Yukon who is who

Gerald Quarton (1920 – 1948)

Gerald Quarton was one of three sons born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan to parents Lillian (Heney) and John Quarton. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Navy in January 1941 to serve in the Second World War. He was the husband of Margery and father of Gregory and Kenneth Quarton of Lancashire, England. His citations include the Canadian Volunteer Service Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945. In 1941, he was in the RCAF Winter Experimental Establishment division. Lieutenant Quarton died when his Hawker Sea Fury crashed near the Watson Lake airport.¹⁾

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.²⁾