
(L-R) Laurie Verrall, Les Watts, Chuck Ramsey, Frank Jones & Raoul Daddo-Langlois
(seated)
are giving up the "gen" to an RAF Intelligence Officer (far R) after
a mission
_________________________________________________ HIS MAJESTY CHATS WITH CANADIAN AIRMEN
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Born in Abbotsford or Cloverdale, |
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Ottawa, Oct. 5, 1942 - (CP) - Award of four Distinguished
Flying Crosses and one Distinguished Flying Medal to members of the Royal
Canadian Air Force overseas was announced officially today by R.C.A.F.
headquarters. Award of a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross to Squadron
Leader Robert Clare Bissett of Edmonton, a member of the Royal Air Force,
and now reported a casualty, was also announced.
The decorated R.C.A.F. personnel included Acting Flight Lieutenant J.
P. Sabourin of St. Isidore de Prescott, Ont.; Flying Officer Allan Ivan
Watt of Calgary; Flight Lieutenant F. E. Jones of Cloverdale, B.C.; and
Flight. Lieutenant H. W. McGee of Regina, who won the Distinguished
Flying Cross, and Flight Sergeant Bruce Campbell McNab of Milton, Ont.,
awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.
Squadron Leader Bissett's citation covering the award of the Bar to his
Distinguished Flying Cross, effective from Nov. 23, 1941, read: "This
officer now has completed his second tour of operations and has helped
to form a new squadron. He has led his flight in an exemplary manner,
participating in most difficult and lengthy sorties. He has outstanding
qualities of leadership and has set a fine example by his skill and courage.
He has participated in many raids on German industrial targets."
Squadron Leader Bissett was officially reported as presumed dead on Nov.
30, 1941.
Cited for "Excellent Work"
Flight Lieutenant Sabourin was cited for his "excellent work"
and credited with destruction of four enemy aircraft and one assist. His
Distinguished Flying Cross award is effective from Sept. 28, 1942. Flight
Lieutenant Sabourin was officially listed last Sept. 26 as killed on active
service.
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By DREW MIDDLETON
London, April 29, 1944 (AP) — Trondheim and Kiel, important bases
for the menacing Nazi naval power, were left blasted and burned today
by heavy R.A.F. assaults as Britain relentlessly prosecuted the fiercest
air offensive of the war.
Nine British bombers were lost in the overnight raids, which included
attacks on Low-Country airdromes and a power plant at Ghent, Belgium.
The R.A.F.'s figure raised its April bomber losses to 137, but the offensive
score included a three-hour raid on Trondheim Monday night, four nights
of deadly assault which all but erased from the map the German Baltic
port and factory town or Rostock, and incessant day and night blows against
points along the Nazi "invasion coast."
The blows against German strong points on the French coast continued today.
Boston (Douglas) bombers, supported by Spitfire fighters-bombers, lashed
at Dunkirk and shot down two Nazi fighters while losing two themselves.
The King visited the airdromes in the South of England from where the
Spitfires took off, stopping to chat during his inspection with three
Canadian members of the attacking forces — Pilot Officer Frank Jones
of Sherbrooke, Que., Flight Sergeant Bill Stock of Ottawa and Squadron
Leader Keith Hodson of London, Ont., veteran of more than twenty sweeps
across the Channel.
On his return, Hodson told the King he had chased a few enemy planes but
"didn't catch anything."
Last night's raid on Trondheim, second in succession, emphasized British
concern over the presence in that Norwegian port of the German battleship
Tirpitz and several other warships on the flank of the vital supply route
to Murmansk, Russia.
The Air Ministry told of great fires started at Kiel, but was hesitant
to claim great damage at Trondheim.
Other reports reaching London said Rostock was an ash heap, its 90,000
population fled or dead, with only firemen and a few troops left to rake
the ruins and combat looters
Passengers in a plane from Britain to Stockholm were quoted as saying
they could see Rostock burning 250 miles distant.
The destruction and death toll were declared in German reports via Zurich
to be far above those of Lubeck, which was estimated to have been 40 per
cent destroyed in a raid March 28.
Informed British sources said the Lubeck and Rostock raids already had
dislocated German transportation to an extent noticeable on the Northern
Russian front.
Accompanying the tremendous British raids on the Continent, the R.A.F.
Fighter Command is carrying on a steady campaign of attrition against
German plane strength in Western Europe.
Thus far in April, fighters have swept across the Channel sixteen times,
shooting down fifty-three German planes. The R.A.F. loss was seventy-nine,
higher than the Germans primarily because of the greater distance from
home bases.
This loss, informed persons said, would have been "catastrophic in
1940," but now can be carried easily because the Fighter Command
still has untapped reserves of planes and pilots.
