Moses Schwartz, known as Moe to his family, was born on the 17th May 1916 in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Aaron and Sara Schwartz (nee Yankeloritz), who were both immigrants from Romania, his father arriving in Canada in 1914.

Moses was educated at Mount Royal School, Montreal. While at school he was a keen sportsman playing baseball, football and hockey. He left school at 14 to take up the occupation of clothing cutter in his home city. He was fluent in English, French and Hebrew.

Moses enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on the 9th December 1942 taking up the rank of Aircraftman 2nd Class (AC2). On enlistment he was rated as an above average recruit, and it was noted that he had an ambition to become an air gunner. After initial training in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Moses moved on to No.1 Air Gunners Ground Training School (AGGTS) in Quebec City where he undertook a 6-week course in the use, care and maintenance of machine guns.

On completion of the course on the 26th July 1943, Moe joined No.9 Bombing and Gunnery School, at Mont-Joli, Quebec. There he flew almost 24 hours as an air gunner on the Fairey Battle aircraft, completing his course on the 3rd September. During his posting to Mont-Joli Moses was promoted to Sergeant.

After two weeks of embarkation leave, Moses was posted to No.1 Y Depot, Halifax, the embarkation depot for RCAF personnel heading to Europe. He embarked for the UK at New York on the 8th October, arriving on the 17th October.

On arrival in the United Kingdom Moses was initially posted to No.3 Personnel Reception Centre in Bournemouth before travelling north to join No.50 course at No.20 Operational Training Unit at RAF Lossiemouth near Elgin in the north of Scotland where he trained as a member of a bomber crew. It’s likely that while at the OTU he ‘crewed up’ for the first time with Sergeant (later Flight Lieutenant) Raymond Cumming and other members of his crew, whom he would remain with into his operational career.

Whilst at 20 OTU, Moe flew over 131 hours on the Vickers Wellington. His instructors rated him as “keen and thoroughly reliable in the air, with a good sense of discipline” and recommended him for a commission. On the 14th April 1944 Moe moved on to convert to the Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber at 1663 HCU, Riccall, one of three HCU’s controlled by No.41 Base.

On the 23rd May 1944, Moe married Berlin-born Irene Pauline Wolfenstein at Willesden in London. Just three days later, on the 26th May, Moe joined No.78 Squadron at RAF Breighton, near Howden in East Yorkshire in the crew of Sergeant Cumming. The crew, including Moses as rear gunner, flew their first operation to attack railway yards at Trappes on the outskirts of Paris on the 2nd June 1944. On the following day Moe was promoted to Flight Sergeant.

Over the following 6 months Moses and his crew completed a full tour of operations. In June 1944, they raided V-weapon sites. In July and August, more V-weapon sites were on the target list alongside operations against German forces in Normandy including Caen and the Falaise pocket. September saw a continuation of operations in support of land forces in France but also the crews first deep penetration operations into Germany, with missions to Munster and Kiel.

On the 15th October the crew flew an operation to Duisberg but had an uncomfortable return journey when the port outer engine caught fire, forcing a landing at Blyton in Lincolnshire.

Three more missions to Germany followed in November and December before Moses and his crew completed their tour. Through this period, Moses was promoted, first to Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) on the 3rd December, and then to Pilot Officer on the 20th December.

It was usual for a crew completing a tour of thirty operations to be rested and transferred to a non-operational (training) role, but some volunteered for another tour, and it appears Moe’s crew was one of these.

They returned to operations on the 14th February 1945. At 1802 Flight Lieutenant Cumming took Halifax III MZ799/EY-X into the air at Breighton on an operation to lay mines in the Kadet Channel in the Baltic off Denmark, an area designated Sweetpea II. Sadly, the aircraft failed to return, and no trace was found of it or Moses and his six crewmates.

The mining operation that night proved expensive for Bomber Command, Raymond’s being one of six aircraft lost out of 54 dispatched.

Moses is commemorated on Panel 281 of the Runnymede Memorial near Windsor. His crew, five of whom joined 78 Squadron with him in May 1944 and flew alongside him thereafter, are also commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial, namely Flight Lieutenant Raymond Cumming, Pilot Officer John Rice, Pilot Officer John Thompson, Pilot Officer Stanley Tresidder, Flight Sergeant Edward Yates, and Mose’s fellow air gunner, Flight Sergeant Idris Williams (who first flew in Raymond’s crew on the Duisburg mission in October 1944).

Moses is also commemorated on Phase 2, Panel 238 of the Bomber Command Memorial at the International Bomber Command Centre at Canwick near Lincoln; on the Bomber Command Memorial Wall at Nanton, Alberta; and on the 78 Squadron Roll of Honour in the squadron’s memorial chapel at All Saints Church, Bubwith near Breighton Airfield.