour, 1939-1945 Military Base: Aston Down, Gloucestershire; Hurricane I, pilot note - not so Brother of R L Cotnam. Flew Into Washing Pool Hill, Almonsbury, Glos After Entering Cloud During A Training Flight court of inquiry for accident on Oct 31, 1941 at Washing Pool Hill, Almondsbury, Glouchestershire, England involving Hurricane I, Merlin III P.3021 totally damaged.sgt. Cotnam, unit: 52 OTU, 1st Pilot; list of witnesses included 3 members of their unit; 3 civilians and 1 other military personel. Purpose of the flight was air combat at 10,000 ft. Cause of accident determined to be loss of control in cloud and inability to recover in 500-1000 ft below At about 3 pm on Oct 31, 1941, a witnes at Rudgeway heard a plane overhead with the engine not working properly. He saw the plane come thorough the clouds nose first and went straight to the ground. Census-Household Member: Role: Household Member Role: Household Member Attestation Papers: He listed his occupation as bank teller, Royal Bank, Mount Royal, QC 1937 to present; and his religion as Protestant, United Church. His education is listed as 1927-1932 S. S. #3, Pembroke, Ontario; 1932-1937 Pembroke Collegiate Institute, Pembroke, Ontario and he did a banking course by correspondence with Shaw Schools, Toronto, Ontario. He engaged in hockey moderately, track extensively, and rugby extensively. He had previously made application to RCAF in Kingston, Ontario, on Jun 17, 1940 but had not been called yet. Hif 4 references were L.J.Bromley of Montreal, Timber Merchant; S.G.Dobson, General Manager Royal Bank, Montreal; Dr. I.D.Cotnam, Pembroke; Rev. H.H.Mutton, Pembroke, Ontario. He was described as 5' 5 3/4" tall and weighing 130 lbs. He had a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair.

  
  

• Sources

  [S649] Church Record - Baptism Transcriptions - Westmeath Pastoral Charge Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms, Renfrew Co., Ontario. [S1042775] Church Record - Baptism Transcriptions - Westmeath Pastoral Charge Wesleyan Methodist Baptisms, Renfrew Co., Ontario. [S1043071] Mil- Attestation Papers. [S650] Church Record - Burial Transcriptions - Westmeath Pastoral Charge Wesleyan Methodist Burials, Renfrew Co., Ontario. [S1042936] Church Record - Burial Transcriptions - Westmeath Pastoral Charge Wesleyan Methodist Burials, Renfrew Co., Ontario. [S1043099] Canada., Mil-Service Files of the Second World War - War Dead, 1939-1947, (Library and Archives Canada, Government of Canada. Library and Archives Canada . https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/second-world-war/second-world-war-dead-1939-1947/Pages/files-second-war-dead.aspx.). [S1042990] Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Mil-Commonwealth War Graves Commission, ((www.cwgc.org)), ). (Reliability: 3). [S1042989] Veterans Affairs Canada, Mil-Canadian Virtual War Memorial, ((www.veterans.gc.ca/eng)), ). (Reliability: 3). [S1043559] Find A Grave, digital images, (http://www.findagrave.com: 2016), https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59357987/harold-clinton-cotnam https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/238552711/harold-c.-cotnam (Reliability: 3). [S651] Transcribed by Norah H. Cousins-La Rocque, Church Record - Wesleyan Methodist Marriage Transcriptions - Westmeath Pastoral Charge Wesleyan Methodist Marriages, Renfrew Co., Ontario, (Pembroke, UOVGG, Mar 1994).