So marked has become the British air superiority within fighter range
over the Continent that Major Oliver Stewart, a foremost air expert said,
"From the air side alone — and I make no comment on land or
sea problems — invasion operations on the Continent seem practicable."
Major Stewart declared invasion would entail heavy air losses meeting
the "high mobility" of German air strength, but said, "If
the Germans moved many air units from the East our invasion attempt would
be justified on account of easing the burden of the Soviet Union."
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JONES, F/L Frank Everett (J15327) - Distinguished
Flying Cross - No.249 Squadron
Award effective 19 September 1942 as per London Gazette dated 13 October
1942 and
AFRO 1690/42 dated 23 October 1942.
Flight Lieutenant Jones is a vigorous fighter whose ceaselessness in face of odds has served a praiseworthy example. On one occasion in June 1942, during a convoy escort when his formation attacked a large enemy force, Flight Lieutenant Jones destroyed a Junkers 88. On another occasion he led his section in an attack against twelve enemy planes heavily escorted by fighters. Diving down amongst the enemy formation, he shot down a Messerschmitt 109. Although he was attacked from all sides by many fighters, he skilfully frustrated them and, in spite of damage sustained to his aircraft, he succeeded in leading his section safely to base.
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London, Oct. 12, 1942 (CP) — Award of the Distinguished
Flying Cross to two young Canadian fighter pilots, one of whom was described
officially as fearless and the other praised for his inspiring leadership,
was announced today by the Royal Air Force. They are Flight Lieutenant
F. E. Jones, 26-year-old native of Cloverdale, B.C., whose home is in
Sherbrooke, Que., and Flight Lieutenant H. W. McLeod,
27, of Regina.
Jones was described in the citation as a "vigorous fighter whose
fearlessness in face of odds sets praiseworthy example." The citation
said that during convoy escort duties last June Jones' formation was attacked
by a large enemy force and he destroyed a JU-88. On another occasion he
led his section in an attack against twelve aircraft heavily escorted
by fighters. Jones dived among the fighters and shot down an ME-109.
"Although he was attacked from all sides by many fighters,"
the citation said, "he skillfully frustrated them and despite damage
sustained by his aircraft he succeeded in leading his section safely to
his base."
McLeod was decorated for his part in an engagement with at least twenty
ME-109's. The citation said that despite odds McLeod so skillfully led
his section during combat that the enemy force was completely broken.
"This officer always has displayed the greatest determination to
engage the enemy," the citation related. "He has destroyed at
least five and damaged a number of other hostile aircraft. His leadership
has been most inspiring."
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Fingal, March 8, 1943 (Special) — The importance
of the trained air gunner in a bomber crew was stressed this afternoon
by Flt. Lt. Frank E. Jones, D.F.C., of Sherbrooke, Que., when he presented
wings to a class of wireless air gunners from many parts of Canada, Australia,
New Zealand and the British Isles, at No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School,
Fingal. He presented the wings by special request of Group Capt. G. N.
Irwin, commanding officer of No. 14 Service Flying Training School, Aylmer,
who attended the ceremony.
Flt. Lt. Jones only recently returned from overseas service going to the
British Isles less than two years ago as a sergeant pilot. He was commander
of F/O George (Buzz) Beurling's flight at Malta
during the peak of the aerial warfare last year. He advised the graduates
today to keep their eyes open, keep their minds working and follow the
simple rules of health.
"And use lots of common sense," he added. "Good old horse-sense
goes a long way, even on a bombing raid."
The class leader was Jack Goodfellow of 73 Hampton Avenue, Toronto. An
engraved fountain pen was presented to him by the school for attaining
the highest marks of the class.
Graduates from Ontario included P. J. W. Burns, Ottawa; H. F. B. Cooney,
Windsor; J. H. Garvie, Owen Sound; W. J. Wallace, Hamilton.
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Chris Shores, in Aces High (2nd edition) lists his victories as follows:
27 Mar 1942 |
one FW.190 1/2 Ju.88 one Re.2001 one Ju.88 one Bf.109 one Bf.109 one Bf.109 one Bf.109 one Ju.88 |
damaged destroyed destroyed destroyed damaged destroyed damaged destroyed destroyed |
(Spitfire BR246 coded C-40) (same airplane); (Spitfire BR119); (aircraft unknown); (aircraft unknown); (BP869 coded "E"); (EP448 coded "F"). |
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--- Canadian Aces ---
--- Other Canadian Fighter Pilots ---
--- Canadian Air Gunners ---
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See also Chris Shores, Malta: The Spitfire Year.
On these pages I use info from the Air force Association of Canada's web site
in Hugh Halliday's excellent Honors & Awards section,
Newspaper articles via the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC)
as well as other sources both published and private