Intermission post by Pierre Lagacé
Crazy Frenchies is something I found in a book last week as I was desperately searching for more information about Flying Officer R.O. Brouillard who was part of the French Connection.
Sur la route de Vaudreuil is where I stumbled upon Roland Brouillard’s name seen here at B.78 Eindhoven, in Holland…. 
B.78 Eindhoven, Holland
That picture was taken by Gordon Hill between 31 March and 12 April 1945.
Roland Brouillard’s full name was Roland Olivier Brouillard, born 21 December 1918, 40 days after 11 November 1918…
This information is in the book.
Roland’s mother died suddenly when he was two years-old.
In 1998, Marcel Brouillard recounted in a book his big brother’s war years with the RCAF. I suppose that Roland Brouillard had shared his wartime reminiscences with him since there is a whole chapter in the book.
This is how I learned so much more about Flying Officer R.O. Brouillard by reading excerpts from the book. At first, the only thing I had to go on was Flying Officer R.O. Brouillard’s initials.
R.O…
This photo of Flying Officer R.O. Brouillard is now much more meaningful than before.
Collection Gordon Hill
I feel I was very lucky to find Sur la route de Vaudreuil…
I am now able to let Clarence Simonsen share what I found with Gordon Hill whom he will meet next Tuesday. Gord had such an admiration for those “damn good pilots”.
Collection Clarence Simonsen
This is where I found the book. You can read the excerpts if you read French.
On this next photo, Roland Brouillard is on the right of this photo op.
Collection Gordon Hill
A pilot describes for posterity his aerial dogfight.
The pilot’s name is Jacques “Jack” Ménard, from Cartierville, Quebec. That information about Ménard was also found in the book
Here is Roland once again at B.78 Eindhoven, in Holland.
Collection Gordon Hill
Roland’s nickname was Lou, like Lou Brouillard, a former world middleweight boxing champion.
That information was taken also from the book…
Also in the book, Marcel Brouillard wrote that Jack and Lou were also called the “Crazy Frenchies” and became inseparable.
We are in Holland. The date is between 31 March and 12 April 1945. “Lou” Brouillard, born 21 December 1918, is 26 years-old.
He looks more like a 40 year-old man…
Preserving the Past 