Harris was born on 25 Dec 1919 in Montreal, Canada, the son of Russian born parents Barnet and Nettie Feige née Kahansky. Harris’s mother died in 1927 when he was eight and his father remarried in 1929 to Rose James. Harris attended Harbord Collegiate Institute in Toronto and is commemorated on their Roll of Honour.

Harris was the pilot of Whitley Z6816 which took off from RAF Leeming at 22.42 on a night operation to Osnabruck. The aircraft was last in contact at 04.44 but nothing was heard after this and it was presumed to have crashed into the sea at Flamborough Head on its return from the operation.

The other crew killed were:
Hubert Richard Heighton, 745475
Owen Roderick Lucas, 651870
Robert Henry Thompson, 938712