"It's really lots of fun throwing a kite around at 20,000 or 25,000ft, away above the clouds. It makes one feel as if one is complete master of his destiny, proving fate is a bit kind. But I suppose the Old Girl that waves the wand has lots of ideas of her own." So wrote Plt Off Camille Robespierre Bon Seigneur in a letter to his parents in August 1940. Within three weeks the Canadian was dead, shot down in a fierce air battle over the Essex countryside. The wand had waved and gone against him. Born on 27 May 1918 at Gull Lake, Saskatchewan, Camille was still a baby when his father died in the Spanish flu pandemic at the end of the First World War. His mother Irene moved to Regina and eventually remarried, and Camille was brought up by her and his stepfather Matt Craigen. He was educated at the Covent of St Joseph's Academy before attending college, where he did well at sport. True to his French-Canadian heritage, he was also a good French-speaker. After graduating he started work at his stepfather's car dealership. In his spare time Camille joined the Olympic Boxing and Wrestling Club, where he proved a tough competitor. Despite his enthusiasm for rugged sports, he grew into a kind and generous young man with a marked sense of humour. Becoming restless with life in Regina, Camille craved adventure. In 1937, with the blessing of his family, he joined the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals and trained as a wireless operator. His army records show he was just over 5ft 5in tall with brown eyes and scars on both eyebrows from his time at the boxing club. His character was assessed as "very good."
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