‘It must have been preordained from above’
By sheer coincidence, war plane piloted by WWII veteran flew over his funeral
Just before Marvin Warsh’s funeral began at Holy Blossom Memorial Park, a Lancaster bomber war plane flew overhead. By sheer coincidence, Warsh, 97, was a Lancaster bomber navigator in the Second World War.
“I’m not that much of a religious guy at all, but his plane flying over 15 minutes before his funeral while he’s there in the casket . . . it’s unbelievable,” said Warsh’s grandson, Matthew.
“I guess he met his Maker and said ‘you’re gonna fly a Lancaster over my gravesite,’ ” he said with a laugh.
The plane is one of the two Lancaster bombers still in operation. It was not originally intended to fly over the Jewish cemetery on Oct. 29, according to its pilot Dave Rohrer.
Rohrer, president of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, was planning to take members of the museum on a flight over Niagara Falls. Due to poor weather, the plane left late and took another route, flying over Toronto.
“We tell the story of those veterans, we tell the duty, the service, the sacrifice and the cost of their service,” Rohrer said. “It was quite an honour to be there at the right time in the right place.”
“It must have been preordained from above because it wasn’t my op- eration,” he added.
Warsh served in the Royal Air Force, flying until the end of the Second World War, earning medals such as the Atlantic Star, and the France and Germany Star among others.
Warsh experienced many close calls during his service. After drinking a bad batch of beer, he couldn’t fly the next day. It likely saved his life. The crew he was supposed to fly with were all killed in action that day.
He didn’t engage in combat often. But on one occasion, his plane came under gunfire. When he got out of his plane after he landed, he removed a metal helmet he had placed under the seat. It had a dent in it from a bullet.
“You had to pull those stories out of him,” his grandson said.
Warsh travelled the world, visiting Russia, China, Poland and his beloved Palm Springs, Fla.
The Toronto-born veteran enjoyed a game of golf and became pretty adept at the sport.
Warsh was also a successful businessman, running J.H. Warsh, a clothing manufacturer started by his father.
He was also in the retail business, opening Harridges, a store at Bay and Bloor Sts. which lasted until the 1990s. A man of success, he was not shy to let people know that he was well-off, often donning $5,000 suits. Warsh was never particularly interested in subtlety, his grandson said.
“I think if he was here right now, he would want me to tell you that he was a wealthy guy,” Matthew said. “That’s kind of what he did, he was a big shot.”
Matthew said his grandfather was a tough guy with a temper, but he had a soft spot for his grandchildren, including Jennifer, Alexandra and Carolyn. Warsh was also thrilled to meet his great-grandson Austin, Matthew’s son, not long before he died on Oct. 28.
He is survived by his children Beverley, Robert and Douglas.