Yukon who is who

Walter William Mollon (1925 – 1951)

Walter Mollon was born in Hamilton, Ontario to parents Bessie Mitchel and Walter Thomas Mollon. He enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force to serve in the Second World War in August 1943. His citations include the general Service Medal and the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal. He was married to Kathleen Marion Mollon and they had one son.¹⁾

In 1951, Flying Officer Mollon was part of the Winter Experimental Establishment division stationed at Watson Lake.²⁾ Walter Mollon’s Hawker Sea Fury crashed into Watson Lake and he was killed.³⁾

The Watson Lake Airport was used by the Canadian military for two important programs during and after the Second World War: the Northwest Staging Route (1941-1945) and the Winter Experimental Establishment (1947-1951). A memorial cairn at the airport is dedicated to the pilots and ground crews involved in these programs. Lieutenant Gerald Quarton, Leading Aircraftsman Ernest McWilliams, and Flying Officer Walton Mollon all died when their planes crashed near or in the lake near the airport. ⁴⁾